PLANO, Texas — Resident Tatiana Ramirez started noticing the increased traffic on weekends on the neighborhood street leading up to her Plano home.
"Why are there so many random people during the weekend?" she asked rhetorically. "I couldn't get in. We were out, we couldn't get in."
Ramirez later learned that the house at the front of their neighborhood was hosting large parties and that the house was a short-term rental (STR).
Bill France of the Plano Texas Neighborhood Coalition has been working to get the city of Plano to limit short-term rentals. STRs are places you can book in short-term increments through host sites like Airbnb and Vrbo.
"They're owned by investors who are buying a building, they are not our neighbors," France told WFAA on Monday. "Our biggest concern is that it breaks the fabric of the neighborhood."
The city on Monday night affirmed some version of an ordinance may happen to limit STRs. Using a new software, Plano has identified 345 active STR properties, so far.
The coalition believes there are upwards of 700 STR properties.
Crime has been the No. 1 concern. WFAA has learned that in 2022 there were 141 calls for service on 57 short-term rentals. And from those calls for service, 58 calls were just for six rentals.
The city said the vast majority of the calls were for noise, followed by parties, drugs and alcohol.
"Plano is a very safe community but there have been a couple of high profile issues happening in Plano we are aware of. And, we're aware of the concern that creates for the community," said city manager Mark Israelson.
The city is still gathering data, researching a party house ordinance, a possible permit process and even a temporary ban on new STRs.
"Plano and Arlington are very different cities. They have a very large entertainment district and we have a very large business park," Israelson answered when asked if a Plano ordinance could look anything like Arlington's location-based ordinance.
Plano has to balance property rights and safety. A joint meeting between the planning and zoning committee and city council to discuss the topic is set for May 8.