HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-16-23 Public Comment - J. Utah - Please Vote No on Ordinance 2149From:John Utah
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Please Vote No on Ordinance 2149
Date:Monday, October 16, 2023 8:16:28 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Ordinance 2149 is not necessary. While there is a shortage of affordable
housing in Bozeman, vacancy rates for rentals are on the rise. Bozeman’sHRDC is reporting that there is currently a 7% vacancy rate for rentals in
Bozeman.2. Ordinance 2149 will not help create affordable housing and will harm
efforts to create affordable housing.ii. STRs are not transferable to affordable housing units. Bozeman
commissioned a study this summer by a firm called Economic &Planning Systems, Inc. (or EPS). EPS found that about 63% of STRs
are valued above the median value of housing units. Those homes arefar from being affordable. If the City stops them from being rented
short-term, they will not be converted to affordable housing. For thevast majority of Bozeman STRs, those STRs are not transferable to
affordable housing units. As a result, cracking down on STRs doeslittle to nothing to improve the affordable housing crisis we have in
Bozeman.iii. STRs bring tax revenue that can be used to create affordable housing.
Just like hotels, there is an 8% total lodging tax on a stay in an STR.Local entities get funds from that tax pool, which can be used for
promoting tourism or partnerships to create affordable housingoptions, among other things.
John Utah