We Say No to VRBO
We say no to STR Hotels in Residential Neighborhoods
What is going on in Dallas, Texas?
All lodging activities are prohibited in residential neighborhoods. The Dallas City Council long ago, set aside affordable housing as residential use, to ensure residents in Dallas have a place to live where they can have community.
Lodging activities (hotels) are to operate in Commerical and MIxed Use Districts.
For years now, wealthy STR Operators and companies have been converting homes zoned for Dallas Residents into STR Hotels. In some areas of Dallas, 95% of long-term rentals are now STR Hotels. The city has not shut down any of these illegal hotels and instead has asked the City Council for guidance. With this inaction, STR Hotels have grown 533%, thus erasing this affordable housing from the market.
The Dallas City Council will take a vote on June 9th, just before the new City Council is seated on this property rights issue and after not having a proper Public Hearing. Should we legalize the illegal business activities of these wealthy STR Operators? Residents have for years been asking the City Council to enforce our zoning laws which protect us from predatory commercial behaviors such as this. Tell City Council to enforce our affordable housing zoning laws and ban STR Hotels from residential neighborhoods. Keep STR Hotels in Commercial and Mixed Use Districts and regulate them as Dallas regulates the hotel industry.
"My husband drove up to Lowe’s and saw two cars of 10 young people exiting and leaving that property around noon. It sure appears they rented it as a party house.
"I saw a large crowd in the front drive and yard and the front door open where the booming music could be heard."
"We live around the corner on Fernald and drove by yesterday. There were 20 cars out front and more pulling up to the house. Looked like some 20 something girls standing out front. "
Neighbor's Comments
More concerning comments here
Homes not Hotels
Dangers of Short Term Rentals
Rich getting Richer and Decreasing Affordable Housing
Per Studies, Short term rental (STR) Hotels reduce the quality of life of neighborhoods because of an increase in late night activity, partying, noise, crime, litter, property damage, fire danger, loitering, public urination, vehicles parked on the street, and other issues that harm the quality of life of these residential areas.
These quality of life issues are made worse because there is not a property owner, full time resident, or staff member onsite to regulate the activities of hotel guests.
Whole House Hotel Rentals in residential neighborhoods are many times illegal hotels. Dallas Regulates where Hotels can be located through zoning. Short Term Rentals are classified as a Hotel by the City of Dallas and the State of Texas. Dallas set aside Commercial and Mixed Use Areas where Hotels are allowed to operate.
Wealthy STR Owners & Companies are operating illegal STR Hotels in residential neighborhoods. They are converting housing meant for Dallas Residents into Hotels which is an illegal land use.
We are looking to have the city enforce zoning which states all hotels are to be located in Commercial & Mixed Use Areas, not Residential Neighborhoods.
Why do we let these wealthy Hotel Owners break our laws?
"It's really the rich who are getting richer off of this situation," says Richards. "Airbnb has run so rampant across the entire city that there's barely any rentals left for locals, and the rentals that are available are skyrocketing in price."
The link between Airbnb, rising rents and homelessness is not debatable.
Zoning laws protect affordable housing. With STR Operators ignoring zoning laws that hotels are prohibited in residential areas, they take away housing built for Dallas Residents.
Tell all Dallas City Council Members and the Mayor that we do not want our zoning changed to allow STR Hotels into our residential neighborhoods. Protect affordable housing and our property rights! Why take away our property rights and let the wealthy operate hotels on affordable properties zoned for Dallas residents?
Teen Girl shot during house party in mesquite at str hotel
Tell City Council to ENFORCE/ AFFIRM Dallas zoning which Bans (STR) Hotels in residential neighborhoods
Put Dallas Families and our Citizens before out of state companies!
Stop this blatant violation of our property rights!
The City of Dallas has restrictions in their zoning which prohibits lodging operations (hotels) from operating in Single Family and Residential Housing Districts. Lodging is permitted in non-residential areas of Dallas; these include Multiple Commercial and Non-Residential Mixed-Use (MO-1, MO-2, GO(A), MU-1, MU-2, MU-3, MC-1, MC-2, MC-3, MC-4) Districts.
Companies/ Wealthy STR Operators are profiting off of the tax-paying residents who created and live in our beautiful neighborhoods by not following the law and operating hotels in prohibited areas of Dallas. Neighbors, Code and Police Officers become unpaid laborers overseeing STR Hotels as many times, there is no staff on site.
STR Hotels are costing Dallas Tax Payers. A sample set audit of 41 STR Hotels cost Dallas Tax Payers an estimated $925,000 annually. This has an estimated cost of under $23K per STR Hotel Annually. With over 4,100 estimated STR Hotels in Dallas, it is not sustainable for Dallas Tax Payers to be subsidizing STR Hotels.
"This needs to be nipped in the bud! I've seen a neighborhood in Austin completely ruined because of these type of investors."
Here Are the Land Use Property Types which Support Lodging:
MU-1, MU-2, MU-3, MC-1, MC-2, MC-3, MC-4. R-7.5(A) is not among them. This is the coding for the single family residential property outlined in this example
An example listing of an out of state company which bought a residential home and turned it into an STR Hotel and Corporate Retreat (sleeping 22 comfortably), offering Massage, Yoga classes, Cooking classes, Group Photography classes and Group Art projects to it's hotel guests.
This house is zoned for Single Family Residential Use - R-7.5 (A)
Single Family Residential Districts are to be composed of Single-Family Dwellings, Schools, Churches and Parks. Hotels are prohibited for these districts.
The Dallas Neighbors next to this house asked code to look into the illegal land use of the STR Hotel and Corporate Retreat for 22 people the Nebraska Company Set up in a prohibited area.
Code closed the ticket and found No Violation.
"Most disturbing is that investor thinks nothing of those who surround their property, that's the 1st offense... 2nd would be to list it as a Airbnb 3rd that it's listed during a pandemic-Covid19 for partying purposes-where do these partiers come from? "
You can have a Back-House but it is not to be used as a Rental or adversly affect neighboring properties.
These STR Hotels are a threat to our single family zoned neighborhoods.
Some of you will remember the boarding houses of the past. These are no different. And you will remember the 40 years of community activism it took to return these neighborhoods to single family. Please take the time to contact your city councilmember and ask them to support a ban on STR Hotels in single family zoned neighborhoods. The intent of the current zoning law is that hotels are prohibited in our neighborhoods which Dallasites worked so hard to get into zoning law years ago. Don't let them change our laws and commercialize our neighborhoods.
Dallas loves business! But not bad business. Us Dallasites work hard everyday to improve our city through our work and volunteer efforts. Dallas has always prohibited hotels/ commercial businesses in residential neighborhoods as that is a bad idea. We Dallasites work hard and deserve to go home to a safe place to rest and spend quality time with our families and loved ones. Changing/not enforcing our zoning laws to allow these predatory commercial businesses into our neighborhoods takes that away from us. It was a bad idea years ago, and it is still a bad idea today.
Dallas has the largest homeless population in the state of Texas. With affordable housing being the reason for this, there is no reason to legalize STR Hotels in residential neighborhoods. Tell City Council to affirm our zoning laws by banning STR Hotels in residential districts. Don't increase our homeless population by legalizing STR Hotels in residential neighborhoods.
District Council Member Phone Email
1 Chad West 214-670-0776 Chad.West@dallascityhall.com
2 Adam Medrano 214-670-4048 Adam.Medrano@dallascityhall.com
3 Casey Thomas II 214-670-4048 Casey.Thomas@dallascityhall.com
4 Carolyn King Arnold 214-670-0781 District4@dallascityhall.com
5 Jamie Resendez 214-670-4052 Jamie.Resendez@dallascityhall.com
6 Omar Narvaez 214 670 4199 Omar.Narvaez@dallascityhall.com
7 Adam Bazaldua 214 670 4689 Adam.Bazaldua@dallascityhall.com
8 Tennell Atkins 214 670 4066 Tennell.Atkins@dallascityhall.com
9 Paula Blackmon 214 670 4069 Paula.Blackmon@dallascityhall.com
10 Adam McGough 214 670 4068 adam.mcgough@dallascityhall.com
11 Lee Kleinman 214 670 7817 Lee.Kleinman@dallascityhall.com
12 Cara Mendelsohn 214 670 4067 cara.mendelsohn@dallascityhall.com
13 Jennifer Staubach Gates 214 670 3816 jennifer.gates@dallascityhall.com
14 David Blewett 214 670 5415 david.blewett@dallascityhall.com
Advertised Parties/ Events During the Pandemic
Dallas Tax Payers Subsidize STR Hotels
A sample set of 41 randomly selected STR Hotels was analyzed to see the impact on the City of Dallas. These are the findings:
Over a period of 7 months, 41 Short Term Rental (STR) Hotels randomly selected cost Dallas TaxPayers ($539,759.27). These 41 STR Hotels paid $18,765 in HOT Taxes during this time period. The total overall financial impact to Dallas TaxPayers is an expense of ($520,994).
Over a span of 12 months, these 41 STR Hotels cost Dallas TaxPayers an estimated $925,000 annually
This data shows us that there is no reason to continue to let STR Hotels break our laws by operating in residentially zoned areas.
