HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-16-24 Public Comment - N. King - Short Term Rentals CommentFrom:Nicole King
To:Agenda
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Short Term Rentals Comment
Date:Thursday, February 15, 2024 4:20:19 PM
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Hello.
My family owns The Viv Bioactive (www.TheVivBioactive.com). We were previously
located in The Market at Ferguson Farms and recently moved out to Four Corners. Mostlybecause the cost of retail space that is more centrally located is just getting too expensive for
our small business to survive. We needed a larger space and there wasn't anything anywhereelse in our price range.
Rising prices have impacted our business in many ways, but one unique way is the availability
and cost of short-term housing for when we need to travel from Billings to Bozeman. Ourdaughter lives in a tiny apartment in Bozeman so we can't stay with her when we need to come
do work at our store. We rely almost exclusively on AirBnB/VRBO. They are moreconveniently located, are much quieter than a hotel, have a full kitchen (we have significant
dietary issues), allow us to have our whole staff over for productive staff dinner meetings, andusually cost a little bit less per night than a hotel while offering far more benefits.
The ban on additional STRs and reduction of the existing ones will drive yet another cost for
operating our business up. It will make it harder for us to effectively operate our business.We'll have to second guess how often we are able to physically be present in our store. When
the costs for the STRs that do stay open go up, we'll have to decide where else to save money,which will negatively impact our customers and services.
Overall, I agree that STRs should be regulated for health reasons and contribute proportionally
to the tax base of the city. However, I believe restricting the number of them will have far-reaching and unintended impacts that the council hasn't yet considered. The rising costs of
STRS negatively impacting small business owners like us is just one example.
Thank you for your consideration.
Nicole King, Co-Owner
The Viv Bioactive
Store: (406) 580-9681Cell: (406) 860-2322
Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/thevivbzn/
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Visit our website: www.TheVivBioactive.com