Tybee Island proposes changes to short-term rental ordinance

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WTOC) -Tybee Island city council is considering amendments that would divide the island into four zones with different caps on short-term vacation rentals, potentially reversing restrictions passed in 2024 that aimed to eliminate vacation rentals over time.

The proposal would allow more vacation rentals on the east and south sides of the island near tourist areas while limiting them in residential neighborhoods on the west and north sides.

Under the proposed ordinance, up to 60% of homes could be short-term rentals in the eastern and southern zones, which include the beach and commercial district. The western and northern zones would be capped at 30% to preserve residential neighborhoods.

On June 13, 2024, the previous city council passed an ordinance designed to phase out vacation rentals on the island. Under those rules, vacation rental certificates could not be transferred when a property changed ownership through sale, death or marriage.

The restrictions led to a 25% to 30% decline in home values, said Jenny Rutherford, a real estate agent on the island. She said buyers frequently ask whether properties can be used as vacation rentals, and the answer is no for about 90% of homes currently for sale.

“Families that owned homes for a long time were being forced to sell them because they couldn’t afford to keep them because they were being told they couldn’t rent them,” Rutherford said.

Mayor Brian West said the four-zone approach recognizes that different parts of the island have different needs.

The eastern zone includes the beach side, where there are more vacation-style homes and tourist activity. The southern zone contains the commercial district with hotels, businesses and shopping.

The western and northern zones are quieter residential neighborhoods, West said.

“We want the people that live in neighborhoods and want to feel like they’re in the neighborhood to not have as many short-term rentals in their neighborhoods,” West said.

The proposal includes a waiting list system. Property owners who want vacation rental permits could join the list and obtain permits when other homes lose their certificates.

The ordinance would extend code enforcement hours to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays to address noise complaints and party houses.

West said the number one complaint about short-term rentals involves noise and unruly behavior, not the rentals themselves.

“We have to enforce our ordinances that you have to be quiet past 10 o’clock,” West said. “You have to respect that people live here full-time.”

Kerry Friedman Rosen, a full-time resident who moved to Tybee Island in 2010, opposes the new proposal. She and her husband Phil say they chose Tybee because it felt like a community, not just a tourist destination.

“I want my neighborhood back, or at least I don’t want it all destroyed,” said Rosen.

She said a street near her home is now half short-term vacation rentals with few full-time residents.

Rosen said the 2024 ordinance represented a fair compromise after years of task forces, committee meetings and public forums that considered diverse viewpoints.

“So apparently all those meetings didn’t matter,” she said. “I’m afraid if they lift all the restrictions on short-term vacation rentals, it’s kind of over for any sense of community on Tybee.”

She said she has lost many full-time neighbors who sold their homes to buyers who converted them to short-term rentals. When she moved to the island, about 15% to 20% of homes in residential areas were vacation rentals, which she considered acceptable. That percentage grew to 40% and then 50%.

The proposal is currently before the planning commission, which will make recommendations to city council. Because the changes involve zoning, they must go through the planning commission before council makes a final decision.

West said the island must balance the needs of tourists who want to vacation at the beach with full-time residents who work and live in the community.

“We want to recognize that we have areas of Tybee that are touristy and that people are going to come and spend money here and enjoy our resources,” West said.

Rutherford said the tourism industry is essential to the island’s economy.

“We want to let tourists know that we love them and that they’re welcome here on the island,” Rutherford said. “Stay in our homes. Eat in our restaurants. Shop in our local businesses.”