The following letter was written and submitted by Cape Charles resident Elise McMath.
Cape Charles Prioritizes Private Interests Over Public Well-Being
I am deeply concerned about your decision to rescind your November vote and allow Short-Term Rentals (STRs)—an inherently commercial operation—to become a by-right use in the R-1 zone. This decision directly undermines the purpose of the R-1 zoning designation, which is intended to protect residents from the nuisances associated with commercial activity. Section 3.2A of our zoning ordinance explicitly outlines this intent, yet the growing number of complaints from R-1 residents continue to go unaddressed.
Allowing commercial activity by-right in the R-1 zone contradicts the very foundation of zoning laws. If such commercial activity is deemed acceptable, then why should the R-1 zoning designation not be entirely re-evaluated? The issues caused by STRs are specific to the R-1 zone, and the residents of this zone are the ones most impacted. It is wholly unacceptable that you are failing to treat the R-1 zone with the specificity it demands—especially when, by contrast, you are conveniently applying a different set of rules to the Bay Creek PUD zone.
A simple and democratic solution would have been to tie the CUP process to three clear standards—parking, noise, and waste—giving the community a meaningful voice through public hearings. Instead, you have chosen to focus on occupancy limits that are unenforceable, impractical, and do nothing to address parking. Blocks with high-density STRs consistently exacerbate parking problems, regardless of occupancy rates.
The decision to rescind your vote following the lobbying efforts made by realtors, property investors, mortgage brokers, and tourism business owners, clearly demonstrates that you prioritize private commercial interests over public well-being.
In November 2023, Town Manager Hozey presented the recommendations of his short-term rental committee to Town Council. The consensus of the Town Council at that meeting was, “we need more information.”
Fair enough.
At the November 2024 Town Council meeting, two motions were made, voted on, and passed, regarding short-term rentals. Not one council member asked for more information at that meeting. However, at the Town Council work session on December 2, somehow only one councilman stood by his November vote. All of the rest indicated that they had not understood what they were voting for, and intend to rescind their votes on putting restrictions on short-term rentals at their next regular meeting, on December 19.
I think Elise is exactly right when she says that pressure from realtors, property investors, mortgage brokers, and tourism business owners made council members rethink their votes. The town manager’s committee was tasked with finding a compromise between residents and private commercial interests. There is no compromise with these people, and town council seems unwilling to acknowledge that these people could care less if every home in Cape Charles was turned into an STR…
I currently own R1. The largest parcel in the subdivision was aloud to get a rezoning agreement done in 17 and use it for commercial purposes but the subdivision is R1 residential. The lot even has a shared driveway easements. This now commercial parcel owner even has a migrant camp / short term residence that was not permitted by the state nor county and is for short term residence/ rentals 7 bedroom home!!! Now this parcel has a shared driveway with a neighboring lot before it was rezoned in 2017 !! Now this said commercial parcel owner has land to gain direct access to the lot & short term housing that is more convenient then the old shared driveway easement.
They choose to run dump truck , chemical equipment, heavy machinery & equipment at all hours of the day & night on the shared residential driveway knowing they have there own land that is actually better accessible and safer. The residents of the shared driveway R1 property has been taken to court by the commercial company for the company to used this said driveway in any way they please. Now the owner of the shared driveway has accumulated large amounts of legal fees & now has rules on the shared driveway.. But the owner of the shared driveway/ R1 property has to deal with short term renters / tenants on the commercial property using our private shared driveway all hours of the night . The companies owner could tell them & all employees to use their own property but still chooses to be a nuisance’s to the property owners of the shared driveway . If the the lot would of never been rezoned improperly this would have not happened. There is horrible effects to rezoning properties that are in the middle of homes no one needs to deal with chemicals or commercial nuisances or the nuisances of a short term rentals in our neighborhood.
Breaking News,
Deveoping Story,
Team Coverage!
Developers with manila envelopes full of Ca$h and a couple of good lawyers are always able to influence the votes and therefore the outcome.