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Resident urges Show Low to investigate short-term rental used as event venue, cites fire and parking hazards
Summary
A resident told the Show Low City Council that a short‑term rental at 4551 W. Hawthorne is operating as an event venue, violating local short‑term rental rules and posing fire and emergency‑access risks; he urged the city to enforce existing ordinances and consider additional safety rules.
Andrew Quinn, a Torreon resident, told the Show Low City Council during the meeting’s public comment period that a short‑term rental next to his home is being marketed and used as a commercial event venue and poses safety risks to neighbors.
Quinn said the property at 4551 West Hawthorne “routinely violates a Show Low ordinance 16.55.050, which prohibits any nonresidential use, events requiring permits, and use as an event center or banquet hall.” He told the council the home advertises sleeping space for more than 16 people and “has been used as a venue for weddings, corporate retreats, and large group gatherings.”
Quinn described overflow parking onto front yards and streets and said that parked vehicles and combustible yard debris create a significant fire hazard and can block emergency vehicles. He cited a recent call to Timber Mesa Fire for an electrical fire caused by an e‑bike charger in the property’s garage. He also listed on‑site equipment — a gas grill, Traeger smoker, gas‑fired pizza oven and a gas fire pit that he said can produce flames “upwards of 3 feet tall” — and said rotating guests may not know local restrictions or safe use guidelines.
Quinn said the property does not display a contact/emergency sign required under Show Low’s short‑term rental rules and noted that, “Each day this is missing, it is a separate civil violation.” He asked the council who enforces the ordinance and what mechanisms exist to ensure owners comply, and he urged the city both to enforce current rules and to consider whether short‑term rental owners should be required to post fire‑safety or restriction signage.
Mayor and staff asked Quinn to leave his contact details with the city clerk so staff could investigate his concerns. The council did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting; Quinn’s remarks were part of the call to the public, when Arizona open‑meeting law allows the council to receive comment but not to act on items not on the agenda.
The public comment occurred near the start of the meeting during the call to the public period; staff offered to review the specific complaints and follow up through the clerk’s office.
