HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-22-17 Public Comment - A. & E. Hooker - Short Term Rentals
6/22/2017 To: Mayor Taylor Deputy Mayor C. Andrus Commissioners J. Krause, C. Mehl, I. Pomeroy RE: Public Comment regarding STRs.
My husband and I were struck by the following three recurring themes in public comments at the City
Commission meeting in May when STRs were addressed. 1. Repeated references to how much visitors love experiencing Bozeman wonderful neighborhoods. We particularly remember a comment which we will paraphrase: "I loved getting to know the toddler in the neighborhood and the 90 year old man in another home...they were delightful."
Our comments: We certainly understand why visitors love our neighborhoods! And of course many visitors are wonderful individuals we would be happy to call our friends. But it is the full time residents who are the heart and soul of a healthy neighborhood. Every home turned into a non- owner occupied STR represents the loss of a citizen neighbor/family that contributes in committed, meaningful (and necessary) ways to the long term health of our city and community. That is an undeniable fact. We have seen a proliferation of non-owner occupied STRs crop up in our neighborhoods over the past 3 years. We agree with public testimony at the last public hearing which called this proliferation a "hollowing out of our neighborhoods". Our neighborhoods are being exploited by individuals who are fortunate enough to be able to purchase a second home or businesses that see an opportunity. We know neighbors who feel like they are starting to live in a fishbowl. 2. Repeated comments referring to friends or acquaintances who have very successful "businesses"
owning vacation rental(s) in Bozeman neighborhoods.
Our comments: This illustrates that non-owner occupied short term rentals are undeniably full time lodging businesses. We believe we are not mistaken that the purpose of residential zoning districts is to ensure spaces for residential use and to limit commercial impacts. It seems that the character of our neighborhoods is being exploited for personal financial gain. Most have been operating illegally. 3. Public comments that stated there is no data that suggests vacation rentals are a threat to
neighborhoods or have a negative impact to a community.
Our comments: This is a naive reason to say there are no negative effects. Maybe there is currently no specific study to site, but why are so many cities and towns regulating and sometimes banning vacation rentals in their cities and towns? Experiences and anecdotes are usually the drivers that eventually lead to the creation of a study that produces data. We have seen a proliferation of vacation rentals in the past three years alone and full time residents are noting that along with the upside of meeting interesting and often genuinely wonderful visitors, there are downsides that permanently change the character of a neighborhood that its full time residents have nurtured. As someone was quoted in the headline article of the chronicle today, "Neighborhoods are precisely what gives Bozeman that magical something you keep hearing tourists talk about, and magazines, and all the people moving in. Tenants don't build neighborhoods. Condos do not
provide that small town feeling and neither does Airbnb. Neighborhoods do."
So let's be ahead of the research that is bound to be there later by taking a careful approach. If research
proves otherwise or gives good guidance, city policy can be reviewed. Thank you for your continued hard work on this complicated issue and for the opportunity to comment! Sincerely, Alan & Emily Hooker 1102 S. 3rd Ave.
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