Athens zoning board denies variance to allow non‑owner short‑term rental at 61 Hudson Avenue

The Athens Board of Zoning Appeals on Oct. 14 denied a variance request to allow a non‑owner occupied short‑term rental at 61 Hudson Avenue, concluding the application did not meet the city code standards for variances in an R‑1 residential zone.

The variance request sought an exception to ACC 23.04.01(b) to permit operation of a non‑owner occupied short‑term rental in an R‑1 zone. Zoning Administrator David Riggs explained to the board that non‑owner occupied short‑term rentals are allowed only in specific, location‑defined corridors and this property does not meet those locational criteria.

The applicant, homeowner Sue Brosh, told the board she purchased the small, two‑bedroom house on a large lot to support herself after the death of her husband and asked for the short‑term rental permit so she could check the property between guest stays. “I’m asking for permission … so when the customer leave, I can go in and clean up and see if anything [is] leaking or anything flooding,” Brosh said, adding she lives a block away and would post house rules including a 10 p.m. quiet policy and a…