Gary council reviews short-term rental petition for 6110 Ash Ave; council vote set for April 1

The Gary Common Council on March 27 reviewed CPO 2025-14, a petition to allow a non-owner-occupied short-term rental at 6110 Ash Avenue, Gary, Indiana. Councilman Darren Washington, councilman at large, opened the item and set the council vote for its April 1 meeting.

City attorney Steve Jenkins of the Gary law department summarized the application and its procedural history, saying the Board of Zoning Appeals heard the petition in February and staff issued a favorable recommendation. "Staff gave a favorable recommendation," Jenkins said, but the zoning board vote ended in a tie, two in favor and two opposed, and one member moved to condition any grant on the petitioners removing a pool no later than May 7, 2025.

The petitioners are Anthony C. Payan and Melissa P. Payan. A local property manager speaking for the petitioners described operational controls intended to limit disturbances: a six-vehicle limit for guests, an outdoor camera system, guest screening (minimum age 25 and at least two positive reviews), and a local presence that the manager said helps address neighborhood concerns. "I represent 4 or 5 in the area, and I'm a property manager. I'm a host. I've been a host for 8 years now without issue," the property manager said, adding that he markets the unit to two couples and expects fewer than six vehicles.

Council members asked about past police activity and neighborhood complaints. The property manager said there was a single earlier disturbance tied to a prior tenant and that the Payans were not the prior long-term tenant. Jenkins told the council the BZA motion included the pool-removal condition; the record supplied to the council showed staff found the petition met the zoning code's seven special-use criteria (public health and safety; impact on nearby uses; consistency with orderly development; utilities and access; traffic/ingress-egress; location in a district where the use is authorized; and sustainable growth principles).

No formal council action was taken at the meeting. Councilman Washington stated: "This item will be up for a vote at the next council meeting, which would be April 1." The council scheduled the ordinance for the April 1 meeting for final consideration.

Why it matters: Short-term rental approvals can change occupancy patterns and traffic in residential blocks and are commonly conditioned to address neighborhood impacts. Here, staff recommended approval while the BZA tied and attached a pool-removal condition, leaving final authority to the council.

Votes and procedural history: At the Board of Zoning Appeals in February the staff recommendation was favorable; the BZA vote was recorded as 2 in favor, 2 opposed, producing a tie. One BZA member moved to grant the petition contingent on removal of the pool by May 7, 2025. The council will take a final vote on April 1.

Next steps: The council will consider CPO 2025-14 at its April 1 meeting; neighbors were encouraged by petitioners and the manager to attend and raise concerns, if any.