By Nicky Boyette – At Monday evening’s Eureka Springs City Council meeting, the subject of capping the number of Bed & Breakfasts in residential zones first took a turn toward limiting all Conditional Use Permits (CUP) in residential zones. Then things got snippy.
Alderman Kristi Kendrick commented that complaints she hears from constituents are about intrusions of commercial operations into residential zones. She contended the town is short of affordable housing, and cities such as New Orleans, Atlanta, and others are experiencing housing shortages like Eureka Springs because of Airbnb and other less formal rental strategies, which avoid paying local taxes. She claimed the town’s Victorian districts are essential to marketing the town, and a CUP for a B&B takes a long-term rental away. She proposed council remove B&Bs as permitted CUPs.
Alderman Mickey Schneider right away argued that B&B owners want to be feel included. “That’s the point!” she proclaimed. “These people want to be part of the neighborhood!”
Alderman David Mitchell quickly reviewed the town’s history regarding issues with tourist lodgings, weekly lodgings and now B&Bs. He said council could decide to prohibit any new ones, but it had given the Planning Commission the task of clearing up City Code related to B&Bs, and council has not yet taken up their suggestions. He contended there was more cleanup of City Code Planning could do, as it had last year, and in the meantime council could put a six-month moratorium on issuance of new CUPs in the R-1 and R-2 zones.
Kendrick pointed out a moratorium for six months would not address concerns about the number of B&Bs. She agreed tightening up language in Code might improve the process, but not limit new ones. “These are residential districts, after all,” she said.
Schneider responded that an on-site manager or owner must live at the B&B, so that makes them residents. She insisted the existence of B&Bs has nothing to do with the lack of affordable housing.
Planning commissioner Melissa Greene was called to the microphone, and said the way things are going, the number of B&Bs will be limited because it will be so difficult to get a license. However, it’s important to support home-based businesses so people will want to move here. Greene stated that Planning has not given a CUP for a B&B to a former single-family residence. “Families are not buying them. I wish they were,” she said. But she agreed a moratorium would give Planning time “to pull things together.”
“We should allow our commission to take on this issue,” Mitchell replied, and moved to impose a six-month moratorium on issuance of new CUPs in the R-1 and R-2 zones.
Schneider took exception. “If you take all the neat things that our town does, then move your butt out into a field somewhere. All of the sudden in the last two years, all anybody wants to do is shoot everybody down. If you like New Orleans so much, go back! It’s that simple. This is ridiculous!” She continued that when she was younger, she took care of babies in the neighborhood and no one objected. “Now you’re saying you can’t do that.”
Schneider contended nobody has problems with B&Bs. She remarked, “You’re taking all the neighborhood and neighborliness away… too many laws, too many restrictions… we need to get back to who we were, and if you haven’t lived here long enough to know, check the archives.”
City Attorney Tim Weaver suggested council would be better served if it passed a resolution regarding the moratorium instead of just voting, so Mayor Butch Berry called for a short recess. Results of the vote to call a recess were 3-2-1, Schneider and Bob Thomas voting No, Peg Adamson abstaining. Berry cast the fourth Yes vote, so they took a short break.
Upon reconvening, alderman Terry McClung moved to assign a number and read the resolution for passage. Weaver read the Resolution 700, which called for a moratorium on the issuance of all CUPs in the R-1 and R-2 zones through June 30, 2017. Vote was the same vote as before, so the resolution passed 4-2-1.
Other items
- Council voted to continue meeting on the same schedule, the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 6 p.m.
- Council also voted David Mitchell as Mayor Pro Tempore for 2017.
- Aldermen voted to abide by the abridged edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
- City Clerk/Treasurer Ann Armstrong reported her office is ready to accept applications for businesses wanting to host food trunks on their properties. Tentative date for holding a lottery for who hosts food trucks is the Feb. 13 meeting.
- Berry announced the workshop with the Parks Commission regarding vacation procedures is Monday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m.
- Commissioner Tom Buford was unanimously re-seated on the Planning Commission.
- McClung moved to re-nominate Damon Henke to a seat on the CAPC, but his motion was not seconded. This vote had been delayed since September by a vote of council. Therefore, Henke’s nomination failed.
- Council voted to send as their representatives to the City Advertising and Promotion Commission Terry McClung and David Mitchell.
- Berry announced there were vacancies on these commissions: Hospital, Parks and Historic District Commissions.
Next meeting will be Monday, Jan. 23, at 6 p.m.
Quote of the week from Schneider, “If you take all the neat things that our town does, then move your butt out into a field somewhere”. that’s pretty funny. I wholeheartedly agree with him though. Kendrick needs to get her facts straight. The right to own a B & B should have nothing to do with the long-term housing problem. she needs to take her grass roots agenda somewhere else. ES is not part of a communist country.