The current Short-Term Rental (STR) Ordinance has been a point of discussion in council meetings since October, and after community feedback, a recap of the new and amended ordinance was presented to the council in Tuesday’s meeting.

A few codes in the current ordinance will remain the same, including major rules on registering to get a permit before operating an STR, meeting safety and security standards and providing guests with proper information before they use the STR.

In the new STR ordinance, STR permit holders will have to reapply for their permits on an annual basis, requiring an inspection each time a new permit is issued. In addition, the new ordinance clearly outlines what constitutes a violation and new levels of enforcement have been established for STR properties that have violated the ordinance. 

If two or more violations happen between a 12-month period, a permit may be suspended for 150 days. If an STR has more than one permit suspension within a one-month period, owners provide false or misleading information, or owners continue to operate an STR during a suspension or under conditions that would not fit the permit requirements, permits can be revoked for up to a year. The amended STR ordinance was approved during this meeting.

The council approved entering an engineering design contract with Teague Nall and Perkins, Inc. for reconstruction of Royal Lane. Royal Lane was constructed in the early 1980s, with a maximum 30-year design life. Seven years ago, the city chartered a plan for the road’s reconstruction, starting with the reconstruction of Freeport Parkway and Belt Line Road.

The next road up for reconstruction is Royal Lane. This project is expected to begin as soon as construction on Belt Line Road is completed and will not require total reconstruction of all utilities on Royal Lane. The project is expected to take 12 to 15 months and will cost just under $18 million.

A partial overlay will be constructed on the road first to ensure safety for drivers before full reconstruction starts next year.

Royal Lane has failed structurally in the past few years based on certain criteria. Further assessments will be made to determine the extent of rehabilitation of utilities on the road and is expected to require spot repair. 

City manager Mike Land provided updates on current Coppell construction projects, such as the Plantation Drive project and the Wagon Wheel rehabilitation project. 

The Plantation Drive construction project is expected to be completed by the end of the month. This project included reconstruction of sanitary, sewage and storm drain systems, as well as alley approaches and driveways.

Internal rehabilitation is complete for the Wagon Wheel tank, but external rehabilitation is expected to be completed within the next two weeks. 

Land also provided an update on the Denton Tap intersection project. This project included construction of full-depth pavement for turn lanes and improvements for sidewalks, traffic signals and vehicle detection systems at intersections.

Due to turn lanes at Bethel School Road being designed without including poles, the project will take approximately one more week to complete.

Lee Haskin, owner of Martinizing Dry Cleaning Franchise, voiced his concerns of the construction currently occurring on Denton Tap Road and how it has affected his business. Since the road has been adjusted to two lanes from four, traffic has decreased around the business causing it to suffer.

The city is also sponsoring a spring fitness campaign in which businesses in Coppell will host free fitness classes on the city square and Old Town Coppell, in the months of April, May and June.

The meeting also approved celebrating April 2 to May 1 of this year as the Month of Ramadan. In addition, the week of April 17-23 will be designated as Volunteer Week to celebrate the city’s volunteers. 

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