Shawnee city councilmembers expressed mixed feelings about moving forward with regulating short-term rental properties, including potentially banning them from all residential zones of the city.
On Monday, the city council committee — which convened immediately after a lengthy regular city council meeting — discussed several options for short-term rentals, like AirBnBs and VRBOs.
The idea of a short-term rental ban was previously brought to the city council in April, when several residents from the McAnany Estates subdivision spoke out against short-term rentals in their area, which they said had begun popping up more frequently in recent years.
At the end of Monday’s discussion, City Manager Doug Gerber appeared uncertain about which direction the city council wants to go.
“I don’t know if we’re giving adequate direction to the staff,” councilmember Eric Jenkins said.
“We have definitely heard some things that we can research and bring to you, but I agree with your last statement that I’m not hearing much consensus,” Gerber said.
Two options are being considered
According to council documents, the city wants to explore two potential options:
- One option, modeled on an ordinance in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, would limit short-term rentals to parcels greater than one acre.
- Another option, would bar short-term rentals from all areas of the city zoned for single-family or other residential uses, effectively prohibiting short-term rentals in most of the city. This “destination based approach” would allow short-term rentals in certain zones around the city’s downtown area and in another zoning area dubbed PUDMX, which is currently not established in Shawnee.
The council also asked for guidance on issues such as grandfathering in current short-term rental properties and licensing fees.
Short-term rentals are currently allowed in Shawnee
Shawnee currently does not place limits on where a short-term rental can be located, but it does require their owners to get business licenses and that comes with some fees.
When the issue was first brought forward in April, the city reported there were 12 licensed short-term rentals in the city, though city officials acknowledged that was likely an undercount.
The discussion over short-term rental properties is different from the city’s ban on shared room rentals, sometimes referred to as a “co-living ban,” which is now the subject of a federal lawsuit.
What did the council discuss?
Members of the council committee on Monday supported a variety of solutions but few overlapped with each other.
Jenkins said he liked the idea of getting short-term rentals in residential areas to be classified as businesses.
“If you’re going to be a permanent business in a residential area, I think it would be appropriate to do a (special use permit),” he said.
Citing Dallas, Texas’s recent move barring short-term rental properties in single-family neighborhoods, Councilmember Tony Gillette felt Shawnee should follow suit.
“We need to protect the homeowners of R-1 zoning,” he said, referencing single-family neighborhoods.
Councilmember Kurt Knappen didn’t see many problems with the way short-term rentals are run and felt they could be a positive for the city.
“I feel like we’re talking about banning something and regulating a problem that really we don’t have,” he said. He also saw rentals as way to draw out-of-town families to stay in Shawnee when they’re visiting.
Councilmember Jill Chalfie agreed that short-term rentals are a good option, saying AirBnbs and VRBO rentals could provide more space for visiting families that hotels likely couldn’t. But, she would prefer to put more restrictions on the status quo, possibly limiting it to specific zoning districts.
“If you’re in town for a tournament, I see that as one of the primary reasons that ‘Wow, that is a nice option to have,'” Chalfie said.
Gillette didn’t see it the same way.
“I’ve used VRBOs for vacations, destination locations, and it’s great. Shawnee’s just not that and fortunately, we have hotels to protect and business communities to protect,” he said.
What did the committee agree on?
Almost all members of the city council committee agreed that large corporations that buy up multiple houses in residential areas for short-term rentals should be restricted.
How they could do that still is up for exploration, however.
“That may be a bit of a challenge to put that on the books and actually apply with all the existing laws that we would need to,” Gerber said.
Several councilmembers stated their reluctance on being viewed as a “Big Brother” to short-term rentals. Some were also in agreement that licensing fees for short-term rentals should be increased.
What happens now?
City staff will continue to explore some of the options presented by the city council on Monday and bring them forward at a later, unspecified date.
Editor’s note: Councilmember Chalfie’s comments have been clarified.
