Regional planners are expecting a boom in demands for short-term rentals when thousands of soccer fans descend on the Kansas City metro for the World Cup this summer. To prepare, city staff are looking at ways to register and ensure safety at short-term rentals in town.
At a meeting Monday, city commissioners will consider a temporary resolution to create a registration system for short-term rentals, like those from Airbnb and Vrbo. Eudora doesn’t currently have any regulations on short-term rentals.
The registration system would ask rental owners to fill out a form with contact and property information and submit it to the city. The registration would also include a free assessment from the Fire Department to provide safety recommendations, focused on basic safety measures like smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.
The guidelines will last from May 25 to July 31. After the World Cup, city staff will propose permanent changes to short-term rental guidelines, according to the meeting agenda.
Also on Monday, the City Commission will also consider changing its existing STAR Bond fund into a broader economic development fund.
For the last few years, the city has used the STAR Bond fund to track revenue and expenses related to a potential entertainment and sports venue south of town. On Monday, the City Commission will consider authorizing the funds to be used for a wider array of economic development projects.
According to city budget documents, the fund has mostly been spent on consulting in recent years. The meeting agenda says the economic development fund will be funded through a mixture of developer fees and transfers from other funds.
According to the 2026 budget, the fund had about $186,315 at the start of the year.
Commissioners will also consider accepting easement plans associated with the Compton Addition.
The Compton Addition is a planned set of apartments south of East 15th Street and east of Church Street. The 2.75-acre lot will have three apartment buildings. Each building will have 24 dwelling units for a total of 72.
In January, the Board of Zoning Appeals approved a parking reduction from the required total of three spaces to 1.5 spaces per dwelling.
The Planning Commission earlier this month unanimously advanced the application.
In other business, Gene’s Heartland Foods is seeking commission approval to replace its current sign with an LED screen. City staff is recommending approval because it generally complies with city regulations.
However, the application has one potential issue: Current sign regulations require landscaping at the base of signs in non-industrial districts, and the Gene’s sign has no existing landscaping because it is situated on the parking lot.
City code is unclear about whether modifications to existing signs require full compliance with newer standards, according to the meeting agenda.
City commissioners can choose Monday whether to approve the sign as proposed or add a condition requiring landscaping around the base.
The commission will also proclaim April as National Arbor Month and April 24 as National Arbor Day.