'Tone deaf' or pro-business?: Peoria City Council approves Airbnb, despite objections
PEORIA - The City Council on Tuesday voted in favor of a Peoria couple's controversial bid for a short-term rental.
The property, located on East Grandview Drive, is owned by Peoria residents Dimitar Atanasov and Keila Sierra. They own two other properties that they rent out through the online rental platforms Airbnb and Vrbo.
Their petition was a cause of contention on Sept. 1 at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in which the body made a non-binding vote in favor of the permit. Several neighbors came out in opposition to the proposal, claiming that a short-term rental in their neighborhood would have a negative impact on traffic, safety, and property values in the neighborhood.
The scene was repeated Tuesday in front of the City Council, which has the final say on short-term rental permits. Eight neighbors spoke against the petition, voicing similar concerns.
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Gary Newhouse, who lives on nearby North Grandview Drive, said he is worried that he and his neighbors would "lose the quiet enjoyment of our property if we have a lot of traffic in and out on this narrow street."
He raised concerns that additional car traffic on Grandview Avenue, which is narrow, sloped and lacks sidewalks, would be dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists. Scott Carnahan, who lives across the street from the property, voiced fears about the dangers posed by "transient populations" brought in by a short-term rental.
"There are no words that the owner can say or actions he can take to assure our safety," he told the council.
Peoria councilmen explain their votes for approval
Regulations will permit the rental property to house as many 10 people with no more than six adults. Atanasov told City Council that he and Sierra plan to limit the number of cars that guests bring to the property to four.
The proposed rental site is in the city's third City Council district, represented by councilman Timothy Riggenbach. He spoke in favor of the petition, sharing his own experience of living next to a short-term rental.
"We've made friends with people from Maine; Ohio; Mendota, Illinois; and this last weekend there was a group of guys in town for a golf outing meeting halfway between Chicago and St. Louis," he said. "This is what you make it."
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At-large Council member Zachary Oyler backed the petition, saying that the council should apply a consistent standard to short-term rental bids, regardless of where in the city they are proposed.
"We have not picked one neighborhood over the other, we've treated every neighborhood the same." he said. "We don't have any legal basis, in my opinion, to justify saying that it can't go here based on location."
He added that "we have not had issues with the ones that have been approved thus far," including the two existing short-term rentals owned by Atanasov and Sierra.
Peoria councilwoman makes argument to be 'pro-neighborhood'
At-large council member Elizabeth Jensen took the neighbors' side, arguing that it is the council's responsibility to heed their concerns.
"This body has become so tone deaf to neighbors and concerns of our residents and it's got to stop," she said. "We have to become more pro-neighborhood."
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The Council voted 7-3 in favor of the permit. Jensen was joined by councilmembers Chuck Grayeb and Denise Jackson in voting no. At-large councilman Kiran Velpula was absent.
A second petition by Atanasov and Sierra for another short-term rental permit, this one for a property on North Knoxville Avenue, drew some opposition at the Planning and Zoning meeting earlier this month but went before the City Council with minimal discussion. The motion to approve passed, with only Jackson voting no.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria, Illinois City Council OKs controversial Airbnb proposal
