Chesapeake Beach Short Term Rental Petition

Residents/ Home Owners & Business Owners call to action:

This Petition is for the right of home owners to use their residences as Vacation Rentals & for Business Owners to profit from the Tourism generated income. 

     The current revenue generated to the local economy directly and indirectly by Vacation Rentals is estimated to be over 2.4 million dollars!  Businesses which are benefitting are; restaurants, gambling at Rod ’N Reel, local art/antiquities dealers, grocery/liquor stores, Waterpark and Beach access revenues, charter boats and local water rentals to name a few. These revenues; save us taxpayers from having taxes raised & improve our property values. In addition; during this Pandemic Vacation Rentals have given homeowners options for added revenue to pay their mortgages & other bills. Vacation Rentals have also assisted in revitalizing our community by turning dilapidated and drug related housing into housing tourist families can enjoy. Vacation Rentals support Chesapeake Beach in it’s efforts to increase tourism revenue to the town & it’s residents. 

     In this time of economic uncertainty, Vacation Rentals help our local economy by filling the high demand for Beach tourism from Virginia, DC, Maryland & even far away states.  Hotels are currently only allowed to run at half capacity and many tourists prefer the comforts of a home away from home over a hotel stay experience.  Vacation Rentals offer a great option for families to spend time at our Beach, boardwalks, restaurants & shops. By itself the Chesapeake Beach Resort does not offer enough capacity to fill all the restaurants & shops in town.  Vacation Rentals often provide a more economic & comfortable stay for families. They can rent a whole house instead of having to rent 2 rooms in a hotel and no comfortable area to get together in a private setting with their families.  A nice living room and kitchen is often preferred over a hotel lobby and busy restaurant; especially during these times where most try to avoid indoor & crowded spaces!  If we as a town do not offer families comfortable homes aways from home/ Vacation Rentals; these families will have to go to other cities & spent their tourist $$$’s!  Places like Annapolis, Solomons Island, Ocean City, Bethany Beach, etc.  Vacation Rentals allow tourists the ability to spend their $$$’s in our local economy!  Very important in this time with our local restaurants & small businesses barely able to make ends meet!  It does not appear that the town took these considerations into account. 

     The Town’s efforts to eliminate the Vacation Rental tourism will hurt our local economy & ability to generate tax dollars! Law enforcement has seen a decrease in crime and low reports of any Vacation Rentals issues. Far less than other challenges.

     Several of the now Vacation Rentals were dilapidated eye sores in the past. The new owners, through their own blood, sweat, tears, and money have renovated these homes. It has provided a much needed facelift to the community. Chesapeake Beach has had a checkered past. Many of these properties were home to crack/drug troubled individuals, which did not help our community. These homes now have become beautiful vacation rental homes; supporting local businesses and raising property values for the surrounding homes!

      Chesapeake Beach is still not as economically diverse as it needs to be...the lion share of the town jobs are either with the Rod ’N Reel Resort or the town/government itself. Short term rentals are better than long term rentals in that they allow for an influx of revenue for our community without higher percentage of crime or low income challenges.  

     Also, Short term rental owners hold themselves to much higher standards for exterior & interior maintenance then a long term tenant would.  

       Without these properties there is not an ability to have enough housing footprint to support Chesapeake Beach as a tourism destination and instead tourists will go to Annapolis,  Solomons, or over the Bay Bridge circumventing our community all together. We’ll loose opportunities for potential sources of revenue from; weddings at the Rod ’N Reel & Herrington Harbour! Restaurants & local businesses that need income so much right now are denied the ability to stay viable.  The revenue go to local restaurants & businesses where most of the guests will have a place/ a Vacation Rental to stay. They may just drive home after the event instead of spending a long weekend & their dollars.

       Also, short term rentals allows people displaced by; the sale of their home, insurance or other repairs, remodeling projects, waiting for a new home to be built, divorce, etc, a short term place to stay.

      This arbitrary code was passed in such a way that was not transparent. It was passed quietly under a different ordinance! We need the chance to make a decision on Vacation Rental rights together as a community!

       In summary, without vacation rentals in the area, there will be; an increase in the tax burden on every resident, people struggling to make ends meet and neighbors denied property & other rights, which we should have, as Americans, to improve our lives in a “Free” economy. This bill was passed without daylight and it’s unintended consequences will hurt far more than what it will help anyone. Short Term Rentals are successfully allowed in North Beach and they therefore continue to improve their community while leaving us in Chesapeake Beach behind. We must make every effort to capture each dollar our Chesapeake Beach Tourism has to offer!