HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-06-16 Public Comment - INC Letter re Concerns on Short Term Rentals 6-27-16June 27, 2016 To: Mayor Carson Taylor, Deputy Mayor Cyndy Andrus Commissions Chris Mehl, I-Ho Pomeroy, & Jeff Krauss From: InterNeighborhood Council (INC) RE: Short Term Rental Concerns for Residential Neighborhoods Neighborhoods are an integral part of the city of Bozeman. They are at the center of what makes Bozeman a viable and livable community. The City clearly values neighborhoods and their input. The creation of the Neighborhood Recognition Ordinance, the InterNeighborhood Council (INC) and the hiring of a full-time Neighborhood Coordinator show the City’s commitment to Bozeman’s neighborhoods. An issue that is affecting viable residential neighborhoods in Bozeman and around the country is short-term rentals (Extended Stay Lodging), where people rent a place for less than 30 days. In 2013 there were 140 listings in the Bozeman area on VRBO alone. Today there are almost 300. Of the first 50 VRBOs listed, 13 are located in Bozeman in R1 and R2 zoning or 25% and none of these have the required City Conditional Use Permit (CUP). At the recent May 16, 2016 City Commission meeting there was considerable discussion and concern about the rapid growth of short-term rentals (such as via VRBO, Airbnb and Craigslist). The INC is also concerned about this growth and its impact on the quality of life in residential neighborhoods and this issue was raised to you in our annual State of the Neighborhoods presentation earlier this year. We commend the Commission for moving forward to address this issue and to review and revise current regulations in the next 6months so they can be included in the updated Unified Development Code. The Commission also indicated at their May 16 meeting that you wanted to put an emergency ordinance on an upcoming agenda. Such an ordinance would allow the City to put on hold new CUP applications for short-term rentals in R1, R2 and RS until current regulations can be revised. The INC recommends the Commission approve an emergency rule or an “interim zoning ordinance” at its July 11 meeting. This would put the brakes on new short-term rental CUP applications, which would allow time for City staff and the community to discuss where short-term rentals should be allowed and how they should be regulated. These short-term rentals not only affect the quality of residential neighborhoods but also the availability of affordable housing. An “interim zoning ordinance” would send a powerful message to the community that the City cares about its neighborhoods and expects short-term rentals to be legal. Bozeman’s InterNeighborhood Council (INC) Jennifer Rockne, Chair & INC representative for SCAN – South Central Kathy Powell, Vice Chair & INC representative for UNA – Univeristy Neighbors Bob Wall, Secretary and & INC representative for SENA – Southeast & INC Representatives from: BPNA – Bogert Park BCNA – Bozeman Creek Bozeman Ponds Loyal Garden MarLin – Marwyn-Lindle NHVN- New Hyalite View Network NENA – Northeast VUNA – Valley Unit