City of Lewisville to talk about short-term rentals Monday night
LEWISVILLE (CBSNewsTexas.com) – The City of Lewisville will tackle the issue of short-term rental properties Monday evening during a special public meeting.
Several residents have formed the 'Lewisville Neighborhood Coalition' to call for regulations regarding these STRs which people book through services such as Airbnb or Vrbo.
Residents have raised issues regarding safety, noise, trash and home values as reasons for zoning changes to keep STRs out of single-family neighborhoods.
Some properties even have some signs reading "Homes Not Hotels," or "Short Term Rentals Destroy Neighborhoods."
"The idea that you would start a motel in a single-family neighborhood is ridiculous, I mean it's a no-brainer why anybody would think that's a good idea or good for the community or safe or makes your neighborhood better is absolutely beyond me," said Lewisville resident and spokesman for the Lewisville Neighborhood Coalition, David Marguiles. "The biggest issue is that they are used for parties and the people who come there and it could be 4-500 different people a year, don't live in the community they often are enticed there by look at the big house, look at the big pool."
According to the city, there are 93 STRs in Lewisville, and the city saw an 86% increase in listings from 2020 to 2023.
In the past year, there have been 16 calls for service at 11 of the properties.
One STR operator we spoke with says he doesn't allow parties at the home and this is a way to earn revenue.
"It's a creative option I've had to utilize because of financial difficulties," said Lewisville STR operator Tim Gorts.
The special public meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at city hall.
