Residents urge Mount Pleasant to crack down on Emerson Road event space after large weekend party

Residents pressed the Mount Pleasant village board on Aug. 10 to investigate a barn at 39 South Emerson Road that they say is being operated as an event space and has repeatedly disrupted the neighborhood. "There were well over 300 people who showed up," resident David Finch said, describing a Saturday night disturbance that blocked Emerson Road and drew dozens of squad cars.

Finch and other neighbors said the property is owned by an out-of-state group operating as "39 South Emerson LLC," listed on short-term rental platforms and used most weekends. "It's an event space. It's set up to host 20 something people," Finch said, adding that weekend listings on Airbnb and VRBO have made it a frequent rental. Sarah Bowes, who shares a driveway with the property, said parties left bottles and debris in her yard and woke her children multiple nights: "It was just very unacceptable," she said.

Village officials said the board's hands are limited in an on-the-record meeting because of open meetings rules, but that there are enforcement paths. The village attorney said state law constrains local regulation of short-term rentals but recommended documenting incidents and pursuing nuisance or disorderly-house enforcement against the property owner. "Usually to get to the root of the problem, you have to hold the owner of the property accountable," the attorney said.

Residents described collecting contact information and canvassing neighbors to build a record for enforcement and said they had already reported multiple incidents to police. Mary Ellen O'Shea, who identified herself at the meeting as living nearby, asked how a structure appearing to be run as a business was allowed in a residential zone: "I don't understand how a business was able to come in because that's what they're running as a business," she said. The attorney offered to meet with residents after the meeting to discuss next steps and to review permitting and nuisance enforcement options.