Commission grants 24-month conditional-use permit for short-term rental at 1171 SW Medford Ave

The Topeka Planning Commission approved a Conditional Use Permit (CU262) permitting a short-term rental (Type II) at 1171 Southwest Medford Avenue, the personal home of applicant Cameron Jacobs.

Staff explained the property does not meet the 500-foot spacing requirement because an existing short-term rental sits about 400 feet to the east, so a conditional use permit was required. Staff recommended approval with a condition that the permit expire after 24 months and allow a 24-month extension if the property has complied with short-term rental requirements and there have been no complaints. "There is one short-term rental approximately 400 ft to the east of his property," staff said when describing the spacing issue.

Commissioners questioned the rationale for treating rentals on different blocks as not constituting an overconcentration; staff said the other short-term rental is on a different block and that staff did not consider the neighborhood overconcentrated. Commissioners also probed whether the adjacent permit's expiration date was known; staff later supplied that the nearby permit was issued in September 2025 and will expire in October 2027.

Applicant Cameron Jacobs told the commission he has lived in the house about 10 years and intends to use the property as a short-term rental while living out of state, with relatives managing the property locally. "I'm applying for a conditional use permit for my personal home at 1171 Southwest Medford Avenue," Jacobs said.

The commission approved the CUP. The roll call shows one commissioner recorded a "nay," but the motion passed with an 8'1 tally (eight yes, one no). The permit will expire after 24 months from governing-body approval unless an extension is granted under the conditions set in the staff report.