Hey guys, a lot actually changed (to the better) regarding this: openhab-docs/installation/linux.md at d8b8640ec790f865128e7b5e2dfd263b86140fe8 · ThomDietrich/openhab-docs · GitHub
You will find a way to install the latest snapshot through apt.
On a further note: What @pr0f is actually asking about (non-root execution) is not yet in there. Just didn’t have the time to test it. On the plus side: almost everything else was tested (Raspbian lite)
Update: now all available at http://docs.openhab.org/installation/linux.html