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East Ridge council approves short-term rental certificate for 188 John Arnold Avenue after public hearing
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Summary
After a public hearing and debate over proximity to a school and background checks, the East Ridge City Council approved a short-term vacation rental certificate for 188 John Arnold Avenue by a 3-2 vote; staff said the application met Ordinance 10-73 standards.
The East Ridge City Council on April 9 approved a short-term vacation rental certificate for the property at 188 John Arnold Avenue following a public hearing and a divided vote.
City planning staff explained the application must meet the city's short-term rental ordinance (Ordinance 10-73) and that the parcel is zoned R3, a district in which short-term rentals are permitted. Staff told the council the packet included one written objection and that one other non-owner-occupied short-term rental already exists in the subdivision at 907 Blue Heights Drive. "The surrounding development reflects a combination of nonresidential and residential uses," staff said in their presentation.
Sam Turnipseed, who identified himself as a developer of Graston Avenue LLC (doing business as Cielo), urged the council to approve the application. Turnipseed said the location's proximity to Park Ridge Hospital makes it useful for traveling nurses and visiting patient families and argued the city should apply rules consistently because another unit in the same development already has approval. "If the use is appropriate for one unit, then it should be appropriate for another," he said, adding that platform verification and subdivision covenants provide additional oversight.
The council debated after an initial motion to deny was made and seconded. Council members cited an anonymous written objection filed in the packet that raised two concerns: the property's proximity to an elementary school and the assertion that short-term rental platforms do not perform "full background checks." The planning staff noted long-term rentals generally are not subject to the kind of background checks platforms require, saying that under current zoning a property owner could convert to a long-term rental without such checks.
After the debate the council voted 3-2 to approve the certificate. Vice Mayor Tyler moved to approve the application (seconded by Council Member Witt); the winning votes were cast by Vice Mayor Tyler, Council Member Witt and Mayor Williams. Council Members Cagle and Ezell voted no. The council chair confirmed the application met the ordinance's minimum standards for health, safety and nuisance concerns.
The certificate approval follows an earlier procedural step in which the council rescinded its prior action on the matter so a required public hearing could be held. The council had approved the rescission (Res. 3806) at the start of the meeting, then held the public hearing (Res. 3807) before voting on the certificate.
The council did not change the ordinance text during the meeting; staff said the packet contained the written objection and that any future ordinance changes (for example, to screening requirements) would require separate policy action. The council did not direct staff to draft ordinance changes during this meeting.
The certificate is approved and the city will complete ministerial steps to finalize the short-term vacation rental certification for 188 John Arnold Avenue.
