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Residents Upset Over VRBO Home In Neighborhood

By Jennifer Brice

EVERGREEN, Colo. (CBS4)- An Evergreen neighborhood has been torn apart over a house being rented on the site VRBO. The couple who lives directly next to the rental say they will take their concerns to a Jefferson County board and fight the permitting process.

Marty Maynard says she and her husband, Al Maynard, moved to Evergreen to retire in their dream home.

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Marty and Al Maynard (credit: CBS)

"We retired here to get away from the city and the traffic," said Maynard.

But the Maynards say the rental property next door has brought traffic, noise and safety issues to the private neighborhood nestled in the foothills.

The listing on VRBO says the "minimum stay is 30 nights" but neighbors say that's not what they are seeing happen.

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(credit: CBS)

Maynard says she and her husband began recording the traffic coming and going with a gaming camera.

"There was 26 trips over a three-day period with seven cars," she says. "They come up this dark private road and we just don't know who is going to be there on a daily basis."

Maynard says the property owner, who lives out of state, began renting in the summer of 2014.

Linda Fabiano tells CBS4 she bought the home in foreclosure and in poor shape. She has made many improvements to the property with the goal of turning it into a short term rental. Fabiano also says she has many supporters in the area, not just people in opposition of her short term rental goals.

Jefferson County says Fabiano began operating a short term rental without a permit. They were given a violation and fine. The owner then applied for a permit but was denied based on the opposition of neighbors.

Fabiano flew to Colorado to continue her scheduled appeal to a board Wednesday morning. The board was short one member due to illness so the meeting has been rescheduled for November.

evergreen-rental
(credit: CBS)

The Maynards say they will continue to fight.

They believe they are the most affected by any short term renters at the home because their bedroom faces the home in question. They say they experience the most traffic as a result of people going to the home.

While the appeal process is going on, Fabiano says, she was told by the county people who had booked a stay in her home could continue to do so. Fabiano was instructed not to book any new short term tenants until the process is complete and the permit approved. Fabiano says there will be two more short term renters in the home in this November and another in October.

Al Maynard says he's worried because renters smoke outside and they're concerned about fire mitigation. They even had a renter accidentally walk into their home late at night.

evergreen-rental
(credit: CBS)

"He operated the door knob and put his shoulder into the door to come in," says Al. "It was very frightening experience and my wife was shaking an hour-and-a-half later."

Marty says, "We have a motel right behind us."

She believes short term rentals don't belong in residential areas where homeowners have an investment in a home.

The next meeting on this issue is scheduled for Nov. 2 in Jefferson County.

Jennifer Brice is a reporter with CBS4 focusing on crime and courts. Follow her on Facebook or on Twitter @CBS4Jenn.

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