HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-09-17 Public Comment - N. Snively - Short Term RentalsTo Whom It May Concern,
I am writing at the suggestion of the bozeman.net web page for the Short Term Rental
survey. I want you know and understand how we became owners of a STR and why we
believe it is of value to Bozeman and our lovely Legends at Bridger Creek
neighborhood.
We moved to Bozeman in 1975 to attend graduate school at MSU. We lived in
Bozeman, full time, year-round for the next 7 years. We absolutely loved living in
Bozeman but there were no job opportunities for someone with a PhD in Physics after
graduation so we had to leave. Over the course of the next 30 years, we vacationed in
Bozeman, staying with friends, as often as our time and budget allowed. Our hosts
passed away and several summers ago we were planning a visit and were having
trouble getting hotel reservations and were shocked at the high prices. So I looked into
vacation rentals and we ended up having to rent 2 places to cover the time period we
were in town. One rental, which I think was through the owner, was on the west side of
town and was a nice enough condo. However, the neighborhood was extremely noisy
with residents coming and going at all hours of the night. In our sixties, we just didn’t
need that aggravation. The other rental was in the NE side of town and we fell in love
with the homes, the quiet, the neighborhood and the easy access to outdoor activities
and trails and parks.
Although we had always envisioned one day buying property in Bridger Canyon and
living there full time in retirement, that dream is currently unrealistic as we want to
remain near our children in another state. So when we fell in love with the town homes
in the NE part of town, we bought one with the plan to rent it out as a vacation rental
which would allow us time to be there throughout the year (10 weeks throughout 2016)
while helping pay the steep mortgage. (Bozeman is expensive.)
So we did what we thought was the responsible thing to do and signed up with
Mountain Home Vacation Rentals in Bozeman who has over 20 years experience
managing properties in and around town. Mountain Home manages the rentals and the
cleaning while the Home Owners Association handles the lawn maintenance and snow
removal. We filed all the proper papers and are licensed, inspected and pay taxes, as I
believe all rentals should. Additionally, we have spoken with our neighbors and, should
any problem arise, given them contact cards with our phone numbers, day & after hours
contact for Mountain Home, as well as for the police. Our in-home book suggests that
guests use the oversized 2 car garage or be respectful of neighbors by parking in front
of only our home. Because ours is a higher end rental than some in town, I believe it
attracts an older, and hopefully responsible, clientele. Our unit can accommodate 6
people and no pets are allowed. Thus, it shouldn’t be a party house or have nuisance
animals. We are trying to be good stewards.
As for our own time we spend in Bozeman, we usually take a 1-2 week winter trip and
ski at Bridger Bowl. We come again in May and June when the weather is nice and the
town is quiet without all the students and tourists. Fall is another favorite time to spend
in Bozeman and in 2016 we also spent Thanksgiving week in town. We always invite
in-state and out-of-state guests to join us and we love taking them to our various
favorite restaurants, checking out all the downtown shops and showing them the local
attractions like the Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman Hot Springs, and the many shows
at the Ellen Theater, as well as fishing trips - guided and not. We do these things much
more often than if we lived in town full time. Thus we, our personal guests, and, I’m
sure, our renters all also leave plenty of tourism dollars in Bozeman.
Clearly we think STR’s are valuable to Bozeman but should be regulated so that rentals
are licensed and owners are paying taxes.
Sincerely,
Nancy Snively