Board Of Adjustments Approve Two Short-Term Rentals
Harrodsburg City Hall (File image from 2025).
Robert Moore
Herald Staff
[email protected]
Despite objections from neighbors, the Harrodsburg-Mercer County Joint Board of Adjustments and Appeals approved a short-term rental at 425 Herrington Woods. However, the board of adjustments placed conditions on how the short term rental operates.
At their regular meeting on Friday, Aug. 22, the board conducted a public hearing on Keith and Jamie Prince’s request for a conditional use permit to operate a short-term rental on their property. The property is zoned R-2 (Residential).
Keith Prince said they had been making improvements on the property since they’d purchased it in April. Keith Prince said they were originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, and he said they’d been looking for a lake house for up to five years.
Jamie Prince said they’d like to be good stewards of the community, and they were ready to comply with the ordinance.
Chairman Bobby Upchurch asked if anyone wanted to speak.
Shirley Stern-Bryan handed out documents, including a petition signed by neighbors opposing the rental, and read from a prepared statement. She said she lives next door and she opposes the rental. Stern-Bryan said she had lived on the lake for three generations, since 1950, and they’d recently completed renovation on the property to make it their “forever home.” Stern-Bryan said there are two other short term rentals on the street, and she said another would tip the balance towards a business district.
Stern-Bryan said the Prince’s property has a view into her property and the aging fence provides no privacy. She said it was a residential neighborhood of long term families and Stern-Bryan said there was nearly unanimous opposition to the short term rental.
Jerry Bryan also opposed the rental. Bryan complained they had received the notice only nine days before. He said Keith Prince only mentioned once they might rent the property.
“They never talked to me about it whatsoever,” Bryan said. He asked for restrictions to be imposed to limit the impact from short term rentals. Bryan said violations should be grounds for rescinding the approval for the rental.
Upchurch then asked the Princes to come up. He asked if the petition gave them any pause.
“It does not,” Keith Prince said.
He said their intention was renting the property out one weekend a month.
“We have no intention of this being a high volume AirBNB,” Keith Prince said. Said it would be more accurate to say it would available one third of the weekends.
The Princes had no problem moving the check-out time to 11 a.m. and they submitted a list of contacts.
As Upchurch went over the list of restrictions with the Princes, board member Mike Harden objected.
“We’re hampering the owner of a piece of property from doing what he wants to do,” Harden said. When the discussion turned to quiet hours, Harden asked, “What’s to prevent from the owners now from having a wild party?”
Upchurch said there was a difference between a private property and a business.
“When they live there, it’s their house,” the chairman said. “They can do what they please.”
“I bristle at restriction on property owners,” Harden said.
“We’ve got some concerned neighbors,” Upchurch said.
Another neighbor, Tom Sheeren, complained approving the rental property puts the neighborhood “on the precipice of becoming a rental community.” Sheeren said rental properties put downward pressure on property values for single family homes.
“No one wants to live next door from a party house,” Sheeren said.
He said he would be sandwiched between two short term properties.
“Let us have our beautiful residential neighborhood in tact,” Sheeren said.
Anita Hartley said short term renters have a totally different mind set from long term renters.
“They’re on vacation,” Hartley said. “They want to enjoy themselves.”
She said there is no accountability. Hartley said he people who lived there in Herrington Woods want it to remain a residential neighborhood.
“Our neighborhood is very, very small,” Hartley said. “We want homes, not hotels.”
Acting Executive Director Kylie Donnally presented the staff findings. Donnally said the applicants had supplied all the requested information, including providing the welcome package for guests. She said there was sufficient room for parking.
The board voted unanimously to approve the conditional use permit with conditions, including limiting rentals to one per month, and 11 a.m. check out time, on site contacts, restrictions on vehicles and parking, quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. In addition, the Princes must abide by other codes, including inspection by the building inspector. The permit does not transmit to next owner if the property changes hands. The Princes would have to revisit the board if they made any changes.
In other business, the Harrodsburg-Mercer County Joint Board of Adjustments and Appeals approved a conditional use permit for Still Waters LLC to operate a short-term rental on the property 744 Normans Camp Road. The property is zoned R-3 (Residential). Robert Milam of Still Waters LLC said they were the first ones to apply under the new ordinance. Milam said they’ve never had an issue at their other short term rental. He said they rent out about one third of the year, about two weekends a month. Milam said they’ve never had a party. Donnally confirmed there had been no complaints.
No one else spoke.
The board approved the permit with restrictions including inspections. The conditional use permit does not transfer with sale of the property.
