No new Airbnbs and other short-term rentals will be allowed in most Columbia neighborhoods, limited by new rules unanimously given final approval by City Council Tuesday.
Columbia leaders and residents have for months debated the future of short-term rentals like Airbnbs in the city. The discussion began over the summer, after a June 6 shooting at an Elmwood Park Airbnb left one teenager dead and injured three others.
The shooting became a lightning rod that re-opened the conversation about Airbnb’s in neighborhoods, after the city passed initial Airbnb rules in 2023 that permitted the rentals in neighborhoods so long as they operate with a permit. Many neighborhood representatives were opposed to that approach…