Owners defend permitted short‑term rental at 521 Riviera amid neighbor complaints

Three residents addressed the council during oral communications on June 9 to support a permitted short‑term rental at 521 Riviera Drive and to describe conflicts with neighbors.

Owner Charlotte Hefty said she and her family restored the home at 521 Riviera and operate it as a permitted short‑term rental. “For me, this isn't just a business. It's a labor of love,” she told the council, and she described herself as an experienced host who has invested in safety measures including identity verification, smart‑home cameras, interior and exterior decibel monitors, and Wi‑Fi tracking to detect crowd size. Hefty said she came off the city’s waiting list, “received permits, invested months of work, care, and savings,” and that she had followed every city requirement.

Her husband, James Giglio, said Hefty has “over 300 or 400 … 5‑star reviews” and that the owners have added monitoring and strict house rules to address potential problems. “If you're coming here and try to, you know, for a loud party, don't bother, because you'll be kicked out instantly,” Giglio said.

Willard Mehlitz, a neighbor and longtime resident, said he supported the owners and described what he called harassment and hostility toward Hefty from some neighbors during the permitting process. “The degree of harassment and the fear put on Charlotte for her own safety in this community was really disturbing to me,” Mehlitz said.

Speakers emphasized that short‑term rentals allow hosts to screen and remove guests quickly, and contrasted that with long‑term tenancy eviction timelines. No council action was taken on the matter during the meeting; these remarks were made during the public comment portion of the agenda.

City staff were not recorded as responding to the specific complaints at the meeting. The speakers urged the council to consider enforcement and neighbor‑relations measures, and asked for clarification about the property's future operating status.