January 5, 2021
POLAND (AP) — The owners of an Airbnb that closed last week in a Polish village are apologizing to the community.
“We are law-abiding citizens and we will continue to be so,” said Dan Sneddon.
After Airbnb’s location at 211 Diana Drive was ordered to halt operations last week, Sneddon and his wife Sunny released a statement on social media.
When asked if he’d like to comment, Dan Sneddon referenced the post, which explains how the couple decides on Airbnb.
The controversy over the space stems from zoning, village officials said last week.
It’s classified as a residential zone and would require a conditional use permit, zoning administrator Tim Clavid said.
There is a guest space code in the village that requires a conditional use permit from the Board of Zoning Appeals, which would be a transitional lease because the family does not live on Diana Drive.
Village officials have been racing to find a way to delineate the house well, as it is a bed and breakfast.
A resolution is expected at tonight’s town council meeting, where the Sneddons said they hope to be able to paint with the people.
A Zoom assembly will be held at 7 p. m. Information on how to keep an eye on the assembly can be found in www. polandvillage. org and then by opting into the “live assemblies” menu.
“We hope to be able to apply for the appropriate permit as soon as possible after the meeting,” they said jointly.
The Sneddons said they studied the area and saw nothing prohibiting short-term rentals. That’s when they “initially hesitated,” they said.
They also said they hired a third-party vendor to provide them with the permit and filing procedures. Since then, they have sought legal advice.
In September, the couple discovered their “dream home” at the Diana Drive residence, where they could raise their 3 young children.
The Sneddons would put their existing New Springfield home up for sale and move into the Diana Drive home, but those plans were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, they said.
They will need to stay in their current home, as Sunny’s grandmother lives with them and there is a separate area to allow for distance.
That’s when the Sneddons used Airbnb to help them pay off two mortgages, they said.
When the space was indexed on Airbnb as well as Vrbo, the Sneddons said the reaction was “overwhelmingly positive” and piqued interest from non-locals.
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