Plano City Council is considering a temporary ban on controversial short-term rentals until a better plan can be set in place.
During a city council meeting on March 13, councilmembers discussed the idea of banning the rentals, but the ban wouldn’t last forever. Because the issue was discussed for so long without any votes made, several councilmembers at last night’s meeting suggested placing a ban until a plan is finalized.
Councilmembers said they want to prioritize the resident’s concerns of active zoning ordinances, which prohibit hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts from single-family residential areas. But Plano city attorney Paige Mims explained that Plano cannot restrict assembly at short-term rentals or enforce a city-wide ban.
The city council did not vote on any kind of short-term rental ordinance, Plano Mayor John Muns said they are considering a temporary ban. However, Muns did not say when a decision would be made.
Local Profile previously reported that Plano halted any votes because they were looking into Arlington’s short-term rental plan. Lori Schwarz, Direction of Neighborhood Services, explained that Plano staff was directed to use a similar plan as Arlington.
“We’ve done a lot of investigation about what’s possible with the government regulation of these types of housing,” Schwarz said. “Most of them require some sort of monitoring contract.”
Arlington’s short-term rental plan includes hiring a third-party data collection firm to determine all the short-term rentals operating in the city, requiring insurance on all short-term rental properties, creating a zoning ordinance of where they are allowed as well as a registration process and holding town hall meetings to gather residents’ input.
Residents are hoping the city enforces a ban due to an increase in issues stemming from short-term rentals. On Sept. 23, 2022, Dallas police busted one of these rentals for operating as a brothel. Then on Feb. 6, 2023, a stray bullet entered a child’s playroom after a fight broke out in a short-term rental.
Local Profile reached out to the city of Plano but did not receive a response prior to publishing.