Auburn council approves short-term rental permit at 180 Greenfield with parking, trash and no-flame conditions

The Auburn City Council unanimously approved a short-term rental permit for 180 Greenfield Avenue on Feb. 9, 2026, adding conditions aimed at limiting neighborhood impacts.

Mayor Kelly Davis opened a de novo hearing on an appeal of the planning commission's Oct. 21, 2025 approval of the permit and heard presentations from city planning staff, the applicant and neighbors. Planning staff described the application timeline, saying the permit application was submitted May 20, 2025, public notice was sent to property owners within 100 feet and the planning commission approved the permit after receiving three letters of objection raising concerns about parking, fire safety and neighborhood character.

Doug Houston, the property owner and applicant, told the council he operates the unit with a three-night minimum and estimated about 24 bed-nights a year. Houston said about 45% of stays were long-term and he frequently blocks weekends for personal use. He said the parcel includes a two-car garage, a two-car driveway and three frontage spaces shown on an aerial map, and offered to require guests to use the garage and driveway rather than street parking. "I could accommodate 3 spaces in my driveway, and the garage is functional," Houston said.

Neighbor David Sterling, who lives diagonally across the street, urged denial. Sterling said the short-term rental would harm the character of a small neighborhood of long-term residents and cited prior illegal parking and trash left for wildlife. He asserted the property does not meet the municipal-code requirement of five on-site spaces for a three-bedroom rental, saying the site provides four. "This blatant disregard for the municipal code should not go unnoticed," Sterling said.

Planning staff and public works responded to questions from councilors. Planning staff said the short-term rental permitting process is voluntary and that staff first learned of activity when the application was filed; public works director Mendel Dean said the paved slab adjacent to the house is public right-of-way but functionally similar to unpaved parking and had not generated code-enforcement cases to date.

Several nearby residents spoke during public comment about fire risk in the high-fire severity area, ongoing trash and bear problems, and street-safety impacts from multiple parked vehicles. Kelly Marino, a Forest Hill Avenue resident, said short-term guests "don't have the same awareness or responsibility as a neighbor who lives there constantly." Chuck Heiselman said trash had lingered in the street for months and asked the city to pursue any unpaid TOT or penalties.

Council members discussed mitigation measures and agreed there was a legal basis to approve the permit with conditions rather than deny it outright. The council read and adopted conditions offered by city staff and legal counsel that require: guests to park only in the property's driveway or garage and prohibit guest street parking at any time; trash to be kept in the garage except as needed for collection by the city's franchise hauler; and a prohibition on outdoor open flames or outdoor ignition sources (including outdoor smoking). Councilmember comments noted that short-term rentals are an allowed use under the Auburn municipal code but that repeat violations could lead to permit revocation via code enforcement or planning commission review.

A motion to adopt the staff resolution as modified was passed by roll call: Amara — Yes; Dalton Calvio — Aye; Holmes — Aye; Riddell Harris — Aye; Mayor Davis — Aye. The motion directed staff to prepare a memorializing resolution for the next council meeting.

The council's action allows the property to generate transient occupancy tax (TOT) revenue if the owner complies with the permit conditions; staff said the appeal-processing fee was paid and is included in current planning department budget. The hearing record remains open only for tonight's testimony; any future planning-commission decisions on related matters would be separately appealable to the council.