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Heard County commissioners revoke wedding-venue special-use permit after Airbnb listing; approve rezoning and renew outdoors contract
Summary
At a Dec. 17 meeting, the Heard County Board of Commissioners unanimously revoked a special-use permit for a Roosterville Road wedding venue after finding an online Airbnb listing for tiny homes on the property, approved a 2-acre rezoning to Rural Development for a family sale, and renewed a contract with Chattahoochee Outdoors.
Heard County commissioners on Dec. 17 voted to revoke a special-use permit for a Roosterville Road wedding venue after the county found the property had been advertised for overnight rentals, and they approved a separate rezoning and a contract renewal.
Chairman Lee Boone opened the meeting in the Commission Chamber of the Heard County Administration Building and led the invocation and pledge. During a public hearing, the board reviewed conditions on the special-use permit for the property at 2199 Roosterville Road that explicitly prohibited the tiny homes on the parcel from being used for overnight lodging. The board said it discovered an online Airbnb listing advertising overnight stays. The property owner, Luke Mersberger, was notified and relinquished the permit by email; Chairman Boone read that email into the record. Commissioners James Perry and David Walls moved and seconded a motion to close the hearing, which passed unanimously.
After closing the hearing, the board took formal action. On a motion by Commissioner James Perry, seconded by Commissioner David Walls, the board unanimously voted to revoke the special-use permit for 2199 Roosterville Road. The board cited the permit condition banning overnight lodging in the tiny homes and the posted online rental listing as the basis for revocation.
The board also considered a rezoning application during a separate public hearing. Applicant Walter Victor Holcomb requested rezoning of two acres on South Bridge Road from Agriculture to Rural Development so his son and daughter-in-law could purchase his home and the adjacent two acres. The board closed the hearing (motion: Perry; second: Harris) and, later in the meeting, unanimously approved the rezone on a motion by Perry and a second by Iris Harris.
In other business, commissioners unanimously voted to renew the county's contract with Chattahoochee Outdoors and authorized the chairman to sign the contract on behalf of Heard County (motion: Perry; second: Walls). The board approved the Nov. 19, 2024 meeting minutes and approved two agenda amendments earlier in the meeting, including a brief recognition of Chairman Boone for 22 years of county service.
Two individuals—Sam Gentry and Sheena Cunningham—were listed for public comment; the record lists their names but does not include substantive remarks attributed to them. No executive session was held. The meeting adjourned at 7:17 p.m.; the minutes were signed by County Clerk Katrina Billingdey.
The board's actions on the special-use permit and the rezoning are final as recorded in the meeting minutes; the transcript does not record any appeals, enforcement steps, or additional administrative follow-up beyond the revocation and the rezone approval.
