Atlanta committee hears hours of testimony and holds short-term rental ordinance

The Atlanta Community Development and Human Services Committee on Jan. 30 heard more than an hour of public testimony on proposed short-term rental rules before voting to hold the ordinance for further work.

Chair Matt Westmoreland said the author of two measures addressing short-term rentals had requested the legislation be held; after public comment the committee voted to hold the ordinance and a companion resolution. Councilmember Byron D. Amos, who sponsored the ordinance to create an Office of Short Term Rentals and a registry, described the paper as "a conversation starter and simply not a public comment generator" and asked colleagues to work with law and stakeholders before advancing the proposal.

The public comment period featured multiple hosts and industry representatives who urged the council to consider the livelihood impacts of broad restrictions. Nadia Giordani, an Airbnb host from Cabbagetown, said hosting "has been an amazing change for me" and that short-term rental income enabled her family to remain in the neighborhood and pay rising taxes. Laura Clements, who runs a short-term rental management franchise in Atlanta, said the city should craft a "fair ordinance" and include industry representatives such as AMSTRA in discussions. Jerry Wheeler and other hosts said rental income was essential to their household budgets.

Kathy McClure, vice president of the Atlanta Metro Short Term Rental Alliance, told the committee that the draft ordinance (referred to in the package as 26-0-10-84) would create an Office of Short Term Rentals and, in her reading, raised charter and separation-of-powers questions: "This legislation cannot move forward within this committee because it emanates from council and not from the mayor's office," she said, citing section 3-302 as the relevant authority for reorganizing departments. McClure also urged that AMSTRA remain part of any commission structure.

Longtime short-term rental operator Isom Lohman argued that short-term rentals are not a primary driver of Atlanta's housing problems, said he had operated without incident, and warned that replacing existing rules without grandfathering could raise legal issues. Several speakers referenced San Francisco as an ill-fitting comparison and urged Atlanta to pursue a stakeholder-driven process similar to DeKalb County's recent ordinance work.

Following the testimony and sponsor remarks, the committee voted 5–0 to hold the ordinance (item 26-0-10-84) and later held resolution 26 R 3,105 to allow additional work with law and stakeholders. The sponsor said the proposal's budgetary implications and the need for an inclusive commission make further review appropriate.

The committee did not adopt new regulatory text at the meeting and may revisit the measures after further intergovernmental and legal review and stakeholder engagement.