Plano South | July 2023

CITY Plano task force looking at new regulations for short-term rentals

THE PROCESS Plano’s Short-Term Rental Task Force is set to hold a third meeting in September.

COMMUNITY FEEDBACK A community survey was hosted online. The results will be discussed at future task force meetings and a community town hall. How would you feel having a short- term rental(s) on your block?

2023

May 8: Plano City Council approves an interim ban on short-term rentals. May 22: A short-term rental task force is appointed. June 12: Community survey results are presented to Plano City Council. June 29: holds its rst meeting Aug. 23: A short-term rental town hall is scheduled; Plano citizens can submit input online or in person; the location is TBA. Sept. 13: The short-term rental task force holds the third meeting. May 15, 2024: The interim ban on short-term rentals will expire.

BY COLBY FARR

gather information and input regard- ing short-term rentals. Throughout the meetings, Gap Strategies will facilitate discussion while city sta acts as a resource for information, according to a city council memo. Bill France, who leads the Texas Neighborhood Coalition’s Plano chapter and sits on the task force, said the rst meeting went well. It was fact based, and everyone was respectful, he said. “We are trying to eect change through our government,” France said. “We believe that this can be an eective mechanism to achieve that goal. It’s important to gather data and to have a cross section of citizens who have dierent perspectives on this issue in order to achieve a workable solution.” The neighborhood coalition stands against short-term rentals and aims to remove them from residential zoned areas in Plano, according to its website. France said he hopes the task force can help the city nd a solution regarding short-term rentals. “We’re hoping to come to some kind of truce with the real estate industry,” he said. Task force deliberations will focus on a series of questions facilitated by Gap Strategies. Those questions focus on how short-term rentals aect the quality of life in Plano, where rentals should be able to operate if at all, how the city can best address rentals and more. After deliberating, the task force will submit a report and presentation on

Very uncomfortable

Plano’s Short-Term Rental Task Force held its rst meeting June 29, signaling another step forward in the city’s study on short-term rentals. The task force meetings are one piece of an overarching eort by the city to address concerns about short-term rentals. In a series of meetings, the committee will discuss and deliberate potential regulations on short-term rentals before bringing its recommendations to Plano City Council this fall. “We are working on gathering public sentiment from the community,” City Manager Mark Israelson said. “The task force will be an important data point for the city in regards to gather- ing that sentiment.” The task force will meet twice and co-host a community town hall in August. Citizens who attend the town hall will hear more information from the task force and will be able submit public comments. Short-term rentals refer to residen- tial properties that are used for short stays, usually 30 days or fewer, and are listed online by companies such as Airbnb and Vrbo. Council members appointed 20 members and three alternates to the task force during a May 22 meeting. Former Mayor Phil Dyer will chair the committee. The task force is a citizen committee made up of members who live in Plano. During the study’s rst phase, the committee will work with the consult- ing rm Gap Strategies and city sta to

May.

3,891

Moderately uncomfortable

623

July.

Unsure

531

Sept.

Moderately comfortable

403

Very comfortable

Nov.

659

2024 Jan.

How do you think living next to or near a short-term rental aects property values?

910 No signicant impact

Mar.

189 Increases property values

6,109

195 No opinion

May.

4,813 Decreases property values

SOURCE: CITY OF PLANOCOMMUNITY IMPACT

its ndings to council and the Plano Planning and Zoning Commission. Either body may present the task force with additional areas or questions to explore during the second phase. During the second phase, the task force will act as a sounding board for any actions, rules or ordinances that are developed for council and the commission to consider in early 2024. As the study moves through the process, the city is continuing to monitor the legal landscape related to short-term rentals, Israelson said. The Texas Legislature considered several

bills relating to short-term rentals, including SB 929, which was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in May. SB 929 amends the law regarding the notice and compensation a munic- ipality must provide before revoking the right to the use of a property that was allowed before changing any zoning regulations, according to the bill. “We just got out of a legislative ses- sion, but there continue to be special sessions,” Israelson said. “We continue to monitor those in case there are any legislative changes or legal changes.”

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