Residents complain that vacation rentals exacerbate the city’s housing shortage and bring traffic and noise to residential neighborhoods, calling on the city to impose—and enforce—stricter regulations.

“The Dallas City Council is still struggling to find a solution to regulate short-term rentals in the city after years of complaints by constituents,” opens an editorial by the Dallas Morning News editorial board. “Because short-term rental properties are considered hotels under city code and state tax law, and property owners are required to pay hotel occupancy taxes, they only remove housing units from the market, infuriate residents, and further compound Dallas’ acute housing shortage,” the board writes.
“City council member Omar Narvaez said some short-term rentals in his district illegally host large commercial events and that investors recently acquired and converted eight of 10 properties in a new townhome community in his district into STRs, creating ‘a hotel inside the middle of this residential neighborhood.’” According to the article, “The city has stated that at least 1,174 short-term rental units pay hotel taxes. However, this does not include the estimated 5,000+ short-term rentals that operate under the radar and are paying no tax at all, nor does the city have a firm handle on all complaints regarding short-term rentals” And due to a “regulatory gap,” STRs are not prohibited in residential neighborhoods.
The article notes that City Manager T.C. Broadnax “has promised the council members that city staffers will present key elements of a new short-term rental ordinance in June, along with an option for the council to devise zoning requirements for short-term rentals.”
FULL STORY: Dallas still hasn’t found a solution to short-term rentals

Houston Apartments To Be Demolished for Freeway Widening
Despite a federal hold on the controversial freeway widening project, the Texas Department of Transportation is pushing ahead with the demolition of an apartment complex in downtown Houston.

San Francisco Just Ended Single-Family Zoning
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to Tuesday to eliminate single-family zoning, but pro-development advocates say additional changes are needed to unleash a wave of construction.

Land Banking to Prevent Transit-Oriented Displacement in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will implement a new land banking program to mitigate gentrification and displacement around future transit lines.

Transit-Oriented Walking Tours Highlight the Value of Density
Housing advocates in Connecticut are leading walking tours that fight misinformation about transit-oriented development and emphasize the benefits of increased density.

State Reports Seeks To Guide Warehouse Development in New Jersey
With demand for sprawling e-commerce warehouses growing, New Jersey’s State Planning Commission has released a series of documents outlining best practices for cities examining warehouse proposals.

Manhattan Congestion Pricing Could Start in 2023
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has resubmitted its environmental impact assessment to federal officials, who sent the agency over 400 additional questions earlier this year.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
City of Rolling Hills Estates
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education
City of Apache Junction
City of Helena
Gallatin County, Montana
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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