HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-17-23 Public Comment - A. Kaufman - Vote No on Ordinance 2149From:Allison Kaufman
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Vote No on Ordinance 2149
Date:Tuesday, October 17, 2023 9:04:26 AM
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City Commissioners, this is my second time writing to you.
You may remember that we have turned our only home into an STR to be able to temporarilymove to assist with my 87-year-old grandmother and my 71-year-old father who has
Parkinsons. In June, he was hospitalized for 10 days, in a SNF for 7 days and had round theclock care for 5 more days at home. We have been able to assist with my family members'
needs throughout this challenging time due to the income from our STR.
After learning about the EPS study, I'm completely appalled that our City Commissioners aremoving forward with a vote on Oct 17th on Ordinance 2149. I'm shocked that data and a third
party report isn't being used to make sound business decisions regarding our community. Youcommissioned a study that proves that banning STRs will not assist in the affordable housing
crisis Bozeman is experiencing. 1. 63% of STRs are valued above the median value of housing units. If (and that's a BIG
if) that 37% was turned to long term rentals, do you think that rent will be affordable? Ifwe work the math, 113 homes could be made available that are at or below the median
value. Let's use 600k (below the median value referenced in EPS study), and ahomeowner has a 6% interest rate and a full 20% down. That still nets out to close to
$2900 a month in rent to cover the mortgage not including property taxes. There are 194homes available under $2900/month in rent available on Zillow, right now.
This is a direct quote from the EPS Study: "This suggests that restrictions onSTRs may affect only a small portion of the housing supply and suggests that if
these units were not permitted to be rented as STRs, they would not becomeaffordable long-term rentals or homes for sale without additional subsidy or
support."2. STRs are 2.5% of housing stock in Bozeman and yet the HRDC is reporting there is a
7% vacancy rate for rentals currently (without the STRs). Are the folks experiencinghomelessness moving forward on these available rentals? If not, why would Ordinance
2149 make an impact? 3. The EPS Study references 305 of non-licensed Airbnbs. Why not enforce the current
regulations we have? Turn that inventory back into rentals and see if affordable housingissues lighten.
4. With a focus on Bed and Breakfasts and Hotels when private owned STRs arebanned, what are the benefits to our city for prioritizing their profits and business
model? 5. For families traveling or in need of medium term housing, do you think a hotel with
no kitchen, refrigerator the size of a pea is going to work for a couple of weeks? Whywould you take this inventory away from Bozemanites as a stopgap until they find long
term housing?6. How many homes are owned by corporations inside of the Bozeman city limits?
7. New luxury townhomes and apartments are approved left and right by the city. Howdo these developments assist in affordable housing?
These points bring to light a question, is Ordinance 2149 is just a PR move? If it's not going toACTUALLY address the issues at hand, what is the point? I'm truly trying to understand from
your perspective and I may not have all the information, but from the outside looking in,something doesn't add up.
Moreover, in my research of cities that have moved to these types of regulations additional
work was created. Summit County, Santa Fe County, NYC, Anaheim, Santa Monica, KansasCity, Dallas, Fort Worth, Palm Desert and more have lawsuits filed against them for STR
bans. A federal judge ruled in favor of the home owners in a lawsuit against the City of
Austin for its STR ordinance prohibiting people from operating an STR without living at the
property.
Sincerely,
Allison Kaufman