All eyes were on the Dallas City Plan Commission this week as the panel voted to define short-term rentals as a lodging use, thus banning the properties from single-family residential neighborhoods.
Plan commissioners, who made the decision in a 10-4 vote following a nine-hour public hearing, said they didn’t take the matter lightly. Some said they didn’t know if it would be effective. Ultimately, however, the voices of those who have been plagued by nuisance properties and “bad actors” operating party houses and dens of criminal activity in neighborhoods prevailed.
Short-Term Rentals Are a National Discussion
Cities across the U.S. have wrestled with the decision of whether to ban STRs, so the Dallas vote could set a precedent for other cities like Plano to follow suit. The Dallas City Council could still change course and modify the proposal with caveats, such as allowing STRs by right or in multi-family districts.
Lisa Sievers, who operates two STRs in East Dallas, issued the following statement to Daltxrealestate.com on Friday.
Short-term rentals are an important piece of the city’s hospitality culture and provide a good window to visitors about what makes Dallas great.
We are neighbors, community members, and business operators, too – and we support sensible regulations and policy changes to ensure that all short-term rentals are meeting city standards for noise, code compliance, and tax remittances. Data researched by the City of Dallas shows that over 88 percent of Short-Term Rentals have ZERO 311 or 911 calls. The vast majority of Dallas short-term rental operators are good actors who bring value to their neighborhoods. We remain opposed to a one-size fits all zoning solution and the harsh economic impact it would have on many families, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.
We support the Dallas City Council’s push to create a regulatory scheme that punishes the small handful of bad actors and preserves the rights of neighbors and good short-term rental operators and will continue working toward that goal.
Lisa Sievers, short-term rental owner
Plan commissioners said Thursday their proposal is not a ban, but rather it limits STRs to areas where lodging use is permitted.
“I think all of us here at the horseshoe share the same goals here, to deal with the folks who have been clearly a problem,” said CPC Chair Tony Shidid. “The problem STRs are a massive problem. I don’t want one in my neighborhood. I don’t want one in your neighborhood. I hope these disappear if this passes, but I don’t think they will. In fact, what I think is going to happen is the very first folks who will shut it all down are the good operators. We’re trying to put a puzzle together, and we don’t have all the pieces.”
