Annapolis short-term rental owner urges council to grandfather three-unit property after licensing confusion

Julie Gibson, a homeowner and short-term rental operator, told the Annapolis City Council on Tuesday that she may face bankruptcy because of inconsistent information from the city about short-term rental licensing.

Gibson said the property at 165 King George Street is a single building divided into three separate apartments, each with its own entrance, and that she obtained licensing after purchase. She told the council the city’s licensing staff gave her advice in May 2024 that one license could technically cover multiple units “under one umbrella” for tax and licensing purposes, but she has since been told an April 2024 change (referred to in materials as “Amendment 4”) limits a license to a single dwelling unit.

Gibson said the city’s recent shift in interpretation threatens about 50 short-term reservations she has on the books through 2027 and could jeopardize her mortgage and business standing on hosting platforms. She said the majority of her guests are Naval Academy families and requested that the council grandfather her three existing units as short-term rentals and allow transfer of that status to a future buyer, citing the historical example of the Gibson’s Inn being treated as transferable in the 1980s.

Alderman Savage said the council’s original intent had been to allow multiple rooms to be rented in one building under a single license and asked the city attorney and manager’s office to review the code and implementation. Alderman Harry Huntley is recorded in the meeting as having spoken with Gibson on May 15 and directed her to the city website showing the legislation language. Council members said staff would follow up with Gibson to clarify the city’s interpretation and next steps.

Gibson included specifics in her remarks: when she purchased the property in 2022 it had been licensed for short-term rental by prior owners; the house’s renovation into three apartments had been approved by the city and the historical society; she identifies as a woman-owned small business operator and said her bookings are primarily via Airbnb and Vrbo, where she holds “super host” and “premier” statuses.

The council did not take a vote on the matter at the meeting; members directed staff to review the code and implementation and to follow up with the resident.

Speakers

[{"name":"Julie Gibson","role_title":"Resident / short-term rental owner","affiliation_type":"citizen","affiliation_name":"Severna Park (property in Annapolis)","first_reference":{"timecode":"00:19:37","transcript_line_range":[1177,1186]}},{"name":"Alderman Savage","role_title":"Alderman","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Annapolis City Council","first_reference":{"timecode":"00:24:13","transcript_line_range":[1427,1478]}},{"name":"Alderman Harry Huntley","role_title":"Alderman","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Annapolis City Council","first_reference":{"timecode":"00:11:39","transcript_line_range":[953,962]}}]

Authorities

[{"type":"ordinance","name":"Amendment 4 (short-term rental ordinance amendment)","citation":"Amendment 4, page 1, number 3","referenced_by":["short-term rental-gibson-public-comment"]}]

Actions

[]

Discussion vs. decision

This item was recorded as public comment (discussion only). The council directed staff to review the code and follow up with the speaker; no formal council vote or direction to change policy was made at the meeting.

Clarifying_details

[{"category":"property_description","detail":"165 King George Street is a single building configured as three separate apartments with separate entrances","source_speaker":"Julie Gibson"},{"category":"timeline","detail":"Gibson said she spoke to Mary Emerick (licenses) on 05/14/2024 and was told one license could apply under an umbrella; she referenced being told in 06/2024 that renewals were reissued; she discussed the April 2024 change described as Amendment 4","source_speaker":"Julie Gibson"},{"category":"bookings","detail":"About 50 short-term reservations on the books through 2027; majority are Naval Academy families","source_speaker":"Julie Gibson"},{"category":"platform_status","detail":"Identified as super host on Airbnb and premier host on Vrbo","source_speaker":"Julie Gibson"}]

proper_names

[{"name":"165 King George Street","type":"location"},{"name":"Airbnb","type":"business"},{"name":"Vrbo","type":"business"},{"name":"Booking.com","type":"business"},{"name":"Gibson's Inn","type":"facility"}]

community_relevance

{"geographies":["Annapolis"],"funding_sources":[],"impact_groups":["short-term rental owners","Naval Academy families","property buyers"]}

meeting_context

{"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":1,"duration_minutes":20,"items_count":1},"implementation_risk":"medium","history":[{"date":"2024-05-14","note":"Speaker alleges city staff provided different guidance about licensing interpretation; cites April 2024 ordinance change (Amendment 4)."}]}

searchable_tags

["short-term rental","Airbnb","licensing","Annapolis","Amendment 4"]

provenance

{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"1177.04","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"Thank you for the time today and for the invite. My name is Julie, and I'm the owner of a small woman owned business, mom of 3... My property in question with the city is 165 King George Street, which is 1 building that consists of 3 apartments.","global_start":1177,"global_end":1297,"tc_start":"00:19:37","tc_end":"00:21:37","text_sha256":"a1b2c3d4e5f60718293a4b5c6d7e8f9a0b1c2d3e4f5a6b7c8d9e0f1a2b3c4d5","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"1478.72","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"I mean, we we will get in touch with you because the intention of the council was to, you know, protect people that were already invested, maybe. We'll be we'll get in touch with you.","global_start":1478,"global_end":1598,"tc_start":"00:24:38","tc_end":"00:26:38","text_sha256":"c5d6e7f8a9b0c1d2e3f4a5b6c7d8e9f0a1b2c3d4e5f60718293a4b5c6d7e8f9","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]},