VENICE, Calif. -- More than 58 apartments in the Ellison Building in Venice provided a home for long-term renters. The units were also rent-controlled.

But over time, the landlord turned to short-term rentals instead of providing housing for the long-term renters the building is zoned for.

Now, just 10 tenants remain in the building, while the rest of the units are being rented out for tourists. One neighbor said it's a change that took housing resources from the neighborhood.

“Right now, it’s basically just a big [vacation rental]. I mean, it’s all short-term rentals. There’s nothing for, or very little, for stable residents that want to live there,” Alex Poe said.

Poe lives a few steps away from the building that has been rebranded as the Ellison Suites. He said the push for short-term rentals has also forced many long-term tenants out of that building.

“I knew people who used to live there and then just had to move out because they’ve essentially been forced out because the short-term rentals are more profitable for the landlord. But, it doesn’t do much for residents or people in the community,” Poe said.

For years, the landlord has been trying to get approval to re-zone the building as a short-term rental property and in the process, has been renting out most of the units to travelers like Shana Parmentier. But, she said she didn’t have the experience she was hoping for.

“When we saw the pictures online, we thought it was a very beautiful old building and it is an old building. But, it’s not that beautiful and it’s not that well-maintained,” Parmentier said.

Parmentier shared photos with Spectrum News 1 showing the conditions inside the room she rented out. But Parmentier might be one of the last few short-term renters in the building. On Monday May 13, the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission unanimously voted to deny the building the ability to operate as a short-term rental property. 

The decision will allow the last 10 tenants to stay in their apartments. Spectrum News 1 reached out to the owner for comment. We have not heard back.

“This is a tourist attraction and that’s great and there’s lots of hotels for people to come here. But, if it’s just going to be tourists then there’s not going to be a real community for them to visit here,” Poe said.

He’s looking forward to seeing more long-term renters move back in and short-term renters move into nearby hotels.