Chestnut Hill’s first Airbnb variance request to go before the Zoning Board of Adjustment under the city’s new rule requiring approval for non-owner occupied short-term rentals is scheduled to be heard this week, just after the Local’s Tuesday deadline. 

The Chestnut Hill Community Association board voted to oppose the variance request back in December, about 12 months after the city started enforcing new regulations for Airbnbs on Jan. 1, 2023. The property, located at 7918 Ardleigh St, is owned by Mark and Veronica Ferrante.

The issue extends far beyond Chestnut Hill, however, and short-term rentals have become a city-wide concern as the ZBA has approved many such variances despite community opposition. 

Representatives from two other registered community organizations – Center City Residents Association (CCRA) and United Francisville Civic Association (UFCA) – say they are frustrated that the ZBA has repeatedly granted variances for Airbnbs that neighbors oppose. Center City West residents have opposed all seven variance requests granted by the ZBA, and residents also opposed all three of Francisville’s approved variances.

According to data provided by the Philadelphia Licenses & Inspections, the ZBA has granted 53 variances since January 2023. As of press time on Tuesday, the city had not responded to questions about how many variances were denied. The variances do not apply to people who use Airbnb to rent their primary residence. 

The Ferrantes’ attorney, Dawn Tancredi, did not respond to The Local’s request for comment.

A big concern for some

Short-term rentals have been particularly controversial for the CCRA, which has boundaries that include the western half of Center City from John F. Kennedy Blvd to South Street. The organization’s president, Rick Gross, told the Local that his community has been so negatively affected by short-term rentals that the civic is opposing all new applications. Excessive trash and parties are the CCRA’s two main concerns.

“We think the burdens in the community greatly outweigh the benefits. We don’t think it works in a dense urban neighborhood where people who live there try to respect their neighbors, but people who stay there for a few nights don’t care,” Gross said “We had a real problem with a house on Lombard which we tracked down to a guy from New Jersey who was advertising the house as a great place to come party.”

United Francisville president Amanda Garlen told the Local that her civic organization doesn’t have the uniform rejection policy that the CCRA does, but residents are generally opposed.

“We keep voting them down but the ZBA keeps approving them,” she said.

Francisville’s concerns over Airbnbs, however, are different from Center City’s. Garlen said residents there are keen on maintaining the community’s status as a mixed-income neighborhood, something they feel Airbnbs could jeopardize.

“They’re reducing places where people can live and increasing rent,” she said.

Garlen was careful to note that Airbnbs aren’t all bad. “You want people to visit your neighborhood – that makes sense,” she said. “But where do you draw the line?”

John Carpenter, president of the Central Roxborough Civic Association, said his neighborhood shares Francisville’s concerns.

“As an organization, we’re gradually coming to the conclusion that increasing the number of Airbnb units in the residential part of Roxborough is probably not good for renters who are looking for permanent housing,” he said. “We’re concerned that Airbnbs are taking units away from young families trying to buy their first home here in Roxborough.” 

Airbnb owners are “very aggressive competitors in the real estate market” who often pay for homes in cash, Carpenter said, making it difficult to compete against as a first-time home buyer.

Neighbors don’t get final say

ZBA spokesperson Bruce Bohri told the Local in an email that when deciding to grant any variance, the board always weighs evidence and testimony presented to the board by residents in its public meetings. It also weighs the concerns of the applicant and the Philadelphia City Planning Commission’s input.

“Public testimony sways them,” Bohri said, but there’s “no way to guarantee” a variance’s approval or rejection. 

Some civic associations The Local spoke with were less angry about the ZBA having granted variances that had been voted down by neighbors.

Fishtown, for instance, is home to four licensed Airbnbs, only one of which had the approval of neighbors, according to the Fishtown Neighbors Association’s zoning committee chair Will Dungan. 

“Ideally the ZBA aligns with what our neighbors vote for 100% of the time,” he said. “But we know our decisions are just part of the process, and that’s OK.”

Bella Vista Neighbors Association president Eugene Desyatnik said they don’t object to renters who follow the rules, and that they haven’t had issues with the ZBA granting Airbnb variances that neighbors haven’t approved.

For instance, Desyatnik said, Airbnb guests will take their trash to the curb when they check out, usually around 10 a.m. but city regulations prohibit residents from putting trash on the curb before 5 p.m. He also said his group discourages parties by asking for a proviso that requires a minimum two-night stay.

“We don’t have a big issue [with Airbnbs] in principle, we just want to make sure people abide by the rules,” Desyatnik said. “If you have good management and you thought of logistics [like trash] beforehand, then I think neighbors are OK with that,”

Mixed feelings in Chestnut Hill

In December, some Chestnut Hill neighbors expressed concern that the potential proliferation of Airbnbs, at least in the neighborhood’s more residential areas, could alter the fabric of what has historically been a community in which people get to know their neighbors. 

“Neighbors have lent us kayaks, let us store our bikes in their garage and helped us hang shelves,” wrote 7918 Ardleigh St. neighbor Jennifer Yusin in a letter to the CHCA board.  “We are all invested in our community and that is clearly not the case with visitors who are here for just a minimum of two nights.”

Others, like CHCA board member Beth Wright, don’t love the idea of Airbnbs in their neighborhood but are willing to live with them if they’re properly regulated. 

“I don’t like the idea of having an unsupervised Airbnb next to me,” she said. “But I think there’s a space for [Airbnbs] in the overall offerings of lodging – although I think people would prefer that apartments be kept as long-term [rentals].”