Beaufort split on whether vacation rentals good for city

Years ago, it was a crack house, said John Dickerson, as he recently drove up to a small, teal-colored cottage he owns on Duke Street.

The back of the house was burned down by crack cocaine dealers, he added, repeating lore passed along by previous owners.

In 2010, Dickerson and his wife, Erica, bought and renovated the house. They now operate it as one of four short-term rental properties in Beaufort — properties rented for 30 days or fewer.

The Dickersons are not the only ones taking advantage of a growing vacation-home market. In 2015, Beaufort considered 17 applications from residents wanting to operate short-term rentals — as many as the previous five years combined. Currently, 24 properties in the city operate as short-term rentals approved by special exception in city neighborhoods. Most are in Pigeon Point and the historic district.

Short-term rentals in commercial areas don’t require an exception.

The increasing popularity of vacation rentals is creating a rift in the city. On the one side: opponents who worry the rental homes detract from the authentic feel of Beaufort’s neighborhoods and invite loud, vacationing guests into quiet communities. On the other: the Dickersons and others who say they draw well-heeled, well-mannered guests into homes that they have significantly improved.

The city is asking for volunteers for a panel to study the issue. A group of short-term rental owners has formed the Historic Beaufort VRBO Association to represent their interests.

“The question is how do you regulate it and its impact on the community?” said Mayor Billy Keyserling this month in response to concern from rental operators.

A proposed moratorium

Several months ago, a group of residents from the Old Commons neighborhood penned a letter, asking that a Washington Street rental application be denied and for the city to stop issuing the exceptions until rules addressing short-term rentals are in place.

Parking, noise, litter, safety and the effect on neighborhoods were among the concerns cited.

“The proliferation of short-term rentals detracts from the historic significance of the Old Commons neighborhood,” they wrote.

The city has some rules in place regarding the rentals, including requiring a minimum two-night stay, adequate parking, a management plan and an annual safety inspection. The checklist is used when the zoning board considers short-term rentals. The rentals are not allowed in the Point neighborhood and parts of Old Commons.

If the criteria are met and no neighbors object, the applications stand a good chance of approval.

Other letters objecting to special exceptions have cited the potential for a hotel environment and unruly guests with no regard for surrounding property.

“We will be sandwiched in between the well documented, ongoing party atmosphere that is very disruptive to quality of life,” Scott Street homeowners Richard and Diane O’Connor wrote the city in opposing a Washington Street rental.

But those who operate the rentals say the concerns aren’t supported by facts.

An investment in the city

John Dickerson opened a tall white linen cabinet inside the doorway to his Pigeon Point home this past weekend.

Stacks and stacks of white towels and high thread-count sheets filled the shelves, ordered by multi-colored sticky notes.

“There is more upstairs,” he said.

Erica Dickerson had just unfolded a chart showing the cleaning schedule for the couple’s army of short-term rental properties in Beaufort. Four maids keep the properties clean and a landscaper handles the lawns.

Positive reviews drive the business and thus require the rentals to be well-maintained, say the Dickersons and other vacation rental owners.

Guests spend a lot of money downtown, some end up buying property in the city and they don’t generate police calls or complaints, supporters say.

“We have an investment in making sure the city is viewed as a destination,” said Mike Tomy, a retired architect who rents a carriage house on Craven Street. “We want to elevate the city as well as ourselves.”

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 5:36 PM with the headline "Beaufort split on whether vacation rentals good for city."