GREENVILLE, S.C. (WSPA) – While the City of Greenville moves closer to adopting its new development code, residents are paying close attention to the way it could impact their homes, neighborhoods, and even businesses.
“The new zoning code really what it does, Greenville is limiting short term rentals,” Property Manager and Owner of Realty Management and Stay GVL, Matthew Sullivan said. “What they do is make a restriction for 30 days or more. The impact on that is a lot of people are coming in for 2-3 night stays, sometimes up to a week. It is not really feasible for us to do 30 days at a time.”
The city said the new code will protect neighborhoods by no longer allowing short-term rentals, meaning rentals for less than 30 days.
The current code has allowed them through special exceptions.
The city said short-term rentals will still be allowed in the Central Business District and Commercial Corridor Districts.
“What we need to do and what we did in this code is think about it not from the perspective of what a tourist, a visitor of Greenville wants but what do the people who already live here want,” Greenville City Council Member at Large, Dorothy Dowe said. “The question is would you want that happening next door to your own home.”
Sullivan said he currently manages 28 short term rentals properties in Greenville, as a business.
He believes the new code will cut his profit by roughly 30-percent.
“I think Greenville likes to regulate because they think that we are hosting transients that are just going to throw parties and destroy the values of the neighborhoods but we don’t find that,” Sullivan said.
Dowe said concerns have continued to rise about short term rentals.
She said the current development code was written in 2007 and is outdated because short term rentals had not emerged like they have today.
“People who want to rent their property for income can still do it, it just has to be longer than 30 days,” Dowe said. “Believe me there is a tremendous demand in Greenville for rental properties longer than 30 days.”
Sullivan said he believes the city’s new code violates property owners rights and the new ordinance is a push for those visiting the city to stay in hotels.
“We have a lot of choices of hotels, and we still have a lot of choices of Airbnbs both in the CBD and those that are still existing by vested right because they got a special exception,” Dowe said. “There is not a shortage of Airbnbs available now.”
The second and final reading of the new development code will be held on Monday June 12th.
The city tells us if the development code is adopted by city council on Monday, it will go into effect July 15th.
