IOP City Council reviews short-term rental listening session results

ISLE OF PALMS, S.C. (WCBD) – Isle of Palms City Council is weighing whether or not caps are needed on short-term rentals and if so, how to regulate them across the island. The discussion comes after the city hosted three community listening sessions in September.

Results from the three listening sessions show a divide among residents on the issue. Some say a cap is needed to protect island and community life, while others say implementing a cap would be unfair.

“If we stick with the status quo from a cap perspective, no cap, every other issue we deal with relative to rental impact will increase exponentially,” said one resident during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.

Regulating short-term rentals could become of greater importance in the coming months. During the meeting, City Council says the number of rental units has grown by the hundreds this year alone, topping more than fifteen hundred units, leaving residents wanting action now.

“I think we’ve flipped,” says Councilman Scott Pierce, referring to the city becoming a rental community. “I think we were a residential community with rentals, and I think we may have already become a rental community with residents.”

The results of three community listening sessions provided council with mixed results. Some say a cap on rentals would mitigate the amount of trash, noise, and congestion that rental properties sometimes create while others say a cap would be unfair and hurt property values on the island.

“Something like this, the people who are the most motivated are the ones who think they have something to lose, not something to gain,” says Councilwoman Jan Anderson.

The three sessions drew more than a hundred residents, property owners, and investors. The overwhelming message gathered from the session results shows residents want city officials to enforce existing short-term rental rules. It’s something they say isn’t being done.

“I think that probably enforceability and seeing if we do need to limit short-term rentals, how we go about doing that,” says Councilman Rusty Streetman.

Residents fear short-term rentals could grow out of control if officials don’t match the steps taken by neighboring islands.

“We did not want to be the last municipality with no limitations, yet here we are,” says a resident.

Results from the city’s listening session and private survey can be found on the city’s website for residents to review.