Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Welcome tonight to the City of Independence Planning Commission meeting. It is Tuesday, September 29th, and we're excited to have you here. I'll go ahead and ask for the roll.

All right. We're going to go ahead and start tonight with a very special presentation, thanking one of our fellow committee members, Commissioner Ferguson, for her long-term care and love and help with this commission. So Virginia, would you please stand and go ahead and make your way up here? Would you like to stop at the podium and share any words of wisdom?

So at least 15 years, but I'm sure more than that. I think more than that. Thank you so much. Once again, join me in just congratulating her.

Let me take this moment to say, anybody listening or present, there are lots of volunteer roles to fill to serve the city of Independence on a committee or commission. So I encourage anyone interested to please apply.

Thank you. All right. Very nice. All right. Has everyone had a chance to look at the minutes from the previous meeting?

Okay. And do I have a second? I do have a second. Any discussion? Seeing none, I'll call for the vote.

Yes. And the motion passes 5-2. Excuse me. Six of us, six to zero tonight. All right, our first hearing and only hearing on the agenda tonight is for short-term rental. To expedite things, I would ask that anyone attending tonight that thinks you may speak to go ahead and stand at this time. All right, do you solemnly swear to tell the whole truth before this commission tonight? If so, say I will.

All right, staff, case number 26489, short-term rental on Cottage Avenue.

All right, thank you very much, Gabe. Commissioners, any questions for staff? Seeing none, I'll invite the applicant forward. Tell us about your short-term rental, anything you want us to know. Oh, please start by saying your name and your home address.

Okay. So probably my first question would be, if you are not in town, you're out traveling, how are you going to manage the property for incidences? such as noise or neighbor complaints, things like that.

Okay. Have you talked to your neighbors?

Okay. All right. Commissioners, any questions for our applicant?

Okay. So this is your first adventure doing this, correct? It is. Okay. So most of the time on here we see who's going to maintain the property when you're out of town. So we need to have somebody that's less than, I think, is it 30 minutes, Rick, or 20 minutes?

One hour, okay. So we've got to have somebody within one hour that can respond to a problem. That doesn't mean that you can do it over the phone or not. That means somebody's got to be there in person. I don't know where you travel to, but I'm sure it's going to be more than an hour away. So we have a problem there right off the bat that I see. The next question is, okay, so you're out traveling. Who's going to come back and clean the place, pick up the trash, make sure the trash is out on trash day when you guys are out of town if you don't have a company already doing that? Do you have somet

Okay. So another big question is going to be that you probably do need to talk to neighbors because we get so many complaints about people running short-term rentals, about people coming in and out, and the neighbors don't know anything about them. So I would suggest that you talk to the neighbors. Okay. Okay?

All right. Thank you, Commissioner Nesbitt. Any additional questions? All right. Thank you for now.

I'm not seeing anyone, but anyone who'd like to speak in opposition of this case? Anyone who would like to speak in favor of this case? I am seeing none. I'm going to go ahead and close the public hearing.

And you have phone number and everything, address on them? That's correct. Okay, thank you.

All right. Thank you for that clarification. Any final questions for staff? All right. I'm going to go ahead and call for the vote. Oh, yes, I will like a motion.

Chair? Thank you. Yes. I make a motion to approve case 26489, short-term rental, 5121 South Cottage.

And a second. Now I will call for the vote.

Yes, and the motion passes 6-0. Case number, I forgot it here, 2640089 does pass. Good luck, and yes, I repeat, encourage you just to let your neighbors know what's going on. All right, anything for the good of the night? Roundtable, comments, questions? All right, I will adjourn the meeting at 6.15 p.m.