HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-02-23 Public Comment - J. Mitchell - Airbnb Public Comment Letter - 10_2From:Jordan Mitchell
To:Agenda
Cc:Erin George
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Airbnb Public Comment Letter - 10/2
Date:Monday, October 2, 2023 12:09:58 PM
Attachments:10_2 Bozeman CD Airbnb Public Comments .docx.pdf
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Good morning,
Please see the attached letter for Airbnb's public comments for tonight's Board of
Community Development meeting.
Thank you,Jordan
--
Jordan MitchellPublic Policy Manager, West
425.318.0082
October 2,2023
City of Bozeman Board of Community Development
Re:Short-term rental ordinance
Dear Committee Members,
On behalf of Airbnb,I would like to thank you for taking time to be part of this important
advisory board.We appreciate the work that you do and the time you take to read and listen
to public comment on important issues,like short-term rentals,before you.
I will be providing public comment on behalf of Airbnb via Zoom at today’s Community
Development Board Meeting.Being respectful of time constraints,however,my comments
will be brief.I’m writing to provide additional written comments in advance that provide more
detail and perspective about the signi cant bene ts short-term rentals o er Bozeman’s
residents and tourism economy,and to express our strong concerns about prohibiting or
severely restricting short-term rentals.
As you are aware,Airbnb and Hosts in Bozeman have been working closely with City sta and
leaders on short-term rental solutions that simultaneously address community concerns and
protect the economic bene ts of home sharing for residents and local businesses that rely
on tourism.
Airbnb Hosts in Bozeman are your constituents,your neighbors,and generational Montanans
—many of whom share concerns about housing a ordability and turn to hosting in order to
a ord their homes.The vast majority of Hosts in Bozeman –approximately 85%–share just
one home,and rely on the income earned from hosting on Airbnb to cover the rising costs of
living.In a self-reported survey,approximately 95%of Hosts in Bozeman said they do not
consider hosting on Airbnb their primary occupation and 70%of said the money they
have earned by hosting on Airbnb has helped them stay in their home.
We understand housing a ordability is a critical issue for many community members -
including Hosts -and recognize there is pressure on City leaders to nd solutions to increase
a ordable and long-term rental housing.We want to be good partners to local o cials by
supporting real solutions that help address the City’s housing a ordability challenges.
However,we have strong concerns about prohibiting or severely limiting short-term rentals in
Bozeman based on the perceived impact of short-term rentals on local housing supply.
As you are aware,the City’s STR Assessment report found prohibiting or severely limiting
short-term rentals would not guarantee an increase in housing stock and would have limited
impact on the long-term rental market.Additionally,these severe restrictions would
eliminate a signi cant portion of the lodging needed to accommodate the millions of
visitors,who in turn support local businesses and the tourism industry while generating
valuable tax revenue for the City.Furthermore,the City Sta ’s read out in August concluded
that homes used as short-term rentals would be una ordable to most households if sold or
rented long-term.What this study made clear is that prohibiting or severely limiting
short-term rentals will do nothing to address underlying housing concerns.
Boston did enact a primary residence requirement (with certain exceptions),but the City has
recently acknowledged that such a requirement did nothing to address its housing challenges
and increased long-term rental prices.As the City of Boston’s own report from 2022 found,
while the number of short-term rentals has fallen signi cantly since the enactment of the
ordinance,“the rent MLR model suggests the STR ordinance increased monthly rent listing
prices by $45.”
We encourage the City of Bozeman to allow hosts to list their primary residence and up to
one secondary unit.
We remain committed to working with local leaders on fair and reasonable solutions that
protect the rights of property owners and preserve the signi cant bene ts short-term
rentals provide to the Bozeman community.Thank you for the consideration of our
comments.
Sincerely,
Jordan Mitchell
Airbnb Public Policy
cc:Bozeman City Commission,Mayor Cyndy Andrus,City Manager Je Mihelich