Arvada residents urge stricter short-term rental rules after May 9 drive-by shooting

Several Arvada residents told the City Council on May 20 that a short‑term rental on their block has become a recurring nuisance and a safety hazard after a May 9 party they say ended in a drive‑by shooting.

“On May 9, '10:30 PM, we had a drive by shooting on our street. There’s an Airbnb that opened up about 6 months ago,” resident Jamie Layer told the council during the public‑comment period. She said the neighborhood is “a residential area with families, with old people” and asked the city to “shut down this Airbnb on our street.”

Neighbors gave additional details about the same incident. Michael Lair said he heard gunfire from his second‑floor living room, watched a car drive past, loop and return, and later discovered a neighbor injured. “I walked a young lady over to a neighbor’s house where she could take refuge because her face was all bloody after getting beat up at the house,” he said. Lair told the council the rental is marketed as a high‑end party house, “It’s got a hot tub. It’s got a game room. Charges $500 plus a night. No nightly minimums.”

Casey Goldberg, who reported two bullet strikes to her home’s exterior, thanked council members for “reaching out so quickly” after she emailed them the night of the shooting and said the short‑term rental has stopped taking bookings for now.

Other neighbors urged ordinance changes. Karina Gonzalez Blake told the council she recorded audio she said captured “over 30 shots fired” and asked the city to adopt “comprehensive and enforceable short term rental regulations, especially looking at age requirements, minimum night stays, and zoning restrictions.” Jeremy McGreeny said multiple short‑term rentals on the block create ongoing late‑night noise and neighborhood disruption.

Mike Griffith, a current or former Planning Commission member who spoke later in the meeting, recommended a regulatory approach other Colorado cities use: require short‑term rentals be the operator’s primary residence (for example, occupied at least six months a year) to discourage commercialization of residential properties and make enforcement easier.

Council members and city staff told speakers they had already reached out to neighbors. Casey Goldberg and others said staff contacted residents within 24 hours and that the specific house had stopped renting temporarily. No council motion or ordinance change was proposed or adopted at the May 20 meeting; residents spoke during public comment and asked the council to return to the topic for possible regulatory action.

Why it matters: residents said the incident left neighbors traumatized and fearful for children and older residents living nearby. Commenters asked the city to weigh neighborhood safety alongside the economic benefits of short‑term rentals.

What the record shows: multiple residents gave overlapping descriptions of one May 9 event that left bullet damage to homes and at least one injured person. Speakers requested a range of options — minimum‑night stays, zoning limits, vetting, primary‑residence requirements — but did not point to a specific existing Arvada ordinance to be amended. City staff and council members signaled responsiveness but did not announce a formal plan or timeline for new regulation at the meeting.

Community context and clarifying details: - Date of incident: May 9, 2025 (as described by commenters). - Reported scope: commenters described dozens of shots (one speaker said “over 30 shots fired”), at least one person injured, and bullets striking nearby houses and a garage. Exact injury counts and law‑enforcement case numbers were not provided at the meeting and are “not specified.” - Alleged rental listing details (from public comment): guest rate cited by a speaker as about $500 per night; “no nightly minimums.” City staff did not confirm listing details at the meeting.

Next steps noted in the meeting: council members acknowledged constituent outreach and follow‑up; members of the Arvada Police Department had responded and were involved in follow‑up. Residents requested that the council explore ordinance changes; no formal referral, study direction, or ordinance language was proposed during the May 20 meeting.