Mary Reimann told the Nelson County Board of Supervisors during the public‑comment period that corporate buyers and short‑term rental platforms are crowding out the local housing market, leaving few homes available for people who live and work in the county.
Reimann said she and others saw companies buying multiple houses at once—“1 company bought 5 houses at once. 3 of them were not even on the market”—and that short‑term rental listings are numerous. “If you do an Airbnb search, it'll say over a thousand properties available on the Airbnb site for short term rental,” she said, adding that a Zillow search showed only a handful of homes for sale under $1 million in the Afton area.
Reimann urged the board to “work with the planning commissions to put some teeth into our zoning and require that any short term housing be zoned as subordinate use.” She acknowledged existing properties might need to be grandfathered and said resort areas such as Wintergreen should be treated differently.
Why it matters: Reimann framed the issue as one of housing availability and affordability, saying the pace and scale of short‑term rental conversions are contributing to a tight for‑sale market in parts of the county. The board did not take immediate action during the meeting on zoning changes; the comment was offered as public input.
The meeting record: Reimann's remarks were delivered during the public‑comment portion of the meeting and are part of the official record. She provided a written letter and examples of solicitation mailings to staff.
What the board and staff said: No planning action was announced at the meeting. A supervisor later asked county staff to provide planning commission members the short‑term rental location map referenced by constituents.
Next steps: The comment adds to public input the board can reference in any future zoning or short‑term‑rental rules work the planning commission pursues. No vote or directive to change zoning was made at this meeting.