HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-08-23 Public Comment - P. House - STR commentsFrom:Bozeman Cottage
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]STR comments
Date:Tuesday, August 8, 2023 11:22:38 AM
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Dear Commissioners and Staff,
Thank you for your continued work on this important issue. The economic report from EPS was very well done and
is very informative. It made clear that STRs are a significant source of revenue and jobs for many residents of
Bozeman, helping to generate much needed income to afford the cost of living here. Smartly, the report impresses
the imperative need for regulation to keep STRs a healthy component of any community.
Having grown up here and had a role in everything from the founding of Sweet Pea and the Farmers' Market, my
overriding concern is the protection of my community. I don't know what the magic number of STRs is but if the
non-permitted ones are included in the count.I strongly feel that we currently have too many.
The report also highlighted the value of STRs to a community as they are used for many purposes. In 2017 when the
city was drafting the current ordinance I was housing the temporary city manager. Last winter when pipes burst in a
sorority I housed college students for 10 weeks. I have housed victims of house fires, domestic violence, and family
visiting loved ones who had been in accidents or needed medical assistance. I also fully agree that STRs need to be
strictly regulated to keep them from taking over neighborhoods.
Regarding Type 3 STRs which are the ire of many opponents as being 'second homes owned by out of staters', from
the data it appears there are 92 Type 3 permits, an unknown number of which are in business zoning. Current policy
already prohibits new Type 3 in residential zoning so this type of neighborhood impact is already limited. And since
the permits are not transferable to new property owners then the number of residential Type 3 STRs can only
decrease over time. Therefore I see no need to make any changes to the current policy regarding Type 3 STRs. It
would be interesting to know how many of these are in business zoning where they are still allowed, but I don't see
this area as a good source of housing as it's usually much more expensive.
Regarding housing supply and STRs, if we only had legal STRs then I still feel that their quantity lacks significance
and even if they were all converted to affordable housing it wouldn't make much of a dent in the housing supply. So
it would seem logical to me to continue to focus on enforcement to weed out the illegal operators before making any
substantive changes to the ordinance already in place.
I look forward to remaining involved in this important work.
Sincerely,
Paul House
owner/founder Bozeman Cottage Vacation Rentals