HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-22-17 Public Comment - P. Bennett - Short Term Rentals1
Clerk Temp
From:Purcie Kelly Bennett-Nickerson <kepbennett@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, May 22, 2017 11:45 AM
To:Agenda
Subject:Rentals in town
Categories:Public Comment
Hello Commissioners,
My name is Purcie Bennett-Nickerson. I lived in Bozeman for 6 years. Please, please don't eliminate short term
rentals in town.Currently my parents Betsy and Walter Bennett own a home and live in Kelly Creek Canyon,
and my brother Will Bennett owns a home on 10th street in downtown Bozeman. I come to visit my family
twice a year in Bozeman - once for a week in winter, and once for a week in summer. When I come to visit, I
bring with me my husband and two toddlers. We don't fit with my folks or brother and we always rent a house
downtown for a full week every time we come. With toddlers, a hotel (not that there are any really good
options for that downtown anyway) is simply not doable. You are stuck in a hotel room with them while they
nap every afternoon, and then from 7:30pm on as they sleep for the night. When we rent a house, we can put the
kids down in their room(s) and spend time with my family in the rest of the house. Furthermore, sometimes my
husband and I will hire a sitter to come take care of them while we have some time out together. I still know a
ton of folks in town that have kids and can recommend reliable sitters.You can't do this in a hotel room.
Having lived in Bozeman for a long time myself (I used to own 702 S. 6th street) my personal experience is that
the current number of short term rentals isn't a problem. I have lived on 5th street, Church street, Wallace Street,
and 6th street and I have never felt that they were a problem. Additionally, when I lived there I often relied on
STRs when my folks came to visit me before they bought their own house in 2010. I also relied heavily on
them when I had my wedding at Spring Hill. Many of our cousins and friends came as a group or a family all
the way from the east coast and rented out full houses. I know many other friends of mine in Bozeman that rely
on housing rentals when their families come to visit as well.
This proposal has been unanimously rejected already and it does not narrowly address the concern that there
should be a cap on STRs so that this market doesn't overwhelm the neighborhood feel of town. Banning currently
state-compliant STRs (paying bed tax and getting health/safety permits) is unfair the people that have already invested and are relying on
these properties, and creates legal exposure for the city given that owners have been advised for 20 years NOT to get a Conditional Use
Permit. Type 3 STRs should be allowed in R2 zoning districts, and Type 2 STRs should be allowed in R1.
Thanks for your time.
Purcie Bennett-Nickerson
--
K. Purcie Bennett-Nickerson
Senior Associate - Pew Charitable Trusts
Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Policy
pbennett-nickerson@pewtrusts.org
Work: 202-540-6326
Cell: 703-855-8223
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