Troublesome Vacation Rentals Draw Calls For Change At Annapolis Debate

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Rentable vacation homes need further regulation, candidates for Annapolis City Council agreed. The six hopefuls running in Ward 1, the town's downtown historic district, offered differing suggestions for how they'd bring short-term rentals under control.

Also known as STRs, the vacation units attract tourists who fuel the local economy. These Airbnbs and VRBOs also gobble up housing supply, making it even more expensive to live near City Dock. The vacation units sometimes draw noise and parking complaints from neighbors.

This tightrope walk differentiated candidates in the city's most crowded race at a Wednesday evening debate.

Former Ward 1 Alderwoman Elly Tierney (D) retired in September 2024, ending her term a year early when she and her family moved to Cape Cod. Tasked with filling the vacancy, the Annapolis Democratic Central Committee selected agriculture policy analyst Harry Huntley (D) to finish Tierney's term.

Huntley is now running for election for the first time. He faces four other Democrats in the primary: Ben Bramsen, Ron Gunzburger, Katie McDermott and Genevieve Torri. The winner will meet the unaffiliated Tom Krieck in the General Election.

Related: Annapolis Mayoral Debate Reveals Different Plans For City Dock, Downtown Construction

Huntley in May introduced an ordinance, O-17-25, that would limit STRs to occupying 10% of the units on each city block. Once a block hits that cap, no more STR licenses would be granted under Huntley's proposed legislation.

Huntley once heard a resident say, "The sound of children laughing on my block has been replaced by the sound of roller bags."

McDermott, an attorney, opposed Huntley's legislation because she doesn't think it went far enough. She called for an immediate moratorium, or pause, on issuing STR licenses. Huntley told Patch he considered a moratorium, but STR moratoriums have already failed four times.

"There are streets that don't have neighbors," McDermott said at the debate, hosted by Historic Annapolis at the William Paca House and Garden. "It's a failure of will ... Are we for the residents or the tourists?"

Torri, a strategist and consultant, thinks Huntley's legislation should cap blocks at a specific number of STRs, not a percentage of all units. She also suggested a three-strike rule, where STRs that repeatedly violate city codes have their license revoked.

Torri does not want short-term licenses to carry over to the next buyer of the home. She thinks the new owner should have to reapply and complete the process again.

In her own travels, Torri enjoys STRs that are embedded in a community so she can meet locals.

"People come to Annapolis to do that within our community. It's beautiful. They want to be here," Torri said. "However, ... we need to have regulations on it."

Bramsen, an after-school education director, was another critic of vacation rentals. Dubbing himself "the affordable housing person," he would support an STR moratorium. He also wants greater enforcement of current policies.

Bramsen said 2.9% of Annapolis homes are STRs, while the national average is 1.6%. He additionally highlighted a recent Baltimore Banner report stating that only half of the city's short-term rentals are licensed.

"Short-term rentals are a problem," Bramsen said. "They are a death nail to being able to offer affordable living."

Gunzburger, an attorney, thinks STRs should have to undergo the same health and safety inspections as long-term rentals.

"Once it becomes the same standard to be a long-term as a short-term, I think you'd see some of those being converted over to long-term," Gunzburger said. "That's how you go after what's already there now and change the nature of it because we do have to protect the quality of our neighborhoods."

Krieck is a business executive, and he owns a short-term rental with his wife. It used to be their primary residence, but his family still owns it for emotional and private reasons. He plans to sell it when his family is ready.

Krieck also acknowledged that existing STR policies are underenforced. He said the city has never suspended an STR license, and he called for a 24/7 hotline to report problems with rentals. He further pitched increasing the occupancy tax on STRs and disbursing that revenue to homeowners on those blocks as a rebate.

"In life, there are two things that can be true at the same time," Krieck said. "One. STRs are bad for neighborhoods, and they have detrimental effect on the character of neighborhoods ... Two. Short-term rentals have a place in Annapolis in the tourist economy in which we've become."

Annapolis mayoral candidates also debated at the event. Patch's coverage of that forum is posted here.

The primary election is on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The General Election is on Tuesday, Nov. 4.