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Planning department reviews short-term rentals and a downtown bar consolidation; mixed recommendations
Summary
Planning staff presented three special-use items: a short-term rental at 210 East Cloverhurst (planning commission recommended approval), a combined-occupancy request for two downtown bars at 420 East Clayton Street (recommended approval), and a short-term rental conversion at 249 Fifth Street (planning commission recommended denial citing housing impacts).
The Athens-Clarke County planning department presented several special-use items during the agenda-setting session following the T+ endorsement.
For 210 East Cloverhurst (RM1), staff described the application as conversion of a unit in a multifamily complex to a commercial short-term rental with a proposed occupancy limit of four. Staff said the application predated a recent code text amendment that removed special-use review for some commercial short-term rentals; the planning commission recommended approval, citing site design and adequate parking.
The applicants for 210 East Cloverhurst, Wayne Lman and his wife Abby, described using the condo as a short-term rental since 2021 to offset ownership costs and to provide a convenient option for visitors to the University of Georgia. Wayne Lman said the property has "a nice quiet place with a great location" and that his renters have been responsible during their stays.
A separate request at 420 East Clayton Street would allow two adjacent bar spaces to be joined by an interior opening, producing a combined occupancy that exceeds 100 people. Staff and the planning commission determined the change — an 8-foot interior opening subject to construction and fire-marshal review — complied with special-use criteria and recommended approval. Commissioners raised concerns about downtown daytime vibrancy and the potential for a larger nighttime-only drinking venue, but noted the owner is the same and exterior uses will not change.
By contrast, staff presented a special-use request at 249 Fifth Street to convert a single-family residence to a commercial short-term rental. The planning commission recommended denial, saying the application contradicted the short-term rental ordinance's purpose in single-family areas and that cumulative conversions risk further removing housing from the long-term market.
Commissioners asked staff for further details (for example, number of units in complexes, and construction and safety requirements for the bar conversion) before final votes on zoning items; no final commission zoning votes on these specific items were recorded in the transcript of this session.
