Victory in arlington. conflict of interest.
Victory in Arlington
The City of Arlington banned STRs in residential neighbors and set aside an approved area adjacent to the entertainment district. The STR owners attacked this ordinance with a lawsuit which was defeated.
The Second District Court of Appeals dismissed claims from several Arlington homeowners that the city’s regulations violate their constitutional rights, which means the city can continue cracking down on Airbnb or Vrbo listings that pop up in single-family, residential neighborhoods. Read the article here.
There is hope for our cause and that we might reclaim our neighborhoods for permanent residents!
Click the image to see it in full.
Conflict of Interest
A member of our coalition bravely wrote to the City Attorney and City Council to point out the clear conflict of interest and ethics violation of Real Estate Broker Charlie Kiehne. City Attorney Daniel Jones claims not to have any means of forcing the mayor’s recusal on the STR legislation.
Additionally, Polly Rickert and Jeff Lawrence are owners of STRs yet they sit on P&Z and provide input on the STR ordinance that will govern their businesses. We are exploring enforcement options, including asking the City Council to call an “administrative enforcement hearing,” as described in the city’s laws, Chapter 2 Administration, Article VI. Ethics, Section 2-204 Standards of Conduct.
“Fredericksburg Neighborhood Coalition calls on these elected officials to disclose their economic interests and then to recuse themselves from any further work on the draft STR ordinance, as required by law. We also call on the City Attorney and City Council to convene an administrative enforcement hearing on the matter. The future of Fredericksburg’s neighborhoods must not be up for sale and its laws must not be written by salesmen.”
Planning & Zoning Commission
The Planning & Zoning Commission is an elected body that advises the City Council on real estate development. It was mentioned in the newspaper this week in the article titled Industry workers, owners plea case. In the P&Z meeting on January 26th, there was a strong showing by pro-STR people.
Interestingly, they claimed that around 50% of STRs are managed by a company, not the owner. 25% of owners have two rentals and 7% of owners have three or more. Of course, P&Z did not hear the cries of people who have been forced out of this community or who work here, but cannot live near the city.
At the meeting it was reported that there are 1117 separate STR units in the city with 151 awaiting permitting, whether new or renewal.
Please consider speaking at the next event on Thursday, February 10th at 10 AM. It is a joint meeting between the Planning & Zoning Commission, which considers construction projects, and the City Council. They will discuss the ordinances governing nuisances like noise. The location is the university meeting room. If you are unable attend these meetings, you're welcome to send your comments to citizencomments@fbgtx.org. Please copy us in the correspondence.
