Warren County’s 100-Foot Airbnb Setback: A Necessary Regulation Undermined by Waivers?

I attended Tuesday night’s Warren County Board of Supervisors working session, where Short Term Tourist Rentals were discussed. There were many false assumptions stated about Short-Term Tourist Rentals (STTRs), but the public was not allowed to address any of those in this meeting. One false assumption that was made I feel, needs to be addressed immediately- before it is acted upon and it becomes too late for public comment to matter.

There is currently a Warren County regulation requiring there be at least 100 feet between buildings in order for there to be a Short Term Tourist Rental (Airbnb). There is, however, a provision for the Warren County Board of Supervisors to waive that regulation. The Board of Supervisors has approved 80% of the applied-for waivers to the 100-foot setback requirement.

It was stated that because the Board of Supervisors approved waivers to this regulation 80% of the time, that 100-foot requirement was either too strict or unnecessary.

That is NOT a correct assumption.

Have you considered the reason the Board of Supervisors approved the waivers 80% of the time is that the Board does not care about the Homeowners of this county enough to enforce the regulations that are in place to protect them?

I sat in a few prior meetings of the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission, where they approved waivers for STTRs. The Board approved a waiver when the Planning Department had recommended it be denied due to a letter written by the Homeowner right next door that was going to be negatively impacted by it. The Board callously stated that if the homeowners were concerned enough, they would have attended the meeting and not just written a letter.

(note: there are many reasons why someone may not be able to attend an hours-long evening meeting, including but not limited to working at night, having small children when a sitter isn’t available, having COVID or other illness, transportation issues, and a fear of public speaking. It doesn’t mean their rights should be so thoughtlessly denied.)

There is a VALID reason for a 100-foot setback for Short-Term Tourist Rentals in residential areas. For six months, I had an Airbnb 50 feet from my house, and it was hell. My beautiful, quiet neighborhood became Party Central for four entire days every single week, and there was nothing I could do about it. You can’t call the Sheriff’s Office about the noise until 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends. And filing a complaint with Airbnb did nothing. So every morning, afternoon, and night, Thursday through Sunday, I had to deal with the drunken rudeness of short-term renters right outside my window who were given more rights than I was as a Warren County Homeowner in what is supposed to be a residential area.

The 100-foot requirement does NOT need to be lessened. The ability of the Board of Supervisors to so capriciously waive it is what needs to be reined in.

Cheryl Cullers was the only Board member who expressed any concern for the Homeowners negatively affected by STTRs. Walter Mabe thought that the alternatives suggested by many concerned Homeowners should at least be considered before being completely rejected by the other members. The voters of this county should know that no one else on the Board that is elected to represent them had a single concern about Homeowners’ rights in this county. Delores Oates actually said she thought it would be discriminating against property owners if you denied them the right to have an Airbnb anywhere in a residential area, basically whatever the circumstances. (which means, if you have been a Homeowner in your residential neighborhood for decades, and a corporation buys the house 20 feet from yours tomorrow, maybe never having even set foot in the state, they would immediately have more rights than you do to determine what happens to your community and your property values). Maybe it’s time to elect a new Board of Supervisors that DOES care about the Homeowners of this County. Before, every Homeowner with a house within 100 feet of them might also be living in the middle of drunken Airbnb hell with no other recourse to change it.

Now is the time for Homeowners to call and email your Board of Supervisors with your concerns about Short Term Tourist Rentals (Airbnbs) in residential areas. And vote!

For more information about the newly proposed zoning regulations regarding Short Term Tourist Rentals, you can go to www.wc3a.com (there is also a link on HOA/POA websites like www.shenandoahfarms.org/wc3a.org). Warren County Coalition of Community Associations (WC3A) is a newly-formed grassroots coalition of HOAs and POAs throughout the county that are working together to protect the interests of Home Owners and Property Owners, preserve the natural beauty and resources that make our area so special, and ensure the enduring vibrancy of the communities we call home.

(disclaimer: the views expressed in this opinion are entirely my own and not the views of this or any other organization.)

K. Mancini

Concerned Warren County Homeowner

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