'Party House' Disturbs Darien Neighborhood

DARIEN, IL – A house in a Darien neighborhood is being rented out for short-term stays with Airbnb, creating what a next-door neighbor considers a nuisance.

At Monday's City Council meeting, Gordon Court resident David Leatherwood said the house has been rented out every weekend for the last couple of months.

"I don't think anyone wants a hotel next to their house," Leatherwood told aldermen. "We had a 45-foot bus pull up in front of my 90-year-old neighbor's driveway at 11 o'clock at night... The entire cul-de-sac was full of cars."

He said he called the police a couple of times. He suggested the city follow other towns and ban rentals for less than 30 days.

Ward 6 Alderman Eric Gustafson, who represents the neighborhood in question, agreed that the city should consider such regulations.

"We're not stopping people from renting their places," Gustafson said. "But we don't want people to turn (a house) into a party house. There's no one in this room that wants to live next to a party house. If there are parties now, just wait until the summer. It's going to be a disaster over there."

In response, Mayor Joseph Marchese assigned the issue to a city committee for review.

Dan Gombac, the city's municipal services director, said Darien has issued the property owner notices of violation. One was for the bus and the other was for having more than two non-family members living in the same house, he said.

A couple of years ago, Ward 2 Alderman Lester Vaughan brought up a neighbor's complaint about an Airbnb near Hinsdale South High School.

He said Monday that the problem no longer exists. Gombac said it was resolved after the city issued notices of violation.

According to Airbnb, up to 15 guests can stay at the Gordon Court home, which is near Elizabeth Ide Elementary School. The price is $173 a night, which increases to $453 with 15 guests.

During the meeting, Leatherwood said the owner does not live in a house and resides in Oswego.

The owner takes a homestead exemption for property taxes at the Gordon Court house, according to DuPage County records. This exemption is available for owners who live in their houses.

The owner also takes such an exemption at the Oswego house, Kendall County records show.

Patch has left a message with the owner through the Airbnb website.