Catalyzes the synthesis of acetyl-CoA from short-chain fatty acids (PubMed:28003429). Propionate is the preferred substrate (PubMed:28003429). Can utilize acetate and butyrate with a much lower affinity (By similarity). {ECO:0000250|UniProtKB:A0A0G2K047, ECO:0000269|PubMed:28003429}. This is the function of Ensembl gene identifier ENSG00000111058 (ACSS3, acyl-CoA synthetase short chain family member 3).