NATCHEZ — The city’s planning commission denied an application to make the house at 107 Arlington Ave. a bed and breakfast.

Owners of the Guest House at the corner of Franklin and North Pearl streets have ownership interest in 107 Arlington Ave.

They first made application to operate the house as a bed and breakfast with an event space for up to 150 people. Numerous neighbors protested, saying parking is not adequate in the area to accommodate. The planning commission tabled that application because a representative of the owners said it was made in error.

The bed and breakfast application was submitted again without the event venue portion of the application. However, the city’s ordinance reads that bed and breakfasts must have a resident owner or manager.

Shiela Prunty, who is a vice president with the company and said she has an ownership stake in the house, said the house would not have a resident manager, but rather would operate as a short-term rental or guest house, and that they would submit another application.

But apparently has not happened.

During the unfinished business portion of the planning commission meeting on Thursday, the bed and breakfast application was removed from the table and denied because it does not meet a number of the city’s ordinance requirements.

Planning commissioner Butch Johnson said owners were free to resubmit the application as a guesthouse, should they choose to do so.

However, city planner Frankie Legaux said further research of city ordinances has revealed that the R-2 zoning designation of the property does not allow for it to operate as a guesthouse, either.

Several neighbors of the property said, despite knowing it was not licensed to operate, owners have continued to rent out the house, including each of the last five weekends.

Legaux said City Attorney Bryan Callaway has written a cease and desist letter to the owners, telling them to discontinue renting the home and providing legal consequences for continuing to do so.

No representative of the Guest House or the 107 Arlington Ave. property attended Thursday’s meeting.

In the meantime, the house is listed for sale for $379,000 on Realtor.com.

Planning commission member Marcia McCullough moved to deny the application for a special use permit to operate a four-unit bed and breakfast “based on evidence and testimony at three public hearings regarding potential traffic issues, parking, potential change in the residential character of the neighborhood and no identified owner or resident manager.

Commission member Mildred Chatman seconded the motion and the vote was unanimous.