Dallas Staff Continues Research on Short-Term Rentals, Item is Not on Wednesday’s Agenda

Below is a memo filed Friday, April 14, by Dallas Assistant City Manager Carl Simpson in response to questions that arose during a council briefing on short-term rentals held earlier this month.

Following the April 4 council briefing, City Manager T.C. Broadnax said staff would research the matter and bring back more data for an additional briefing before a vote is taken on STRs. The matter is not included in the briefing agenda for Wednesday, April 19.

Because the briefing has been pushed back, it is unlikely a decision will be made before the May 6 Dallas City Council election.

Simpson’s memo is reprinted below, unabridged and unedited.

Staff met on April 11 to review and discuss City Council members’ questions asked during the Proposed Short-Term Rental Zoning and Registration Ordinances briefing held on April 4. Questions focused on four major themes that require research, follow-up, and additional data analysis by staff across multiple departments, including Planning and Urban Design, City Attorney’s Office, Code Compliance, Development Services, Parking Enforcement, Data Analytics and Business Intelligence, Information and Technology Services, Dallas 311, Dallas Police Department, Dallas Fire-Rescue, and the City Controller’s Office.

Four primary areas of follow-up and next steps have been identified:

1. Zoning: Based on Council’s discussion, Planning and Urban Design is analyzing the possibility of alternatives to City Plan Commission’s recommendation and the associated processes. Additional research on other land-use solutions, zoning options, maps showing multifamily zoning districts, and analysis of existing STRs within zoning and Council Districts are also being prepared.

2. Enforcement: Code Compliance will respond to questions and prepare options regarding the feasibility of launching in 6 months instead of the 12-month model presented. To respond to Council Member questions, Code Compliance will also explore what enforcement of the onsite caretaker and multi-family models would resemble.

3. Data Analytics: To respond to multiple Council Member requests for additional data analysis, Data Analytics will lead the preparation of an additional analysis that focuses on the impact of STRs. The first step will be to partner with the City Controller’s Office to see if there are additional STR addresses that can be included in the analysis. Data Analytics will coordinate with Dallas Police Department, Dallas Fire-Rescue, Dallas 311, and Code Compliance regarding a potential analysis.

4. Certificate of Occupancy: Several of the questions Council Members asked would have implications on how the City issues Certificates of Occupancy. Development Services will work with Code Compliance and the City Attorney’s Office to explore the implications and possible fee study impacts of such changes. If these residential structures are mandated to have a Certificate of Occupancy, Development Services will need to establish a processing and inspection fee, inspection strategy, training, outreach, metrics, and business workflows for inspection.

Staff is working diligently. However, a complete and robust response will require significant time to research, analyze, and complete.

Carl Simpson, Assistant City Manager