HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-07-23 Public Comment - K. Fruh - Comments for Aug. 8 workshop (STR)From:kyle fruh
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Comments for Aug. 8 workshop
Date:Monday, August 7, 2023 2:43:18 PM
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I wish to make three points concerning ongoing discussions about Short-Term Rentals (STR’s) in Bozeman.
First, any talk of comprehensive bans on STR’s should be dismissed as unserious overreach. STR’s make anirreplaceable contribution to the city’s ability to function as a tourist destination, which is economically vital. But tocategorize STR’s contributions to Bozeman’s capacity to receive visitors as mere tourism is also misleading:important other kinds of visits that are significant not just in economic terms are facilitated by the availability ofSTR’s. When residents host large family gatherings, when they have family visit to help with newborn children orwhen they receive visits to support them in times of medical emergencies, and so on, STR’s often offer somethinghotels cannot. We who live here should not wish to be deprived of being able to receive visitors in the ways madepossible by STR’s.
Second, as the Final Report on Short-Term Rental Assessment makes clear, there is no empirical
evidence supporting any significant link between STR’s and affordable housing. The report findsthat STR’s represent only 2.5% of available housing stock (including unlicensed STR’s), and also
notes, on page 16, that “restrictions on STRs may affect only a small portion of the housingsupply and suggests that if these units were not permitted to be rented as STRs, they would not
become affordable long-term rentals or homes for sale without additional subsidy or support.”The report notes that many STR’s, including especially Type 3 STR’s, are concentrated
downtown. This reflects the prudent zoning restrictions adopted by the city which prohibit Type3 STR’s in most parts of the city – but these especially are unpromising as a means to address the
availability of affordable housing. Property taxes in this part of town have skyrocketed in recentyears, doubling and tripling in many cases over the last 2, 4 and 6-year cycles. This reflects
broader economic trends and the fact that new development in the downtown area is extensiveand almost uniformly extremely high-cost, high value. Eliminating Type 3 STR's in particular can
be expected to impact affordable housing not at all.
Finally, I share the feeling with many that affordable housing is a serious issue and deservesthoughtful and informed attention by policy-makers in Bozeman. But the ways discussions of
affordable housing remain linked to STR’s seems to me a serious mistake, and one that haspotentially serious opportunity costs. Affordable housing deserves serious attention, not spurious
demonization. Intervention designed to provide what is missing rather than taking awaysomething that is valuable should be our policy focus moving forward.