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Neighbors seek enforcement, zoning review after repeated short‑term rental complaints on West Caroline Street
Summary
Residents presented a petition and cited three recent short‑term rental citations; council and staff described ongoing enforcement steps, a certified notice to the owner and a plan to forward a neighborhood petition to Planning and Zoning for possible zoning action.
Residents of West Caroline Street told the City Council on June 18 that they have repeatedly reported disturbances at a short‑term rental and asked the city to begin enforcement and to consider converting the block from short‑term rentals to long‑term rental zoning.
Sam Cannon, a resident, said three citations had been issued since April 16 and asked that enforcement proceed immediately. The council and staff said a certified letter had been sent to the property owner and that the city attorney had prepared a flow chart and spreadsheet tracking calls, warnings and citations. Staff emphasized the need to follow the ordinance and legal counsel’s checklist to avoid procedural errors that could jeopardize enforcement through litigation.
Petitioners said an owner-signed petition shows roughly 86% of West Caroline property owners support changing the block’s short-term rental status to long-term rentals. Councilmembers said the appropriate first step is to forward the petition to Planning and Zoning, which handles zoning and ordinance-change requests; staff said they would forward the petition and supporting materials, including a map of signatories prepared by a resident cartographer.
Staff reiterated they will be “very diligent” in enforcing the ordinance while avoiding actions that could lead to prolonged legal stays; they noted the city is focusing on citations (rather than police call logs) as the basis for administrative enforcement. Petitioners asked for weekly status updates via email; staff suggested e‑mail updates to the mayor or staff as a practical way to track progress without repeatedly placing the matter on council agendas.
Notes: the council did not vote to change zoning at the June 18 meeting; the petition will be forwarded to Planning and Zoning for consideration and staff will continue enforcement actions already begun.
