Community upset by Board of Zoning Appeal's approval of Airbnb in West Lafayette

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — When Nurit Harash-Kantor stepped in front of the Tippecanoe County Board of Zoning Appeal to ask for an exemption to turn her daughter’s house into a transient guest house, she wasn’t expecting so much backlash from the community.

For the last few months, residents of West Lafayette vocalized their disapproval of the Board of Zoning Appeal’s willingness to approve exemptions brought to them by investors who’ve purchased properties to turn them into full-time Airbnbs.

Many of the cases that were brought to last year’s meetings were from property owners who specifically told the board that they planned on turning their property into a short-term rental investment property through apps like Airbnb and Vrbo.

After the board approved her request, Harash-Kantor appeared confused by the community’s angry response to her request from residents who attended Wednesday's meeting.

Harash-Kantor understood the concerns of the community regarding the rise of transient guest houses. Living in West Lafayette for the last 35 years, she also saw the rise of short-term rentals in the market.

But Harash-Kantor’s daughter, Shie Kantor, wasn’t filing this request to turn the property into a full-time Airbnb. Rather, it is a way for her to rent out her property and pay for the mortgage while she is away in New York.

“The purpose of this step isn’t really to make money out of it, but really to cover the expenses so that she could maintain her home,” Harash-Kantor said.

Shie recently left West Lafayette to pursue an educational opportunity to study head and neck cancers and voice disorders at a hospital in New York.

“Her future is unknown," Harash-Kantor said. "She doesn’t know if she will be able to afford it in New York or if she will like it at all. That is the reason why we want to Airbnb it and not rent it.

“Money is tight because she is a single woman, and she really doesn’t know if she will stay there or come back to her own house," she said. “It’s the only asset she has and would like to maintain it because if she ever has kids. She wants grandma to help.”

Harash-Kantor also noted that the house was relatively small, and much of the neighborhood is made up of renters and older individuals.

Harash-Kantor reassured those at the meeting that she would do her best to manage her daughter’s property and vet the guests who wanted to stay there.

Opposition to the exemption

Opposition to the Board of Zoning Appeal’s approval of Airbnbs began in the autumn of 2023, when neighbors packed the meetings to voice their disapproval of the board’s decisions.

Prior to the public outcry, the board approved more than 90% of the transient guest house exemption requests they received since 2018. However, since September 2023, the board has only approved two of the last eight requests from West Lafayette property owners.

In December, the board denied all of the property owners in West Lafayette asking for an exemption for their property.

“Every time I have come here, I have stood up and talked against these rental properties that are going to turn into Airbnbs. And I have tried to get the point across the answer is no, no, and no,” Cheryl Kirkpatrick said.

“We are a residential area, we want to stay that way, we do not want to have transient people coming in and out all the time," Kirkpatrick said. "We would like to have neighbors that we know.”

During the public comment section of the hearing, Jenifer Van Schuyver, West Lafayette’s director of development shared a letter penned by West Lafayette Mayor Erin Easter.

The letter highlighted how the county is dealing with a housing shortage, especially within West Lafayette, and expressed how approving additional exceptions for Airbnbs would only add to the problem.

“Today only 30% of our total housing is owner-occupied according to the U.S. Census Bureau," Easter wrote in the letter. "As a growing college community, we constantly experience challenges with affordability and access to housing.

“From student population increases to new economic development announcements, housing is a constant concern. The City of West Lafayette has invested in bringing more job opportunities that have a relationship with the research and experts of Purdue University.

“We are highly concerned about the potential negative impacts of the lack of housing availability on the success of these high-paying investments in our communities.”

Beyond Kirkpatrick’s and Van Schuyver’s comments, six other people shared their concerns about the approval of Kantor’s exception and expressed how it could negatively hurt the neighborhood.

Ultimately, the board voted in favor of Kantor to the disdain of the community.

Many could be heard complaining about the board’s decision outside of the meeting room as the Board of Zoning Appeal continued its meeting.

Harash-Kantor was relieved that the board approved her daughter’s request, unsure of what her family would have done if it wasn’t approved.

Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Community upset by approval of Airbnb exemption in West Lafayette