The Mathews County Planning Commission on Tuesday tabled a discussion of a proposed text amendment to the zoning ordinance regarding short-term vacation rentals. With two members absent, the commission decided to wait until all members could be present for the discussion.

The amendment calls for deleting the terms “tourist home” and “summer and vacation cabins” from the ordinance and consolidating all uses under the term “short-term vacation rental.” As proposed by planning and zoning director John Shaw, such a use would be by right, but there would be special regulations associated with rental of such properties in order to mitigate any adverse impacts.

Those regulations would include requiring a zoning permit and executing a written agreement; limiting the number of guests to two per bedroom, with two additional people allowed per dwelling; designating an agent for the property who may be the owner; retaining the exterior appearance of the proper...