The city of Prairie Village has reversed course and is now back to its original idea to ban short-term rentals.
The Prairie Village City Council on Monday during its committee meeting unanimously directed city staff to draft an ordinance that limits rentals to operate on a 30-day stay minimum, effectively banning short-term rentals like AirBnbs or Vrbos that are typically booked for weekend or week-long stays.
Earlier this month, the city council wanted to look at how much the city could earn in transient guest tax revenue on short-term rentals. City documents estimate taxing short-term rentals would bring in up to $130,000 annually but estimates for previous years were around $60,000.
This move by the city council on Monday reverses the city’s course of action back to a ban that the city council supported back in May.
City staff anticipates bringing an ordinance back for the city council’s final approval at a future meeting.
‘We just don’t really want it in our neighborhood’
- A vast majority of the dozen or so residents who spoke during public comment on Monday spoke against short-term rentals in Prairie Village.
- Karen Gibbons asked the city council to ban short-term rentals due to the noise, trash, traffic and strangers that come with such properties.
- Resident Mary Cordill said a short-term rental in her neighborhood feels like living next to a hotel with the number of guests who are in and out on a weekly basis.
- Patrick Cohen, another resident, said he’s heard from friends who live next to a Prairie Village short-term rental property who complain “about late nights, excessive parking, odd hours that people are keeping.”
- “They’ve got young kids, I’ve got young kids, we just don’t really want it in our neighborhood — that being the strangers,” Cohen added.
City council reverts back to ban
- Councilmember Ian Graves said that given the $130,000 transient guest tax revenue estimate and the limited ways in which a city can use such revenues, there appears to be no upside to allowing short-term rentals in the city.
- Councilmember Terry O’Toole said the issues with short-term rentals align with what he dislikes about accessory dwelling units, which is why he ran for city council last year.
- Councilmember Inga Selders said she appreciated the residents who spoke during public comment because it reflects “the pulse of our community right now.”
- Councilmember Cole Robinson said he stands by his previous request to explore taxing short-term rentals, but he supports a ban given the clear opposition from residents.
- “It’s very evident that the vast, vast majority of Prairie Village residents do not want (short-term rentals) at all,” Robinson said.
Next steps:
- City staff plans to bring back an ordinance with options on how long to allow current short-term rental owners to operate as such before the ban goes into effect.
- City council meetings take place on the first and third Mondays of the month at 6 p.m. at city hall, 7700 Mission Road.
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