HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-08-22 Public Comment - K. Weiseman - Short term rentals should go awayFrom:Kelly Wiseman
To:Agenda
Subject:Short term rentals should go away
Date:Monday, August 8, 2022 9:29:39 AM
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Hey folks,
As I’ve mentioned to a few of you over the years, I believe we should no longer allow any short
term rentals in our city unless they are owner-occupied.
There are now many hundreds of them in our town, and most of them used to be occupied by
middle class working folks.
As an employer of about 200 people I can assure you that a significant percentage of our 90%
turnover rate has to do with the inability of workers to find a place to live.
They take a job, then rent escalates, and they leave town. Ask any employer and they will tell
you the same.
The last time I counted there were nine STR’s within a block of my home, including on the east
and west. They sit empty most of the days of the year, a silent testament to a web-based
motel industry that has escalated out of control. At least four of them are not on your 2016
map and are located in alleys, so most likely operating outside the rules.
A few other points:
The owners of STR’s are often out-of-state investors in property, meaning they don’t
vote here.
No one will lose money, in this crazy, escalating real estate market, if they can no longer
operate a motel: they can reap the rewards of this market, sell at a great profit, and
move on.
Ending the investment strategies that are based on STR’s could play a role in slowing the
escalation of home prices, including in the new larger buildings popping up. This
strategy is common: buy a unit, rent it out short-term to tourists, and block out times to
stay there and visit our town. Who can do this? The wealthy folks from out of state,
mostly.
The only people dependent upon STR’s to enable them to stay in their homes are
owner-occupants, many being long-term residents, so I would suggest they be allowed
to continue.
There is an expression we use in our business: “what you permit, you promote”. By permitting
them our city has promoted them, taking hundreds of homes off the market for working folk.
But it is not too late: you have the power to stand up to the technology and the behavior it is
promoting. Please end this scourge.
Thank you all for your service and leadership,
Kelly Dean Wiseman
402 N. Church
Bozeman