INDIANAPOLIS — As summer approaches, some Carmel residents are worried about strangers in swimsuits walking into their garage.
Springmill Ridge Home Owners Association President, Michael Rowe, spoke to WRTV about the impact Swimply has had on his neighborhood.
“We really see this as a quality of life and public safety issue,” shared Rowe regarding the issues Swimply homes bring to his neighborhood.
Swimply is a website that allows homeowners to rent out parts of their property by the hour.
Rowe described it as an AirBNB for pools and other non-dwelling rentals. While the idea is good in nature, it can often create headaches for neighbors.
“We've had people that have walked into other people's open garages,” explained Rowe. “We've had parking issues where there's parking on both sides of the road, which could be a safety issue for fire or ambulances.”
Jeff Worrell is a Republican on the Carmel City Council.
He is working with residents to propose an ordinance to place certain limitations on Swimply rentals, including pools, pickelball courts, and party rooms.
“It's a commercial business that is occurring on a typical Carmel cul de sac, and it's just gone too far,” explained Worrell. “What I think we have to do is make sure that we set some rules that everybody can live by, and then we all agree we are going to honor those rules.”
Next Tuesday, Worrell is presenting an ordinance proposal at the Carmel Plan Commission’s meeting. He acknowledges that some Swimply properties have operated without any issues.
His goal is to eliminate the amount of times an issue arise.
“My colleagues want to be fair,” shared Worrell. “Like anything in planning and zoning within the City of Carmel, there are just some things that you can't do because you have neighbors. You choose to live in a community where everybody has the right to enjoy their properties.”
The ordinance proposal places an hour restriction on Swimply rentals and requests that Swimply pools abide by the same regulations set by the state.
Swimply did not respond to WRTV’s request for comment at the time of publication.
