Birmingham officials are investigating a weekend pool party that has made quite a splash.
The gathering was held at a home in the 300 block of Westchester Way near Cranbrook and Maple Roads in the city on June 13, according to authorities.
More than 100 people were at the event, according to media reports. Traffic to the party blocked streets, and neighbors allegedly called police at least a dozen times to complain, the reports said. They also said women were dancing provocatively on top of vehicles.
City officials said Tuesday that the homeowner rented the pool in the yard to a third party, which then rented it out for the weekend gathering.
“Following a review of this emerging type of residential rental activity, city officials determined that renting a private residential pool to a third party violates zoning regulations governing single-family residential properties,” the officials said in a statement. “Multiple citations are being issued to both the property owner and the individual who rented the pool and hosted the event. The conduct and behavior associated with the party were unacceptable and will not be tolerated in Birmingham neighborhoods.”
Birmingham Police Chief Scott Grewe added in a statement Tuesday: “Both the homeowner and the party planner were issued multiple tickets for the incident on the evening of June 13th.”
Party was ‘absolutely absurd,’ neighbor says
On Monday, the city’s Commission and Planning Board held a joint 7 p.m. meeting to discuss short-term rentals and a proposed update to the city’s zoning laws
At the start of the meeting, Birmingham City Manager Jana Ecker addressed reports about the pool party.
“I know there were several residents who were concerned about noise, large crowds, blocked driveways, blocked streets, and some behavior that wasn’t what we would expect in a Birmingham neighborhood,” she said. “There have been multiple tickets issued.”
Officials said in the meeting that the owner has listed the home with the pool as his address in the past, but could not say whether it was the permanent one.
Ecker also explained the incident was not connected to a short-term rental like the ones up for discussion at the meeting. “This was not an Airbnb or a Vrbo or a short-term rental.”
“It was, frankly, something that this is the first time it’s come up in Birmingham,” she said. “It was the rental of the pool to a third party. It was advertised on a website as a commercial use and said you can rent out the pool, and here’s the charge.”
The city manager said police shut the party down when the noise exceeded allowable levels, but officers were called away to respond to a motorcycle crash.
Police officials at the meeting said they believe the increase in traffic was caused by the crowd leaving the party.
“The incident that happened on Saturday was completely absurd,” Sam Alnajjar, who lives about two doors down from where the party was held, told city officials at the meeting Monday night. “I don’t know how else to put it. All of the families that live on the street were terrified in their homes.”
Alnajjar said he had to wait in his car for 15 minutes while trying to park in his home’s driveway because there were so many people walking around. He said what’s troubling is that if there had been an emergency, he doesn’t think fire engines or police cars would have been able to get through because of the crowd.
“This situation needs to be taken care of,” he said. “We cannot allow rentals of pools or having pool parties with that many people. There were in excess of 200 people at this party.”
Last month, the city said it was cracking down on short-term rentals in residential areas after a shooting this spring at an Airbnb. Police said an argument during a party at a short-term rental home escalated into the shooting.
Officials also announced in May changes to how the city enforces rules on the rentals. Under the changes, the city would require short-term rental owners to submit an application that expires on April 15 annually, require police to identify short-term rental properties in monthly reports, and record which properties to which they were called for complaints.
cramirez@detroitnews.com
@CharlesERamirez
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Birmingham authorities investigate rental of private pool for party
Reporting by Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
