Resident urges planning commission to review proposed Airbnb near family home

Nate Brown, a Lebanon City resident, told the council he is worried about a neighboring property being converted to an Airbnb and urged officials to scrutinize the application. "I was informed about a property next to my house being turned into a Airbnb," Brown said, adding that he and his wife do not like the idea of unknown short‑term renters next to their family home.

Brown described past incidents in a nearby alley when a bar operated there and said he has seen fewer police patrols since recent elections. "There was fights, college kids coming out of the woodwork...walking down that alley and making a ruckus," he said, and added later that "Lebanon was a nice, quiet, peaceful little town that I thought was a great place to live. It's slowly turning the other direction."

Council members responded that the matter is appropriate for the planning commission. An alderperson told Brown the application "is going to planning commission" and urged him and other residents with concerns to attend the planning commission meeting next week. The same council member said the city would check legal limits and consult the city lawyer to determine what the council can and cannot do about short‑term rentals: "I will basically have to check with the lawyer. I don't know what the law is on that."

The chair also asked Brown for his address for the record — 215 West Main Street — and encouraged him to follow planning‑commission procedures or return with any commission feedback.

No formal action or vote on the Airbnb application was recorded during the meeting; council members directed the topic to the planning commission and indicated staff/legal follow‑up would be pursued.