CUMMING, Ga. — The debate has been building for some time. Residents want Forsyth County to ban any short-term rentals, effectively stopping their neighbors from making additional income on sites like Airbnb.
“The activity going on right now to shut down short-term rentals started right here with this house,” Kenneth Heyman said. “I had booked a group that the young man was celebrating his 45th birthday, and when he came out he asked if he could have some friends over via the messaging services. I said sure, no problem. I did not realize he would have four or five, maybe even 10 or 15 friends over.”
The following day, Heyman said, his neighbors went to the commissioners to complain about the overnight activity. One of those neighbors is Steve Paul who spoke with 11Alive after Tuesday night’s planning commission meeting.
“This is not acceptable to our neighborhood or any other neighborhood,” Paul said. “Residential neighborhoods don’t need short-term rental in there.”
Debate grew in the community, on social media, and finally, Tuesday night, at the regular meeting of the Forsyth County planning and development board.
Neighbors debated back and forth for two hours on whether or not to ban any home rental in a residential neighborhood that is a duration of less than 30 days, and how a ban would even be enforced.
“As the owner, when I bought this property, there were no covenants restricting me from renting my place,” Heyman said. “There are some subdivisions, when you buy into, you can't rent your property. That's a covenant relationship, a contract relationship with a buyer who knows it going in.”
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After listening to the intense debate, the planning board sent the proposal to the county commissioners next week, March 7, but the board seemed skeptical. They voted unanimously to recommend that the council deny the ban.
This won't stop neighbors one way or the other for now. The debate will continue in front of commissioners, who could make a final ruling next Thursday.
“This was a way to derive some income, and this was at the expense of the rest of the neighborhoods privacy and security,” Paul said. “You get away to a neighborhood like what we have to get away from all the noise, to get away from all the partying, to get away from all the intrusions. But that’s what this is. It’s an intrusion.”
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