CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas —
Ocean Drive residents brought binders and video evidence to Corpus Christi City Council on Tuesday, demanding action on the noise, illegal parking and trespassing they say short-term rentals have brought to their neighborhood — even as questions remain about whether the city will enforce any new rules.
"Turning single-family structures into hostels for 30 people," an Ocean Drive resident said.
Residents described the problem as an ongoing issue in the area.
"Has literally ruined our neighborhood," an Ocean Drive resident said.
They showed council members video evidence of how short-term rentals have disrupted their way of life.
"You've seen a collection of videos and photos taken by neighbors over the past few months. We have so many more," Missy Medary, who lives on Ocean Drive, said.
The issue first came before council on Aug. 25 when council members discussed amending short-term rental regulations after complaints that Chris Munro — the managing partner of the largest short-term rental operator in Corpus Christi — was circumventing rules that say only a certain amount of properties can be in a residential neighborhood.
Munro has since filed a "Notice of Claim" about the city's short-term rental rules — a step taken 3 months before a potential lawsuit.
"Our department is currently reviewing the claim," Buck Brice, interim city attorney for Corpus Christi, said.
Tuesday's briefing included city staff presenting potential changes to short-term rental rules, including noise monitoring, parking standards and zoning changes.
At-Large Council Member Carolyn Vaughn asked city staff about the citation history under the current rules.
"Has he gotten any citations, ever?" Vaughn said.
"Not that I recall for short-term rentals, no," a city staff member said.
District 5 Council Member Gil Hernandez said any rule changes would need to be backed by enforcement across multiple city departments.
"Unless we have commitment from our staff, from code enforcement, from CCPD, from the prosecutor's office, from the municipal court to say we're not going to tolerate bad players... none of this is going to matter," Hernandez said.
The committee reviewing short-term rental rules will return to City Council on Nov. 10 with a first-reading of their suggested changes.
"One good thing that has come of this? This has united the neighborhood," an Ocean Drive resident said.
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