Airbnb foes find a foothold in, around West Lafayette

West Lafayette mayor, future mayor join chorus against influx of short-term rentals, as Board of Zoning Appeals votes put several Airbnb-style requests on hold during a marathon session

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AIRBNB FOES FIND A FOOTHOLD

A growing pushback against short-term, Airbnb-style rentals in single-family residential neighborhoods gained some traction Wednesday night, when five of seven requests for special zoning exceptions were either put on hold for a month or flat-out denied by the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals.

The marathon session – just shy of five hours to accommodate pleas from a packed meeting room at the County Office Building – had the BZA wavering on requests, as neighbors raised issues with noise, safety and even “havoc” at some locations and concerns about eating up available housing, specifically in West Lafayette.

The session included a case made by West Lafayette’s current and next mayors – John Dennis and Erin Easter, the city’s development director who is running unopposed in the November election – to take a step back and make sure the city wasn’t turning over too many properties that could go to families with school-age children.

West Lafayette resident Rich Hogan wears a shirt supporting West Lafayette schools and neighborhoods fighting an influx of Airbnb-style rentals, during a Board of Zoning Appeals meeting Wednesday. (Photo: Dave Bangert)