ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Annapolis City Council voted Monday night to restrict short-term rental properties to no more than 10% of any given block, in response to neighbors' to concerns that vacation rentals are eroding the community.
The new ordinance, spearheaded by Ward 1 Alderman Harry Huntley, addresses an issue he says is uniquely affecting the area of Annapolis he represents; at least 30 blocks in his ward already exceed the new 10% limit.
"We needed that, because short term rentals can be part of our community, but they can't be all of our community, or we won't have a community," Huntley said.
WATCH: Annapolis City Council passes limit on short-term rentals
Huntley described to WMAR-2 News how constituents have shared their concerns about the changing character of their neighborhoods.
"They'd say to me, the sound of children's laughter has been replaced with the sound of roller bags. They'd say, there's nobody on my street I can borrow a cup of sugar from anymore. So that's the most fundamental problem," Huntley said.
A lottery system intends to help reduce the number of short-term rentals to meet the 10% threshold. The system will prioritize existing license holders and landlords local to the area.
An August report from the Annapolis Department of Planning and Zoning revealed that over 500 short-term rental units are advertised at any given time, but only slightly more than half are actually licensed by the city. Nearly 99% of short-term stays last between one and seven nights, the report stated.
Tom Krieck, an unaffiliated candidate running against Huntley in the upcoming election, argued the issue stems from poor enforcement rather than insufficient regulations.
"The problem… is a timely, and effective administration enforcement and accountability of those rules," Krieck said at Monday night's council meeting.
"I think this is fundamentally a management issue and an execution problem, not one that's going to be fixed by adding another layer of ordinance on top of what we already have now," Krieck added.
Huntley, meantime, acknowledged that enforcement needs improvement, but maintained that too many short-term rentals are already operating legally under current rules.
The new ordinance includes several exemptions, including for owner-occupied short-term rentals, meaning property owners who rent out rooms while living on-site can continue operating.
The restrictions also don't apply to rentals during Naval Academy graduation or the spring and fall boat shows.
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