BIRMINGHAM, Mich. – A roudy pool party at a Birmingham home has renewed debate over short-term rentals after neighbors complained police didn’t shut down the party sooner, despite reports of public intoxication, traffic backups and cars blocking driveways.
Birmingham Police told Local 4 they were called multiple times Saturday to a home on Westchester Way, south of Maple. The backyard pool was listed on the Swimply app, which allows homeowners to rent out their pools by the hour, but in this instance, it was simply rented to the owner’s friend.
Police Chief Scott Grewe said officers first responded around 4 p.m. and found about 50 to 60 people there, but said no laws were being violated at the time.
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Neighbors, however, said the gathering quickly escalated and the neighborhood became gridlocked as more people arrived. At a joint meeting of the Birmingham City Commission and Planning Board Monday evening, residents said they called police only to be told there was nothing officers could do.
Police said the crowd continued to grow through the evening — reaching what officers estimated was a couple of hundred people — and officers returned to the home “four or five times” between about 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. before shutting the party down around 8 p.m. Police said the crowd dispersed by about 9:30 p.m.
Alicia Birach, who lives near a separate Airbnb where police said a party ended in gunfire in April, said the latest incident underscores what she views as a gap between enforcement agencies.
“I think in that meeting they just conceded that what was happening was illegal, but there was a disconnect between police and code enforcement and that’s on the city to connect those pieces,” she said.
Police told Local 4 they issued parking tickets and cited both the host and homeowner for noise violations. One visitor from outside Birmingham was arrested on suspicion of driving with a suspended license, and investigators are reviewing a reported hit-and-run involving a parked vehicle.
The homeowner, in a statement provided to Local 4, said he allowed a friend to host the event and was not aware of illegal activity. He also alleged some neighbor complaints carried “perceived racial undertones” and said his family was being harassed online through doxxing, adding he had notified police and intended to pursue legal action.
Mayor Clinton Baller said the city is reviewing the police response. Birmingham officials have been weighing additional regulation of rental properties, including a possible ban on short-term rentals in residential areas.