Las Vegas City Council should crack down on ‘party houses’

During the Oct. 18 Las Vegas City Council meeting, it became very clear that those of us opposed to having “hotels” or “party houses” in our single-family neighborhoods are facing a challenge with three of the council members, those being Michele Fiore, Stavros Anthony and Steve Seroka. The areas they represent are not as affected by this huge problem as are those of us living closer to the heart of the city.

Las Vegas is the only governing entity in this area that has not made short-term rentals illegal. They are not permitted in Clark County, Henderson or North Las Vegas.

These houses, occupied by strangers coming and going each week, are a huge problem for the residents in many ways. There is no owner on site, and although the city has initiated a 24-hour hotline for us to call in the event of problems, we never know from one set of renters to the next what’s going to happen in that house.

Our property values are significantly impacted by having these hotels in our neighborhoods. Would you buy a house on a block where you knew one of these homes existed? The legitimate residents of these neighborhoods, many of whom have lived there for decades, now live with less security and more unsafe conditions, particularly for our children.

If the residents don’t want commercial businesses in their neighborhoods, why should we have them? These hotels do not benefit the residents in any single way. And yet we are having to fight and fight to preserve our homes and quality of life.

It’s interesting, too, that of the two proposals being considered at the council meeting (three others were postponed), the Planning Commission had recommended denial by a 7-0 vote. That never even came up when the council was considering these properties. It’s as if we don’t even need the Planning Commission.