Plano residents pack city council meeting, want officials to ban short term rentals
PLANO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - It was a packed house at Monday night's Plano City Council meeting.
Dozens of residents were upset about last month's discovery of a suspected brothel operating inside a short-term rental.
Now, council members are looking at the rules and regulations surrounding these properties.
Homeowners say they're witnessing parties, drug use and even sex trafficking in their neighborhoods. Many want to see short term rentals banned altogether.
"This should not be happening in Plano," said Plano resident Suzanna Pappas. "It just shouldn't."
Long time Plano resident Pappas is fed up with several short-term rentals popping up in her city — including one on her street.
She's joining dozens of other homeowners in the Plano Texas Neighborhood Coalition to voice her concerns.
"Parties, traffic, noise, police reports.." Pappas said. "..to live somewhere now where you don't know who your neighbor is and who is living across the street from you.. it's scary."
This year, Plano police have responded to about 100 incidents involving STRs. About 60% of them involving noise complaints, partying, alcohol and drugs.
Last month, there was an incident of sex trafficking. Police raided a STR investigators say was being used as a brothel.
"We have a brothel going on our street as well three houses down," said Plano resident Maria Bower. "I used to be a human trafficking survivor volunteer. I know what it looks like. It's not rocket science."
City council members are now consulting with attorneys who point out the law is not clear on a number of issues, and decisions could lead to lawsuits.
They say requiring property owners to register with the city could be the best legally defensible option if the city wants to make changes.
They advise against retrofitting current ordinances and point out other local cities have attempted to ban of STRs altogether and have not been successful.
"My hope is when they realize a brothel operating, a sex trafficking ring operating in one of these, we need to do something," Pappas said.
And Monday's meeting was the start of a lengthy process.
Now, the council will decide what action - if any- they want to take.