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Council approves conditional use permit for vacation rental at 740 Ridge Road
Summary
Wimberley City Council on April 17 approved a conditional use permit allowing a non-owner-occupied short-term rental (STR2) at 740 Ridge Road after a public hearing and a unanimous vote.
Wimberley City Council on April 17 approved an application for a conditional use permit to allow a non-owner-occupied vacation rental (STR2) at 740 Ridge Road.
The permit covers a 1.26-acre parcel in the hills off Climbing Way. City staff said the property was properly noticed; planning and zoning recommended approval by a 5–0 vote. Council approved the CUP by unanimous vote.
Staff member Nathan Glaser told the council the property is 1.26 acres and not in Paradise Hills, and that the application was properly noticed. He reported receiving four letters from residents of Barber Drive opposing the CUP and two letters (one from Barber Drive and one from Ridge Road) supporting it; none of the opposing letters fell within 200 feet, so the city did not apply the 20% protest threshold. Planning and Zoning voted 5–0 to recommend approval.
During the public hearing, resident Lori Fye of 285 Barber said she and her husband oppose short-term rentals in the neighborhood and described the CUP as a permanent zoning change with limited immediate remedies if neighbors later object. Martin Bannister, who lives next door to the subject property and is associated with the applicant, said he intends to revoke the CUP if he sells the adjacent home or if he moves into the rental property, but acknowledged that his statement is not a legal covenant.
Council members asked whether the city could require a written or enforceable commitment to revoke the CUP upon sale. Staff and council members indicated Texas law and local practice limit the city’s ability to bind future owners or obligate future councils; council discussion reflected that any revocation by a future owner would be a private act the city could not preemptively enforce.
After discussion, a council member moved to approve the conditional use permit as presented and a second was made. The motion carried unanimously.
The CUP approval was recorded by the city clerk and is part of the public record for the property at 740 Ridge Road.
