The Dallas City Council continues to debate short-term rental (STR) regulations and will soon decide how to address the issue.
Dozens of citizens showed up to City Hall on Wednesday, with many like Sonya Hebert speaking in favor of banning STRs in residential neighborhoods, citing incidents of gunshots, property damage, and disruptive parties at these locations.
STR operators like Vera Elkins, however, argued that their right to operate such rentals on their private property should not be taken away because some operators poorly manage their rentals.
The Dallas City Council is scheduled to vote on an STR ordinance on June 14.
City staff told council members on Wednesday that there are roughly 1,800 STRs currently operating in Dallas, with 1,300 pending registration.
“It’s been a long haul,” East Dallas resident Olive Talley told The Dallas Express. “And what I heard today makes me worry that we will lose all single-family zoning in the city.”
“If you’re a single-family property owner in Dallas, you better come to the meeting next Wednesday,” she said.
Council Member Cara Mendelsohn thanked the advocates on both sides but made clear that she is “here to represent the typical homeowner and apartment dweller and their plight with short-term rentals.”
“I believe in strong private property rights, but that has to include the rights of the neighbors,” she said. “I don’t see how single-family neighborhoods should include commercial hotels.”
Mendelsohn said the presence of STRs robs residents of real neighbors and a real community.
While many anti-STR advocates emphasized “terrible party house stories,” Mendelsohn said she is not just opposed to party houses but is opposed to having STRs in single-family neighborhoods altogether.
Council Member Gay Donnell Willis noted that according to numbers presented by City staff, 20% of currently operating STRs have received 911 or 311 calls, while only 9% of residential homes have.
“The STR operators have proven that they will tell us anything we want to hear — they’ll say anything they want to say — in order for us to let them stay here in the City of Dallas,” added Council Member Omar Narvaez. “The residents of Dallas are overwhelmingly sick and tired of them being in their neighborhoods.”
“We need more residential. We need homes and not hotels in our single-family residential communities,” he said.
Multiple potential solutions are on the table.
The City Plan Commission (CPC) has officially recommended a zoning and registration ordinance to the City Council that would effectively ban STRs in residential neighborhoods.
Only 1.8% of existing STRs would be permitted to continue operating if the CPC’s recommendations are adopted, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
However, another option is simply introducing more regulations on STRs, including occupancy limits, loud noise restrictions, and an annual registration fee.
Most council members who spoke on Wednesday indicated they intend to support an outright prohibition on STRs in residential neighborhoods.
Julia Ryan, director of Dallas’ Planning & Urban Design Department, recommended addressing most of the concerns over STRs through a registration ordinance rather than a zoning ordinance.
However, Interim City Attorney Tammy Palomino said it would be more effective to include these restrictions in the zoning ordinance itself.
If things go according to plan, Dallasites will know the future of short-term rentals when the City Council meets on Wednesday.
