SAN ANTONIO – Homeowners in the King William Historic District are asking the city to impose stricter rules for short-term rentals in historic districts.
The King William Association has sent letters and spoken out against the draft ordinance dealing with short-term rentals. The proposed ordinance has not been voted on by the City Council.
Rose Kanusky said the community fought the same battle in the ‘90’s when bed and breakfast establishments started popping up. The situation with short-term rentals is worse, she said.
So far, the association said there are more than 40 short-term rentals in a neighborhood of about 1,000 homes.
“The problem is not any individual neighbor, it’s the cumulative effect of one after another impacting the neighborhood,” Kanusky said. “There is a limit on the number of the B&Bs that can exist in one block and that same limit should apply to STR.”
The group is asking the city to regulate short-term rentals by:
Allowing only Type I STRs in which the owner resides in the property that’s being rented
Limiting the number of rental units/bedrooms to maximum of two units/parcel
Requiring off-street parking
Banning all Type II STRs, which do not have the owner or host living on the property that’s being rented
Denying any grandfathering to existing STRs not in compliance with B&B restrictions
Banning outdoor amplified sound at STRs
The proposed ordinance draft will be heard in the zoning commission next Tuesday. A date has not been set when the City Council will vote on the ordinance.