HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-13-18 Public Comment - A. & J. Henkle - Short Term Rentals & CUPAmy and Jason Henkle 2/13/18
1103 S Pinecrest Dr.
Bozeman, MT 59715
amyhenkle@gmail.com
(406) 580-5384
Dear Commissioners and Mayor of Bozeman:
My name is Amy Henkle. I am writing in hopes that you will be able to help us out. I
contacted Mr Matsen, The Director of Community Development, and was informed I
would need to reach out to you guys. We (my husband and I) have two properties which
we have been using for short term rentals. We have taken the proper steps and have
filled out all the paperwork, paid fees and have scheduled all the necessary inspections
to attain a CUP for one of our properties. For our other property we have registered with
the city as a Type 1 short-term rental, because this is the permissible use in our area and
we have not been operating long enough to be grandfathered in. This letter pertains to
the latter property, our Type 1 property. My desire is to be able to apply for a CUP for it
to remain as we intended it to be, a Type 2, where we can rent the complete upstairs
area of our home when we are not there. I know that the time period is now over for
applying. The reason I did not attempt to attain a CUP before the deadline was because I
was told there was no way to attain a Type 2 because we did met the qualification of
grandfathering in (though we were not aware there was a time frame to be meet, until it
was too late). But even as we completed the prior requirements to continue with our
short term homes…I am left very unsettled after being told there is no way I can get a
type 2. There are a few reasons for this unsettled feeling:
1) Main reason of purchasing this home was to provide me with more work I could
manage with my chronic physical condition
2) Type 2 fits our neighborhood better than type 1
3) New life transitions, that will require some financial adjustments and increased
travel
First, there is much involved, but the short of it is, I have a chronic syndrome that makes
it hard to hold down a full time “normal” job. Through discovery (we had to live out of
country for my husband’s job and since we didn’t know our return date, I set up the home
as a short term rental), we realized that I was able to manage this and I began to feel like
I was finally contributing financially in our marriage and in life (which is a big mental
boost). So, we began to look into a second home. We did this thinking all regulations
were as is when I first approached the city to see what would be required. At that time I
was told to do nothing, there weren’t any regulations and as long as no complaints were
made, we really didn’t need to do anything. Possibly with better advice we wouldn’t be in
this situation, but I left it at that and we went ahead and purchased a second home, so
we could do short term there also.
Second, Type 1 (only able to rent out 1 or 2 bedrooms at a time and having to share
space with the guests) will limit our demographics drastically. Our neighborhood is a
family focused neighborhood, with playgrounds and many families. In fact, a few of the
families have recommended us to their extended families, so that their visitors could stay
close by and their children can walk back and forth to play and visit. These families,
usually 5-6 people, want to experience quality time with their kids, have a common area
to play games, cook, BBQ, play music and etc… They do not want to share space with
the owners. Traffic and parking will also be affected. What I mean is that families all
show up in one vehicle. Where if I was turning over 1-2 rooms on a regular basis, I would
have a car per room here vs a car per house from the guests. Either way, my driveway
can manage the parking needed, but if the city is concerned about traffic, hosting
families in my situation is better. The bottom line is, about 90% of my guests are
families… to lose this function of renting out the entire space, I will also lose the bulk of
my clientele.
Third, my husband just recently has been given an opportunity to start his own small
business with a couple other business partners. With this career change, it means we
will have no/limited income for a period of time. Type 1 won’t provide the income as Type
2, to help offset the costs of a start up business. His new business will also require him
(as well as myself) to travel overseas almost full time within the next year, periodically
returning home. It will be impossible to be here when guests are here and would make
more sense to be able to rent out the entire space for guests to enjoy.
As you can see, if we were granted a chance to pursue a Type 2, we are willing to do
what ever is necessary to do so… and since we did a CUP on our first home, we are
versed and will be able to quickly fill out necessary requirements and pay the necessary
fees ASAP and with most of the inspections already underway, things would be
streamlined. If you are able to help us, we would be forever grateful and I would be able
to breathe a little easier with all the changes in our lives.
Thanks so much for your time,
Sincerely,
Amy and Jason Henkle