HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-21-17 Public Comment - F. Buckley - Short Term RentalsFrom: Fiona Buckley <fiona.mag.buckley@gmail.com>
Date: May 21, 2017 at 6:21:42 PM MDT
To: <cwinn@bozeman.net>
Subject: Comments page not working
Hello Chuck,
The online comment form for short term rentals does not seem to be working correctly. It keeps
asking for an email address even if you have entered one.
If you don't mind I will therefore send my comments to you and would ask that you please
forward them to the commissioners, thank you.
Dear Commissioners,
I am writing to ask you to please consider a compromise regarding STRs in R1 and R2 rather
than banning them completely. I understand the concerns of having to many STRs in R1 and R2
but to ban them will actually hurt our community and negatively impact workers, new residents,
and tourists who need short term housing. It seems that there must be a middle ground that would
be ideal.
I currently live in R2 which is necessary because I work at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital part
time. I take call a few days a month and need to be available to come in to the hospital quickly
for emergencies. I also run a farm in Belgrade where I live when I am not working at the
hospital. The farm is too far away for me to safely take call from there, in fact the hospital
prohibits us to be more than 20 minutes away while on call. It works very well for me to rent the
house short term while I am working at the farm. Not only does it mean that the house does not
sit empty, but that other people in need of short term housing, such as visiting professors,
traveling nurses, new arrivals, etc can find housing near the hospital and university.
In addition, I can honestly say, and my neighbors would agree, that since my house has gone
under use as an STR, the yard and upkeep is better than it has ever been in the past. My
neighbors have enjoyed meeting folks who stay at the house and have told me that it is nice to
see the place occupied when I am not there.
I feel that by banning STRs you may be fixing one problem but creating another. In my situation,
the STR has worked well for the neighborhood and there have been no complaints, only
compliments from neighbors. The guests who stay here are grateful for the opportunity to live in
the "real" Bozeman and express how much that improved the quality of their stay and impression
of the town.
If STRs are banned I will still maintain my house in town because it is necessary for my work.
But because I will be living at the farm most of the summer, the consequence is that the house
will sit empty and dark most of the month, the mail will stack up, the yard will not be mowed,
and the sidewalk will not be shoveled, because these are things that Bozeman Cottage (our rental
company, which by the way is local and employs 7 local residents) does for us. I don't want this
to happen but unfortunately I do not have the time or resources to do all of these things or be in
two places at once. We had plans to paint the house and do other esthetic improvements this year
that we will have to put on hold for financial and practical reasons if STRs are banned. This
would be such a shame because our house is an adorable historic cottage on Church Street that
deserves to be well kept and enjoyed throughout the year. Renting the house to guests part time
gives us pride and inspires us to keep the house as beautiful as possible, even more than we
would for ourselves.
I urge you to reconsider a complete ban on STRs in R1 and R2, it seems rather drastic. There are
always exceptions in these situations. We currently have an arrangement that is working well for
everyone, the neighbors, the guests, the rental company, and us. Please allow some latitude so
that we don't create problems in situations where there currently are none.
Sincerely,
Fiona Buckley
fiona.mag.buckley@gmail.com
211 N. Church Ave
406-600-0493