CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – The Airbnb trend started in 2008 and ever since it’s grown, far across the United States and now into smaller towns like Conway, but with no regulations, and some who live in Conway near these rental properties aren’t happy.
Conway City Council member William Goldfinch says the council has gotten nearly a dozen complaints from people living near Airbnbs in Conway, and council plans to do something about it.
“Airbnb is obviously something that’s become wildly popular in the last few years, you know, really all over the country and the world for that matter, and we’re starting to see some interest here in Conway,” he said.
The up and coming trend, Airbnb, is spreading to smaller towns like Conway, but not without controversy.
“If you live in a neighborhood, a peaceful, quiet neighborhood here in Conway, and that’s what you’re used to, and then all of a sudden you’ve got folks that are turning over every couple of days and they’re loud, or they’re in the driveway smoking marijuana or drinking or using foul language, you know, that’s not something we want our folks here to have to deal with,” said Goldfinch.
Councilmember William Goldfinch says there are ten thousand Coastal Carolina University students whose parents may want to visit and use the vacation rental app, so it’s created a demand for the small town.
Nearly a dozen who live in Conway have brought those noise and crowd complaints to city council meetings, but regulating Airbnbs is not something council has had to deal with, until now.
“In fact, I have a dear friend who rents his house out on the peninsula every weekend. You know, but that’s not something that we’re accustomed to here, so we’ve just got to get ahead of it,” said Goldfinch. “We’re not saying we’re not going to do it, we just want to make sure that we protect the folks here that live here, you know, and expect some peace and quiet.”
Council member Goldfinch tells me council is in discussions with Conway City Planning right now to see what regulations they can put in place, much like the regulations they already have for bed and breakfasts in Conway.
