CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. - On Tuesday night, Chincoteague officials held a council meeting, approving an ordinance for short-term rentals.
The public voiced their comments and concerns at the beginning of the meeting on Sept. 8. People had to wait out in the hallways of the council chambers because it was so packed.
Chuck Cornwell with CHC Realty attended the meeting. He and his wife weren’t able to make it inside the chambers.
“The room was slammed when we got there,” he says. “There was no room to actually hear. We had to use our phones. There was a staff member that was out with a computer and it had like a five second delay, and it made it very difficult to hear what was going on where you're trying to hear inside. Then there were people that couldn't even get in. They were out on the sidewalk as well.”
The ordinance addresses topics such as occupancy limits, parking requirements and more. According to the ordinance, “A minimum of 1 off-street parking space per 2 guests must be provided on the parcel.” Also, the ordinance says the minimum rental period for any short-term rental must be 2 consecutive nights.
Lance Stitcher with Seaside Vacations and Sales says he’s been communicating with the town over his concerns, but also praises the council.
“The town council's actually done a good job,” he says. “They were put in a really tough position at the public hearing the other night.”
Chincoteague Mayor Denise Bowden faced a packed room on Tuesday. She says she is confident the ordinance will work out in everyone’s favor.
“I hope that, you know, the people will understand that putting these rules in place does not mean you can't have an STR,” she says. “It just means that we're putting a little more regulations on them for the benefit of the whole community."
Mayor Bowden says that all she’s asking for is respect during this time.
“Don't get me wrong, we want people to be here,” she says. “We want them to come. We recognize that they can go anywhere in the whole wide world for a vacation, and they choose to come here. But I hope that people also understand that we have to maintain some kind of character and maintain some preservation here of what we have.”
The ordinance will go into effect on January 1, 2027. Mayor Bowden tells WBOC that although the ordinance is approved, tweaks will be made as it’s put into place.
