It’s safe to say that short-term rentals are in the Pinehurst genes. James W. Tufts founded the town 127 years ago as a seasonal recovery resort. Most people came to escape the filth and filth of the Northeast to enjoy the pine-scented air and modest winters.
Much has changed in that time. Pinehurst is, of course, now the largest municipality in Moore County with over 17,000 full-time residents. And that single seasonal recovery resort is now a huge golf industrial complex with 13 traditional courses, hundreds of hotel rooms and, soon, a second US Golf Association headquarters.
As an iconic golf destination for visitors from around the world, Pinehurst can never accommodate everyone on vacation. As such, you need privately owned short-term rental accommodation. It’s always been like this and it doesn’t make sense that it’s going to change anytime soon.
That said, there is something Pinehurst can do to impose a bit of structure and oversight on the matter that would help address the concerns of owners upset about suddenly living next door to a mini-hotel.
The issue of temporary rentals is not limited to a few properties scattered around town. The volume of single-family homes available for vacation rentals has skyrocketed in recent years as that niche has taken off. In fact, international hotel corporations are even buying up select exclusive residential properties in some markets and calling them in for “concierge” services.
Data shared with Pinehurst Village Council showed that there are currently at least 368 short-term rental units in Pinehurst, a 75 percent increase from 2020. Realtors speak of people and businesses buying homes specifically for short-term rentals.
The Pinehurst Village Council has embarked on a plan to examine the problem and develop guidelines. It has 11 “goals and indicators of success” provided by developer Darryn Burich, with the goal, he said, of “maintaining the quality of life in our residential neighborhoods and ensuring that the impact of short-term rental properties is as similar as the impact of long-term residential properties is practically possible.”
Those guidelines address everything from overnight parking to the impact on property values and that “traditional neighborhoods remain predominantly occupied by long-term residents and do not create the look or ‘feel’ of tourist destinations.”
“We have to accept that short-term rentals will be part of Pinehurst,” said Village Manager Jeff Sanborn, “and what we want to aim for is a system that regulates it as best we can.”
New board member Jeff Morgan may have the right perspective: “I want to get away from the ‘yes or no’ idea on short-term rentals. Look at the targets. How do we work on this and how do we come to a compromise that will improve quality of life and maximize our goals?
Answer: Address head-on the fact that short-term rentals are a business and should be regulated as such. If you are going to operate a short-term rental, it should be subject to many of the same terms as a conventional hotel or resort room.
There should be occupancy limits based on the bedrooms in the house; parking restrictions that limit vehicles to the driveway of a home; county health inspections, with ratings to be posted; compliance with fire safety codes; and the total collection and remission of local occupancy taxes.
Violations would be reported by neighbors and subject to investigation by code enforcement and security officials.
Intruder? If you are going to manage a hotel from a home, you must comply with all the aspects that any similar business would. This ensures that short-term rentals continue but are safe, consistent with reasonable standards, and not a burden to those around them.
