Rock Hill council advances zoning changes to limit long-term stays in hotels, campgrounds and storage units

Rock Hill City Council members voted Monday to advance an ordinance that would tighten rules on hotels, campgrounds and self-storage facilities after hours of public testimony from hotel owners, shelter operators and residents.

Planning staff said the changes respond to data showing concentrated policing and emergency responses near Riverview/Cherry Road and other commercial corridors, and are intended to prevent commercial properties from becoming permanent housing solutions.

Leah Youngblood, planning staff, told the council “the purpose of these amendments ... is really to review some land uses in the city that have become de facto permanent housing solutions for people, so that the community does not experience negative impacts from that activity in business locations that really aren't intended serving as housing.”

Why it matters: City staff presented maps and police-call data showing a cluster of calls for service along the Riverview/Cherry Road corridor. Council members and residents said the data — including local Narcan administration counts and calls for disorderly conduct, drug investigations and assaults — reflect both public-safety burdens and public-health needs. Shelters and service providers told the council they lack capacity to absorb everyone living in hotels if long stays are disallowed.

What staff proposed and what the ordinance would do if ultimately adopted

- Length of stay: Staff said the current rule limits stays to 30 consecutive days. The proposed text would bar guests from staying more than 30 nights within a six-month period, with exceptions already in place (one owner/manager living unit per hotel; temporary relocation for employment or a home casualty) and one added exception allowing up to 90 nights for guests who have enrolled in an approved program intended to secure permanent housing.

- Exterior rooms and local renters: The draft would restrict local residents from staying in hotels with exterior-corridor rooms in certain corridors; staff said exterior-room properties are overrepresented among high call-volume locations.

- Guest registers and inspections: Additional information would be required on guest registers; the city could request that information with 30 days' written notice (or sooner with consent, warrant/subpoena or exigent circumstances). The city may inspect rooms for compliance if consented to or under exigent circumstances.

- Required postings, security and development incentives: Staff proposed posting information on addiction, housing and trafficking resources in hotels (unless prohibited by franchise agreements); requiring security-camera review designed with crime prevention input; requiring future new hotels to be interior-corridor designs; and offering zoning incentives for redevelopment inside a designated overlay district (including some relaxed design and signage rules).

- Camping and storage: The draft would prohibit living in self-storage units, restrict private-property camping to parcels with a single-family home or farm and limit private camping to two days per month (intended to allow short recreational uses), and align camping policy for public property with existing urban camping provisions.

- Penalties: Violations would be handled under the zoning ordinance enforcement provisions; staff noted ordinary penalties include misdemeanor fines (staff cited a daily fine figure in the packet) and potential condemnation and lien-based cost recovery for demolition in extreme cases.

Public testimony and concerns

Hotel owners and operators said they already cooperate with police and that many of their long-stay guests are families, workers and disaster-relocation cases. Malay Patel, who said he operates a hotel on Riverview Road, told the council owners provide guest information when requested and offered to host police canine searches: “We are doing our due diligence,” he said.

Several service providers and shelter operators cautioned the council that shelters and rapid rehousing are full and that removing hotel options without adequate transitional housing and case management would leave families and children with nowhere to go. Natasha Jones, founder of local nonprofit Empower Than Conquer, said, “Where do we want these people to go? There is nowhere for them to really go.” Pilgrim's Inn and other providers noted waiting lists and called for inclusive, case-managed pathways.

Developers and housing advocates urged caution about unintended consequences. Ben Mescali, a local developer of affordable housing, warned that converting older exterior-corridor hotels to interior designs is often impractical and that overly aggressive restrictions could depress property values or hasten closures — which could, in turn, remove stock that currently provides a temporary bridge for families.

Council action and next steps

- The council voted to deny the planning commission—s recommendation on the package and then voted to place the ordinance on first reading. Both votes were taken by voice vote and carried without recorded opposition. Members said they supported moving the ordinance forward to create a sense of urgency and to bring stakeholders together for further refinement.

- Multiple council members and owners asked staff to hold follow-up workshops and meet with hotel owners, police, service providers and developers before second reading so the ordinance can be revised based on operational, health and legal concerns.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve the consent agenda (items including minutes and a zoning map amendment): approved (voice vote).

- Motion to reject the planning commission recommendation on the hotel's/campground/storage package: approved (voice vote).

- Motion to consider first reading of an ordinance amending Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 of the Rock Hill zoning code to restrict long-term stays and related rules for hotels, self-storage and campgrounds: approved on first reading (voice vote). The ordinance will return for later consideration after staff-led stakeholder meetings.

What council asked staff to do

Council members asked staff to provide additional data and analysis before second reading, including: a column showing the number of rooms at each hotel when analyzing calls-for-service (a council member requested call numbers normalized by rooms), further legal review of inspection and record-access provisions, and continued coordination with police, shelter providers and hotel owners on enforcement, data sharing and a proposed "do-not-rent" or ID-scanner approach discussed in prior stakeholder meetings.

Context and local data cited in the meeting

Staff reported 31 hotels in Rock Hill, concentrated along I-77 at the Cherry Road and Dave Lyle Boulevard interchanges. Staff and council members said police call totals for Riverview Road (between Eden Terrace and Celanese) averaged about 4 calls per day across 2023 and 2024 (total cited: 2,824 calls), and fire and police Narcan administrations were highlighted as a local public-health concern (police: 31 Narcan treatments cited for the Riverview area over two years; city fire department: 52 Narcan treatments in 2023 and 74 in 2024, citywide).

Quotes

- “The purpose of these amendments ... is really to review some land uses in the city that have become de facto permanent housing solutions for people,” — Leah Youngblood, planning staff.

- “Where do we want these people to go? There is nowhere for them to really go.” — Natasha Jones, founder, Empower Than Conquer.

- “Extended Stay America has not been one of those primary drivers of the issues that we've heard tonight,” — Bill Butler, attorney for Extended Stay America.

- “I have a family who stays with me, mom, with 3 special need children. Father is in the jail. If I ask her to check out, she will be on the street.” — Mitel Patel, Quality Inn owner/operator.

Ending

Council members said they will keep the ordinance active and schedule further stakeholder meetings and workshops before second reading, aiming to refine enforcement mechanics, exceptions and supports for families and program participants. Staff and advocates will return with additional data and proposed revisions for council review.