Tybee Property Owners URGENT: Tybee City Council Meeting March 13th 2025 Opportunity for you to Speak! 

 City of Tybee is considering Reversing some STVR restrictions after unintended consequences on Real Estate Market! 

Click to Watch Video Below to see what HAS Happened on Tybee Island!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tFJ9c2VJ62I

 Click Image to: WATCH THIS VIDEO 
Behind the Scenes Explanation of Why Values Have Changed on Tybee Island

Tybee property owners, pay close attention to the March 13th City Council Meeting agenda. Buried at the bottom of the discussion points are critical updates regarding Short-Term Vacation Rentals (STVRs)—and the direction the council seems to be taking raises serious concerns.

Perhaps the Tybee City Council is feeling the negative effects of the lawsuits piling up and ongoing "eradication plan of STVR" already?
 

Attend this City Council Regular Meeting
March 13, 2025 | 6:30 PM
at Tybee Island Public Safety Building
78 Van Horne Avenue, Tybee Island, GA 31328

NOTABLE ON THE AGENDA:

  👉 Councilmember Kathryn Williams is pushing to reduce restrictions on bed & breakfasts and allow STVR permits for "restored historic properties." This comes after actively voting in support for the eradication of STVR permits on the island. 

  👉 Mayor Brian West is advocating for ordinance amendments to allow STVRs in residential zones that attract tourists. What exactly does that mean when the entire Island was built to be a Resort Town over 150 years ago?
 

At first glance, this might seem like a step in the right direction, but here’s the real issue: They are only selectively applying these changes to benefit specific groups—historic homeowners and certain beachside properties.

Meanwhile, other property owners—especially those who have already suffered a 25-30% decline in property values due to losing STVR eligibility—are left with no relief. This isn't about restoring property rights for all Tybee residents; it's about carving out special privileges for a select few while ignoring the broader impact on the community.

What can you do? Speak up at Meeting to Demand Equal Private Property Rights & Protections! Speak at the Meeting
March 13th, Thursday Night - 630PM!

Key Points That Must Be Addressed:

📣 The main middle beach areas of the island and all neighborhoods beachside to Jones should be RT (Resort Tourist). These areas have functioned that way for years—zoning should reflect actual, longstanding use.

📣 Jones Avenue acts as a thoroughfare, with double yellow lines and serving as a secondary exit when Butler is closed or backed up. It functions just like a main road and should be treated as such in zoning decisions.

📣 Savannah already completed a thorough rezone analysis to align zoning with actual neighborhood use—Tybee is long overdue for the same. Many areas that are now restricted were once RT, including beachside of Butler, per many long-time Tybee Realtors.

 📣 If someone doesn’t want to live near STVRs, they have option to purchase inside an HOA that prohibits STVR. Asking the city to make these decisions and act as an HOA is inappropriate use and abuse of power stripping private property rights from owners. The island is too small to continue spot-zoning based on who is in office at the time.

📣Current STVR operators in these areas should be grandfathered in. It’s unfair to devalue properties and take away property rights from homeowners who invested under previous zoning rules. Tybee has never been strictly residential. From First Street to 18th Street, there are restaurants, gas stations, public city buildings, a gymnasium, a school, a fire station, churches, a supermarket, and motels—all abutting residential areas. It’s a stretch to claim these areas should be locked into a strictly residential designation when the entire district has always been a mixed-use environment.

This isn’t just about one group or another—it’s about fairness for all property owners. Tybee is too small to be picking and choosing who benefits and who loses value. If the council truly wants to fix this, they need to open STVR permits fairly to all property owners, not just a politically connected few.

 Make your voice heard at the March 13th Meeting!