Columbia Planning officials on Thursday rejected new restrictions on Airbnbs and similar properties that are rented for less than 30 days at a time. Now it will be up to Columbia City Council to either honor that recommendation, or move forward with the restrictions.
The new rules rejected by the Columbia Planning Commission would have only allowed short-term rentals like Airbnbs in areas zoned for commercial and mixed uses, with the caveat that rentals that fell outside those zones would be allowed to operate if they were located on a four-lane road.
The rule would have effectively banned the rentals in large swaths of the city, particularly in the residential areas where Airbnbs tend to be most common…