Plano city council members voted late Monday night to approve a ban on most new short-term rentals in the city.
Plano already had a similar, temporary ban in place, but that was set to expire next month.
Moving forward, no new short-term rentals – homes that people rent, in place of hotels, on popular sites like Airbnb and VRBO – will be allowed in single family neighborhoods. They will be allowed, however, in certain areas of the city, including areas that are currently zoned to allow for hotels.
Dozens of Plano residents signed up to speak during Monday night’s council meeting, almost every single one of them in opposition to short-term rentals.
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“The [short-term rentals] are great until one is your next-door neighbor,” said one man.
“Short-term rentals are not neighbors. They are empty houses owned by investors,” a Plano woman said.
“We now have a short-term rental next to us, and we have had nothing but problems,” said a Plano man. “It is all bad.”
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In addition to the ban, Plano council members also approved of a new, annual registration program for new and existing short-term rentals. The properties will get a discount on their registration fee if they avoid drawing any nuisance complaints or other violations.
