A unified front by neighbors in the upscale Castle Heights and Karem Park neighborhoods Tuesday pushed Waco City Council to reject permits for three existing short-term residential rentals.
About 50 residents from those neighborhoods showed up in protest of what they called commercial ventures in their historic neighborhood. The council unanimously rejected special permits for temporary residential rental units at 3509 Austin Ave. and 215 Oriental Road, as well as a bed-and-breakfast homestay permit at 3501 Castle Ave.
“One of the unique things about Castle Heights is that we all know our neighbors,” said Tommye Lou Davis, a Baylor University administrator, during the Castle Avenue hearing. “I can see by these applications that we’re in danger of losing something special.”
The evening showed the council struggling for consistency in regulating the craze for short-term rentals, which has crested in Waco in the tourism boom of the last year.
People are also reading…
Mayor Kyle Deaver said a city panel is working to revamp ordinances on the matter, and he apologized to one applicant for the sometimes rancorous tone of the meeting.
“Unfortunately, it does end up getting personal sometimes,” Deaver told Robert and Jeannette Geary, who own the house on Austin Avenue. “People are passionate about their neighborhoods and want to defend what they appreciate about them.”
Deaver said the new policy should be ready within two months. Mike Morrison, a former mayor and a Castle Heights resident, suggested putting a moratorium on new approvals until then.
“Without a plan in place, as you go forward, the chances are excellent that you’re going to approve something you would not have,” under the future policy, Morrison said. “You’re going to have a much tougher decision at that point.”
The city last year began notifying property owners who advertised on sites such as Airbnb and VRBO that they must apply for special permits. The council has approved dozens of permits since then, though a backlog remains and existing operators have been allowed to continue.
The temporary residential rental permits are good for one year, then must be renewed.
On Tuesday, the council approved a special permit to Councilman Dillon Meek and his wife, Lindsey, for a temporary residential rental unit at 2425 Austin Ave. Meek left the room during the vote, which was 4-0 in favor.
The council also unanimously approved a bed-and-breakfast homestay permit for a home at 10713 Sierra West Drive, off Ritchie Road in Southwest Waco. A bed-and-breakfast homestay requires the homeowner to be the host, unlike a temporary residential rental unit.
Without discussion, the council turned down a temporary residential rental unit permit for 617 Columbus Ave., which had no opposition and the full support of the City Plan Commission and city planning staff. The two-story house near the McLennan County Courthouse is in mixed-use zoning and has few homes nearby.
With Deaver temporarily out of the room and Councilman Wilbert Austin absent for health reasons, the council voted 3-1 in support of the Columbus Avenue permit, with Alice Rodriguez dissenting. But that fell short of the four-vote majority required, and the motion failed.
Viviana Ruiz-Smith and Randall Smith, who own the house, accused Rodriguez of retaliating against them because of a decade-old personal dispute.
‘Abuse of power’ claimed
“I’m not sure what I can do at this point, but I want to voice that when a city council member has a history on something they should recuse themselves from voting,” Viviana Ruiz-Smith told the council during a hearing of visitors session afterward. “It was based on retaliation. It was an abuse of power.”
In 2006, the Smiths joined other disaffected former members of the Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in seeking the ouster of executive director Joe Rodriguez, Alice Rodriguez’s husband. The Smiths accused Joe Rodriguez of financial mismanagement and sexual harassment of a member.
Joe Rodriguez later pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge and settled a lawsuit related to the sexual harassment.
Randall Smith asked the council to revote on the issue, but Deaver said he would have to speak with the city attorney later.
Alice Rodriguez declined comment on the matter except to note that she had voted against some other permits and opposed the Smith’s permit “because that’s how I felt.”