City staff recommends approval of the requested short-term rental permit with conditions requiring the property to retain its residential character and follow the approved site and floor plans. The proposal would limit guests and require off-street parking at 1064 Comal Avenue.
What the request would allow
The house dates from the 1950s and is roughly 1,420 square feet, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Blackbird Development Group LLC applied on behalf of owner James Fritsch for a specific use permit under the C-3 zoning classification to use the existing residence as a short-term rental. The proposal concerns use of this house; the staff report does not describe construction of a new lodging building.
The proposed two-bedroom rental would have a maximum of six occupants and require two paved off-street parking spaces. Those figures come from the city’s short-term rental rules as applied to the floor plan. Staff says the existing asphalt driveway has room for the required parking. For nearby residents, the occupancy and parking figures are the practical limits to watch as the request moves through review.
The conditions also concern how the property would continue to look and function. Staff says its residential character must be maintained and the approved site and floor plans followed; significant changes would require a revision to the specific use permit. Staff cites the parcel’s position at the edge of a neighborhood near commercial uses in explaining its recommendation. The recommendation and its conditions are proposals for decision-makers to consider, not an approval already granted.