Thirteen current and one former resident of the Pines Subdivision spoke at Public Comments at the City Council meeting on July 26. Four letters were also read into the record.
Residents spoke of a property on Huckleberry Lane whose owner’s application for a Conditional Use Permit had been denied but was listed on AirBnB anyway. One of the letters attached a screen shot of the listing. Margie Bullock said that a tourist lodging operating without a business license was a “deep concern of our neighborhood.”
A second property on Oakridge Dr. was of concern and converted, as a letter from William M. Kearney described it into, “a quasi-rental or squat.” Multiple residents said there are people coming and going at late hours of the night and that a neighbor had installed security cameras out of worry for trespassing or theft.
Every letter and resident who spoke was in support of at least a 6-month moratorium on issuing CUPs for tourist lodgings, and many requested that the city take action to stop the illegal lodgings’ operations.
Moratorium on tourist lodgings in areas zoned R-2 and R-3 was on the agenda brought by the Planning Commission. Alderman Bill Ott asked if by establishing a moratorium that council was kicking the can down the road, with Mayor Butch Berry saying the moratorium was the first step to creating a solution.
It took council multiple amendments to the motion before reaching a motion they felt covered all bases. Alderman Melissa Greene, who made the motion and the amendments, was concerned that those who had purchased a house and applied for a CUP before the moratorium would not get their chance to have their application heard.
The motion was amended to a moratorium on CUPs for nine months and those who had already applied by midnight July 27 could still have their application processed.
Alderman stressed that those excluded from the moratorium would have to go through the normal process of approval through the Planning Commission
Council also motioned to change the definition of B&B. The new definition requires that the owner or resident manager “shall reside on site” and that contact information of the owner or manager must be certified every year. It also requires off-street parking for B&B guests.
Final items
- Ordinance 2308 for Eureka Springs to recognize Juneteenth passed second and third readings.
- City Clerk Ann Armstrong said that second quarter financials were nearly in with bank balances forthcoming.
- Economic development will be on council’s next agenda with Slane planning to attend a roundtable talk at the Carnegie Library on July 28 that aims to discuss the issue of a dwindling workforce.
- Berry said due to Arkansas legislation, the city could no longer enforce a mask mandate but encouraged businesses to require masks on their property if they feel the need.
City council’s next meeting is August 9 at 6 p.m. at the Aud.