Nolensville-seal
By David Walsh

By LANDON WOODROOF

Short-term rentals like those offered through Airbnb and similar companies are already prohibited in the Town of Nolensville.

At Tuesday night’s Planning Commission meeting, though, commissioners gave initial approval to a text amendment to the town’s zoning ordinance that would make more explicit the Nolensville’s opposition to short-term rentals.

As various town officials described it, the amendment was offered in an attempt to stifle a proliferation of short-term rentals in the town before it begins.

“I can’t see the upside for our town” if that were to happen, Mayor Jimmy Alexander said. “Personally I wouldn’t want one…right next door to me. I’m not sure a lot of our citizens would appreciate having one next door to them.”

The amendment adds a section to the ordinance defining “Single Family Dwellings.” The section lays out the various requirements that a residence must meet in order to be considered a single family dwelling.

For example, a single family dwelling can include a primary occupant family and then a “not related” person and that person’s children. Anything beyond that would not meet the requirements.

The amendment also directly bans short-term rentals: “With the exception of bed and breakfast lodges allowable only as a use permitted with conditions with Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) approval…no single-family residence or portion thereof may be rented out to any tenant(s) for a period of less than one month.”

Nolensville’s Planning Director Sarah Sitterle explained that the town’s current ordinance “does not allow for short-term rentals of any kind.”

It prohibits short-term rentals, though, by omission rather than directly.

“It’s an exclusionary code,” Sitterle said. “Because it’s not listed it’s not allowed.”

The new language is modeled after the City of Brentwood’s ordinance prohibiting short-term rentals. The thinking is that the rules in the amendment will strengthen the town’s ability to take action against short-term rentals in Nolensville, should they arise.

“It’s just being a little more specific to allow for enforcment when there’s an issue or a complaint,” Sitterle said.

Mayor Alexander said he was moved to explore this issue based on the ongoing debate about short-term rentals in Nashville and surrounding communities.

“According to Mayor Barry, they’re a nuisance problem all over Nashville,” Alexander said. He specifically recalled hearing one Nashville resident speak at a meeting about the loud parties that occurred constantly at the short-term rental next to her.

Alexander worries that if Nashville clamps down on short-term rentals, then people may begin to look to nearby areas to set up shop.

“I think if Nashville regulates them, the next likely spot for Airbnbs could be a town that does not have regulations and that could be Nolensville,” Alexander said.

Planning Commissioner Rick Owens spoke out against the proposed text amendment. He said he had enjoyed a number of wonderful, enriching experiences staying in short-term rentals.

“I don’t know how many of you have ever stayed at an Airbnb,” Owens said. “I have in multiple locations, and I love ‘em. They’re really good.”

Owens said he thought concerns about loud parties and noise were largely overblown and that he had never experienced anything like that during his stays. Rather, he had found that short-term rentals are “wonderful opportunity for people to stay at a nice place.”

Owens also said that short-term rentals can provide empty nesters or other people with extra space a good opportunity to make a little extra money on the side.

“I would hate to see that opportunity go away for someone, to have their property encumbered and legislated so that they could not utilize that,” Owens said.

He asked if it might not be a good idea to delay a vote on the matter to allow for workshops or further discussion.

Alexander said he considered short-term rentals to be such a threat that he did not think the issue could wait.

“All I’m trying to do is protect our town, and I would like to see it moved forward and us get ahead of the curve,” he said.

The Planning Commission voted 6 to 1 to approve the amendment, with Commissioner Owens providing the one no vote.

Short-term rentals have become an issue that many municipalities across the country are dealing with. For instance, Seattle just put new limits on short-term rentals inside its borders, while many other cities have considered restrictions on the practice.

Earlier this year in Tennessee short-term rentals were the subject of a legislative push by some members of the state legislature. An effort was made to pass a law that would take away municipalities’ ability to ban short-term rentals. The City of Brentwood was adamantly opposed to this legislation, which was ultimately defeated.

The text amendment will be taken up next by Nolensville’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen on first reading at its January meeting. A public hearing and a second reading will have to take place before the amendment is actually adopted.