Keller Is Writing Rules for Short-Term Rentals

🎧 Homecoming Parade Will Close Roads in Trophy Club Wednesday

🏠 Keller Is Drafting Its First Short-Term Rental Rules

💧 Southlake Weighs Higher Stormwater and Water Fees

❤️ Local Favorite: Red Barn Bar-B-Que in Colleyville

📅 Plus: 55+ Local Events, Weather & More

Monday, Oct. 19

Tuesday, Oct. 20

Wednesday, Oct. 21

🎧 Homecoming Parade Will Close Roads in Trophy Club Wednesday

If you'll be driving through Trophy Club on Wednesday evening, plan around the parade. The Byron Nelson High School Homecoming Parade rolls through town Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and this year's theme is "WRAPPED," inspired by Spotify Wrapped. Expect floats, music and plenty of Bobcat spirit.

The town says to expect temporary road closures and heavier traffic on Bobcat Boulevard, Trophy Club Drive, Park View Drive and Durango Drive before, during and after the parade. The route closes to traffic at 5:45 p.m., so anyone watching or marching should be in place by then. The parade starts and finishes at Byron Nelson's Driveway #4, across from the school's Montessori entrance, and travels the same direction as July's Parade of Patriots. Two-way traffic will run from the Trophy Lake roundabout to Galloway, and on the north side of the school up to Driveway #3.

Construction adds a wrinkle this year. Work is still underway at the Bobcat Boulevard and Marshall Creek Drive roundabout, where a new traffic pattern on Oct. 3 closed Marshall Creek Drive at the roundabout, with Schooling Road as the detour. The town is asking drivers to allow extra time, consider other routes and follow posted signs.

See Trophy Club's parade and traffic details →

🏠 Keller Is Drafting Its First Short-Term Rental Rules

Right now, Keller has no rules at all for short-term rentals, the vacation-style stays of less than 30 days. That could change over the next few weeks. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, the City Council will review a draft short-term rental ordinance at its 5:45 p.m. pre-council work session. It's a discussion to give city staff direction, not a vote.

As drafted, every short-term rental would need an annual city permit and a yearly inspection, including working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. Owners would have to name a local emergency contact who can get to the property within 60 minutes and show that hotel occupancy taxes have been paid. The draft would also cap guests at two per bedroom, limit parking at a single-family home to four vehicles, set a two-night minimum stay and ban using a rental mainly as a party venue. Property owners within 200 feet would get a notice when a rental is approved.

The biggest open question is where new rentals could go. The draft gives the council two options: allow new ones anywhere with a council-approved specific use permit, or allow new ones only in the Old Town Keller zoning district. Under either option, rentals already operating could keep going if their owners register and pass inspection by March 1, 2027.

Keller would be joining neighbors that already have rules. The city's comparison shows Southlake and Westlake prohibit stays under 30 days, Grapevine allows them in some apartment settings but not in single-family neighborhoods, North Richland Hills gave existing ones a path to stay, and Roanoke requires registration and inspections. Colleyville, like Keller today, has none. The draft goes to a Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing on Nov. 10, then to a City Council public hearing and final consideration on Dec. 1. Residents can also speak on any topic during "Persons to Be Heard" at Tuesday's 7 p.m. meeting.

Read Keller's draft short-term rental ordinance → | See the city's presentation →

💧 Southlake Weighs Higher Stormwater and Water Fees

Southlake homeowners would pay a little more each month for drainage under a fee update the City Council is set to vote on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The residential stormwater utility fee would rise from $8 to $10 per home per month, or $24 more a year. For businesses and other non-residential property, the monthly rate based on hard surfaces like roofs and parking lots would go from $0.00125 to $0.00225 per square foot. City staff say the increase lines up with what the council discussed at its winter and summer workshops.

Several water-account charges would go up, too. The residential water deposit would rise from $75 to $120, the reconnection fee after a missed payment from $45 to $75, the water administrative service charge from $15 to $40, and the meter reread or trip charge from $10 to $35. The new fees would take effect as soon as the council approves them.

It's all part of the city's yearly fee review, which would also add a $500 application fee for special event permits and raise ambulance fees by about 2.4%. A new set of emergency response fees, for things like car crashes, hazardous materials calls and gas leaks, would let the city bill for eligible costs, though the city says Southlake residents would not pay anything beyond what insurance covers. Non-resident rates at the Champions Club would rise, while resident memberships would stay the same.

The council can approve, deny or change the proposal. If you want to share your thoughts, now's the time to reach out to council members, before Tuesday's meeting at Town Hall (1400 Main St.), which starts with a 5:30 p.m. work session.

See the city's fee proposal (Item 8A) → | Tuesday's council agenda →

❤️ Local Favorite: Red Barn Bar-B-Que | 4913 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville

Red Barn Bar-B-Que has been serving Texas barbecue in Colleyville since 2005, and it's still family-owned. It opened that October in the former Red Barn Saddle Shop building, Community Impact reported in a 2012 profile, and it just celebrated 21 years in town.

The menu is classic Texas: brisket, pulled pork, turkey, St. Louis ribs, smoked chicken and several kinds of sausage, sold as plates, sandwiches or by the pound, plus smoked wings, stuffed potatoes and sides like Hatch green chili mac and cheese. Save room for banana pudding or peach cobbler. It's open seven days a week, family packs feed four to six, and the daily and weekly specials go up on its Facebook page.

Red Barn Bar-B-Que | 4913 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville | Open seven days a week | (817) 788-4553

See Red Barn's menu and catering info →

Know about a new spot, a closing, or a hidden gem? Hit reply and tell us.