Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify the Council's action against short-term rentals.

It was standing-room only at the Grapevine City Council meeting Sept. 4. Residents came out en masse, with about half the audience wearing the same purple T-shirt as a symbol of unity against short-term rental properties in city limits.

Short-term rentals were the main focus of discussion at the meeting, as the council held a public forum to hear from citizens on this topic. Following the hearing, the council took unanimous action to add an article to an existing ordinance that prohibits short-term rentals. However, Council also decided to set a grace period that will allow these properties to be phased out as the city seeks to educate before enforcement against short-term rental properties begins.

The city attorney said the new article set by the council clarifies the existing ordinance against short-term rental properties to help the city better enforce against them.

A short-term or vacation rental involves renting a furnished home or apartment usually for an overnight stay. Through companies such as Airbnb and HomeAway homeowners can advertise their properties on the business’s website to allow potential vacationers to make reservations.

“I think the tough part is ... at the end of the day I don’t want one [a short-term rental] next door to me," Mayor Pro-Tem Darlene Freed said. "I just don’t. Single family [zoning] is the cornerstone to this community; it is to any community."

The mayor agreed, saying council has spent hours protecting the single-family zoning in the town.

During the public forum more than 70 people signed up to comment on short-term rentals. Public commentary continued for more than three hours.

Those in favor mentioned the tourist appeal of the city and how short-term rentals allow a wider margin of tourists to explore what the city has to offer. Short-term rentals can also provides an income for retired or single homeowners, they said. They also discussed how short-term residences offer different amenities from hotels, such as a home atmosphere or a single gathering space for a family.

Those against short-term rentals in the city said these properties have a party atmosphere and are often run by individuals who don't live in Grapevine or who rent the homes to large groups of people. They said this is not compatible with single-family residences and neighborhoods and at times make neighbors feel unsafe and uneasy.