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Home My WebLink About2018 STR MaterialsShort -Term Rental Committee 2-15-2018 Present: Bill, Rich, Pat, tee -Ann, Sue, Paulette and Bruce Topics for today — Occupancy limits/ Penalties/ Sunset Clause/ Staff Resources Occupancy limits — ran the gamut from un-hosted vs hosted to different rules for different zones, to tying occupancy to the number of bedrooms and how to count children. Consensus seems to be limit to two people per bedroom Can off-street parking be tied to a STR permit? Penalties — looked at some other municipalities — 1st 2nd and 3rd offense step seems to be common but a little light in some towns. Has to be enough to not be a "cost of business" Liked the idea of having regulations posted, responsive management and a log. Sunset Clause — to see how it goes and make any changes. Can there be different rules for long term and short term rental? Staff Resources — How are we going to investigate and then enforce this? Short Term Rental Committee January 23, 2018 2:00 pm Present: Bill Goodman, Chair; Rich DePaolo, Tee -Ann Hunter, Pat Leary, Sue Ritter, Bruce Bates and Paulette Rosa Guest — Tom Knipe Next meeting is Thursday, February 15th at 2:30p.m. Public Comments Bill invited the public to talk to the committee. The public submitted written statements attached to these notes. The speakers were concerned with the character of the neighborhoods as well as safety and enforcement. Discussion Bill handed out a list of other municipalities and the draft of the Village of Cayuga Heights changes to their zoning code. Discussion points included: differences between hosted and unhosted properties, whether to issue permits for properties that include inspections similar to our Rental Operating Permit Program, whether the permit(s) would be revocable, different zones/different parameters, penalties, fees The committee would like to talk to an AirBNB government representative as well as explore third party companies who data mine for information and enforcement. Tom Knipe will try and set these up. F2.7nMr-AFT-W Subject: FW: Town Meeting tomorrow lie] lo Supervisor Goodman, My name is Ed Cohn and I am the manager at Rogues Harbor Inn in Lansing. It has been broLight to my attention that the town of Ithaca is considering allowing people to rent Out their homes for Lip for a month while the owner is not present. From my perspective as an operator of a B&B, this proposal is bad for multiple reasons. First, there are currently way more rooms available in legitimate businesses - hotels, motels, B&Bs, Inns - than than the area can fill. The only exceptions are the weekends that bring in folks for the Cornell and Ithaca College events which are only twice a year. It is then that there is a shortage of rooms in the area. All other times, especially in the off-season, we are not filling our establishments. What about regulating this'? Are you planning on collecting lodging tax'? Does the home owner need to have liability insurance'? How does this benefit the community? There is also the issue of AirB&B, which has almost ruined the legitimate B&B business everywhere, undel-CLItting our rates and not offering true B&B amenities. There have been too many disaster stories of people letting strangers into their houses only to return to a trashed house, having items stolen, and other damage including having the house burned to the ground! (check out some of these stories: (.Colll/t)loc,/,Iil-l�)IIi)-itol'i,or-stot-ies/). Many neighborhood residents look out for each other and ------- ----- — keep an eye on things. Allowing non-residents to stay in a neighborhood for up to a month, while in many cases would be no problem, could be anxiety provoking for the residents. This is just a bad idea. If the only upside is that the home owners are making some extra money, then I don't see that as a compelling reason for opening tip our neighborhoods to potential problems while hurting the legitimate, struggling lodging industry in our area. Thanks for your consideration, Ed Cohn, B&B Manager Rogues' Harbor Inn �vww,RoLli'lesti"At�I)ol..ColyI ......... . —.- D-K-L-1-- 2079 East Shore Drive, PO Box 97 Lansing, New York 14882 C� 607-533-3535 Paulette Rosa Subject: FW. Airbnb statement Hello Bill, We are unable to attend tomorrow's Town Board meeting and are hoping you can read this aloud during the comments portion and enter it into the public record. Thank you. To: Ithaca Town Board From: Maralyn Edid and Lawrence Blume; 22 Renwick Hghts Rd., Ithaca Date: Jan. 22, 2018 The Airbnb phenomenon is real and compelling: Homeowners have an opportunity to earn money by renting out a room or the entire abode for a short period, whether they are present or not. That's arguably a win for them (but did the "guests" trash the place?) but not for their neighbors or the town. Suddenly there are more cars on the street; where will they park? There are more unknown people coming and going with no connection to the community; will they hold noisy parties or leave trash strewn about? Is the home now a business (despite loud denials) in a neighborhood zoned as residential? What will happen to the value of surrounding homes, to the tax base? How will the town reap rewards from this intrusive business activity? We are given to understand that the Board is contemplating a very generous, loose rule about short-term rentals. (Hopefully we are misinformed.) This is alarming. Who will enforce the limits? Is the sheriff's department sufficiently staffed to handle problems that may arise? What about the legitimate concerns of neighbors who oppose short-term rentals? Surely there is a more balanced way to enable people to profit from home ownership without harming the rest of us. We urge you to proceed with care. Bill Goodman From: Maralyn Edid <mse421 @gmail.com> Sent: Monday, January 22, 2018 6:08 PM To: Bill Goodman Subject: Airbnb statement Hello Bill, We are unable to attend tomorrow's Town Board meeting and are hoping you can read this aloud during the comments portion and enter it into the public record. Thank you. To: Ithaca Town Board From: Maralyn Edid and Lawrence Blume; 22 Renwick Hghts Rd., Ithaca Date: Jan. 22, 2018 The Airbnb phenomenon is real and compelling: Homeowners have an opportunity to earn money by renting out a room or the entire abode for a short period, whether they are present or not. That's arguably a win for them (but did the "guests" trash the place?) but not for their neighbors or the town. Suddenly there are more cars on the street; where will they park? There are more unknown people coming and going with no connection to the community; will they hold noisy parties or leave trash strewn about? Is the home now a business (despite loud denials) in a neighborhood zoned as residential? What will happen to the value of surrounding homes, to the tax base? How will the town reap rewards from this intrusive business activity? We are given to understand that the Board is contemplating a very generous, loose rule about short-term rentals. (Hopefully we are misinformed.) This is alarming. Who will enforce the limits? Is the sheriffs department sufficiently staffed to handle problems that may arise? What about the legitimate concerns of neighbors who oppose short-term rentals? Surely there is a more balanced way to enable people to profit from home ownership without harming the rest of us. We urge you to proceed with care. January 23, 2018 Dear Supervisor Goodman, short term rental committee members, and Town Board members, We are very concerned about the Town Board's proposal to allow 29 days of unhosted short term rentals and unlimited days of hosted short term rentals in low, medium, and high density residential areas of the Town. The IRS stipulates that renting your residence out for more than 14 days must be reported on your income tax. Surely the existing Town code Chapter 270-219.2 on Limitations on home occupations would therefore apply. It states that home occupations should meet all of the following requirements, including: A. An area of no more than 25% of the floor space of the dwelling or 500 square feet (whichever is less) shall be used for the occupation. G. The business shall not generate traffic in any greater volume than would normally be expected in a residential neighborhood, and any need for parking generated by the use shall be met off the street. H. The business or use shall not be detrimental to the residential character of the surrounding neighborhood. In our experience with short term rentals in Renwick Heights, all three of these requirements are violated. Obviously, they use more square footage than is allowed. There is a marked increase in traffic from the renters, and they often drive at high speeds. Our neighborhood has always had a lack of off-street parking because of the hilly terrain and space constraints of the neighborhood, so many residents have limited or no off-street parking and must park their cars on the street. The renters' cars add to this parking congestion. The character of our neighborhood is negatively affected by traffic increases, the presence of strangers in the neighborhood, and the noise and disturbance to privacy and peace that they create. B&Bs are allowed in some residential areas of the Town by special permit. Hosted short term rentals appear to be the same thing as a B&B, but they, along with unhosted short term rentals will avoid all the permitting, inspections, tax obligations, insurance, handicap accessibility and safety requirements that legitimate B&Bs and hotels must adhere to. The individual characteristics of each neighborhood vary greatly within the Town, and should be assessed and used to determine whether the neighborhood is suitable for short term rentals. Density of the housing and parking constraints should be part of the decision as to whether or not to allow them, rather than making a blanket one -size -fits -all decision for all residential areas. How will these businesses be monitored and regulated? In our experience, expecting the home owner to adhere to the regulations does not work. Asking neighbors to monitor and report violations led to conflict and police involvement. Why are so many days being proposed? Why not start with a small test number, and see how it goes. The situation can be monitored and re-evaluated at a later date, and the number of days can always be increased if things are going smoothly. Will there be a limit on the number of people allowed to stay in each house? How will this be determined and monitored? Will there be a limit on the number of occasions that the house can be rented vs the number of days to limit the impact on the neighborhood? (ex. 3 weekends total instead of 6 individual days) How will it be permitted? How many homes in one street will be allowed to have permits and conduct rentals? How will it be determined that the home owner is living in the house at the time of the rental (a hosted rental) or not living in the house (an non -hosted rental)? Will the home owner have to be available and contactable by the neighbors, the Town, or the police if there are problems with the renters or the house, or in an emergency? We chose to live in a residentially zoned area because we wanted to live in a quiet peaceful neighborhood with neighbors who we know. It is wrong to allow non -hosted short term rentals (aka hotels) and hosted short term rentals (aka B&Bs) in an area where people bought their homes because they wanted to live in a strictly residential area. What is the point of living in a residential area if people in the neighborhood are allowed to run a hotel or B&B in their home? The designation as being "residentially zoned" becomes almost meaningless. The petition we submitted to the Board in September of 2016 signed by 17 Renwick Heights residents stated that the quality of life, safety, neighborhood character, and sense of community had all been diminished by the short term rentals operating in our neighborhood. At that time, short term rentals were deemed illegal by the Town, and we requested that the Town continued to enforce the Code to put a stop to them. There are numerous websites (AirBNB Watch, Share Better, Keep Neighborhoods First) which catalog the countless disaster stories of short term rentals all over the world. Homeowners, renters, neighbors, neighborhoods, cities, and towns have all suffered from these experiences. Let's not make the same mistake. Sincerely, 17-4-1 Y, Mia Slotnick and Kenneth Simpson Renwick Heights Road TO: Town of Ithaca Board; Tompkins County Legislature RE: Petition to Stop Short -Term Rentals in 'Renwick Heights', Town of Ithaca September 2016 We the undersigned are residents of the area generally comprised of Renwick Drive, Renwick Place, Renwick Heights Road, and parts of East Shore Drive and commonly known as `Renwick Heights'. This area is a peaceful, quiet, low -turnover residential community that enjoys close proximity to Boynton Middle School and Ithaca High School. The area is zoned Medium Density Residential. We are very concerned about the short-term (less than 30 days) rental activity in our area. There has been an alarming increase in 2016 of the number of residences being offered and the frequency of occupations. These are let for rent by the owners using Airbnb, Home Away, VRB4 and other forms of advertisements to generate their short-term business. Please see the attached Appendix 1 depicting the locations of rentals with red circles and a number indicating the frequency of short- term occupations so far this year. The URLs for the advertisements are given at the bottom. We believe that the quality of life, safety, neighborhood character and sense of community are diminished by these short-term rentals. In May, 2016 a group of concerned neighbors met with the Town of Ithaca official that is responsible for enforcement of zoning regulations. The official characterized these occupations as "transient" in nature as the stays are less than 30 days in duration. His conclusion was that these occupations are not permitted by Town Code because the residences are not licensed B&Bs, the owners are not present during the short stays, and the residences are not permitted to operate as hotels/motels. We requested verbally and via email that the Town Code be enforced. There have been some actions to enforce the rules- and we appreciate that- but the Town's enforcement efforts are being ignored. We fear that the seeming inability to enforce the Code is also acting to embolden others to engage in the practice. Thus the undersigned (see Appendix 2) Renwick Heights residents formally petition the Town of Ithaca and Tompkins County Board of Supervisors to take more vigorous actions to enforce Town Code and put a stop to these short-term occupations. Appendices: 1- Renwick Heights: red circles denote short-term rentals summer 2016 2- Undersigned - Concerned Renwick Heights Neighbors Appendix 2: Undersigned - Concerned Renwick Heights Neighbors Resident Name niU1�C,t" /_ssq 4. lVIQuvec,l Vtoe j2 meanwie.�f�� 6.'�s N,-N0L s 7. VVk�i M��R 8. 9jFLr-!n? l 10. 11. 12. 91A SCo7-L iCk 13. ti%�� va cue 14. �on�w J►r�l�.�ix 1. cr�:P�1uue 17. L� / J C ,.�D Im 19. 20. OM"U, -P/Att I R�rJvjl , k fa C;5 t gT, w,,,wLS Ar5r, 8 a2'Nv � 6, L'K� tlnj ag Rer� w cl� 0�. Rd �emwic�.1�5 • G� �UA-2$fl2R� eL�as �..�uasKt Efft,cls on the residential quality oj'the neighborhood: When we decided to buy a house, we were offered several properties in Collegetown— which would have been very convenient as we were both working at Cornell. We turned them down largely because of the transient nature of the residents there. We opted instead to buy in Renwick Heights, because it was residential, and we wanted to know our neighbors. The residential character of our street will be negatively affected by having all increasing number of AirBnB rentals. This is not supposition; we have seen the effect on traffic and parking already. 'rhe renters might well be very nice; but they drive —and more importantly they park —their cars. I recently checked out the AirBnB website for Ithaca and found that several advertisements touted, as a desirable feature, that the neighborhood was quiet. I noticed also that some explicitly mentioned —again as a desirable feature —that the neighborhood was residential. I find it ironic that the two features cited as desirable were the same two features that would be compromised by an increase in Air13nB rentals. E ffiects on resale value: Furthermore, for many of us, our homes are major investments. And for many of us, we will eventually sell them. I wonder what the effect of more AirBnBs will be on resale value. I understand that, for many renters, AirBnB is an economic question, but it is also an economic question for those of us who bought homes in a residential neighborhood. Enforcement ofresti-iclions: For the sake of argument, assume there is a restriction on the number of days a homeowner can rent their house and on whether the homeowner must be present during the rental. It's all fine and good to have those restrictions on paper, but how will they be enforced'? Will some official go around the neighborhood to check? Unlikely, Will residents have to stoop to spying on and reporting their neighbors? What an unpleasant situation that would be —for renters and neighbors alike! The town and the IRS: Obviously, this is a question for lawyers, but I'm wondering what sort of obligation, if any, the town would have vis a vis the IRS. If the town allows renting for more than 14 days per year, will it be obligated to report to the IRS people Who are renting their homes/ rooms for more than that number of days? The home as a castle: Finally, I understand the argument that one can do anything with ones home, because it is, after all, ones home. However, this is not always true. Unless I am mistaken, I cannot, for example, raise pigs on my property, even though it's my property, because the resulting smell would negatively affect the quality of life of my neighbors. Turning a residential area into a renter's haven would also negatively affect the quality of life of the neighborhood. Statement to Town of Ithaca Board re: Short Term Rentals to Transient parties Date: 23 Jan 2018 During the summer of 2016 problems with short term visitors to the Renwick area intensified with the number and frequency of strangers overnighting in our neighborhood. Parking congestion, speeding, noise, persons wandering into private areas and other disturbances caused alarm. Discussions with Owners that were permitting use of their homes for transient rentals revealed that the occupations were not occurring with owners or their representatives being present (ie, UNHOSTED). Further, owners felt they had an unfettered right to rent their homes, or parts thereof, without considering any impacts upon their neighbors. Owners claimed they were carefully vetting prospective tenants but could not explain their online advertisements 'to come party in Ithaca'. Civil discourse soon stopped. Properties in the neighborhood have been bought and transformed into what are essentially unlicensed B&Bs without the breakfast, and without the life safety and other safeguards required of licensed B&Bs, and hotels. Renwick is a traditionally quiet family neighborhood with several schools within walking distance. Alarmed by the sudden deterioration in our peace, quiet and security a group of Renwick neighbors met with the Town enforcement officer. The officer reasoned that since these operations walk and smell like B&Bs they should be held to the same essential standards. Realizing that any enforcement was becoming an overwhelming task, a group of neighbors formally petitioned the Town Board in September 2016 to take action. However the enforcement officer's reasonable interpretation of the Codes' intent and efforts to enforce them via established codified standards seem to have been (at light speed) undermined/thwarted by the Town Board. The Board maintains that since "Air" B&Bs are not specifically mentioned in Town Codes (how could they be when Codes were established before these enterprises became available?) that they must be allowed to operate. Further the Board is bent on re -writing existing Codes such that they are, in some fashion, permitted. The now familiar cry of the `sharing economy' is touted by certain Board members as the reason for creating laws that allow for more frequent and even UNHOSTED operation of these home businesses. Further considerations: 1. If it has been too difficult to enforce the intent of existing Town Codes, how will it be possible to set up, administer and enforce new regulations? 2. How much will taxes go up to allow for additional personnel and tools necessary to administer this permitting process? 3. We are fully aware that organized lobbying by online operators and in some cases even threats of legal action have occurred in local municipalities wrestling with these issues. What has occurred in the Town of Ithaca? 4. What mechanism will be open to neighbors to raise complaints? Will these home business be required to have liability insurance sufficient to compensate neighbors for the acts of their tenants? 5. The Town's interpretation that the existing Codes are not enforceable since they do not account for "Air" B&Bs is puzzling. It is also different from that of other local municipalities (we believe Cayuga Heights has a fundamentally different take). Would the Town be willing to host a public discussion of these differences, ideally with other municipalities? 6. Renwick neighbors believe it is important to illuminate any potential conflicts of interests amongst lawmakers dealing with these matters. Once again we would respectfully request full disclosure from Town Board members and Officials with regard to their personal involvement with STR operations --both as users of the various on-line services, as owners, as close relations of owners, or otherwise beneficiaries. From: Will Tobin To: Paulette Rosa Subject: Airbnb Restrictive Ordinance Date: Thursday, December 20, 2018 7:03:21 PM To whom this may concern, I have been a resident of Ithaca for over 10 years an active Airbnb host for over 5 years. Though I primarily rent out a room in my home on the east shore of Cayuga Lake, I also rent out my entire house over 45 nights a year. On these occasions I vacate my home and I stay in town with family and friends, continuing to work as a pianist and teacher in the area. My Airbnb has been incredibly successful and has allowed to supplement a very modest income of a musician and make a life in Ithaca despite soaring costs of living. The income from entire house rentals makes up approximately 50% of my Airbnb profits and approximately 50% of my total income. Therefore I am adamantly against a blanket restriction of 29 nights for Airbnb rentals. As a permanent resident who rents his home, I contribute greatly to local economy. Not only am I bringing outside money via tourist, but I'm spending earnings locally. Paying local taxes. Shopping at local businesses. Eating at local restaurants. My profits stay in Ithaca. A restriction of 29 nights not only limits the amount spent locally, but severely cuts into my income and threatens to drive me and my business as pianist and piano teacher, as well as many other hosts in a similar situation, out of Ithaca. I ask that you consider making an exception for permanent residents renting their homes or at least consider extending the rental limit for full units to 60 days. It should be noted that I am in full support of limiting the number of properties an individual can rent on Airbnb. Buying up property to profit from short term rentals drives up the cost of living. It's important that hosts reside at the properties they rent out. I'm also in favor of a registration of all Airbnb hosts in the community. Though I have worked successfully with my neighbors to come up with rules ranging from parking, to noise restrictions, to where guests may store their kayaks so that any potential problems are minimized, not every host has taken such a active role in working with their community. Residents residing near Airbnb properties should have a clear line of communication and system to effectively and promptly address any problems that arise. However these problems should be handled on an individual basis, not with a blanket restriction. Thank you for hearing my concerns in regards to this proposed restriction. I would be happy to discuss the matter further and can be reached at the number below. Sincerely, Will Tobin phone: 315-567-1671 Ithaca, NY From: anthony hay To: Paulette Rosa; Jana Hav Subject: Objections to town ordinance limiting Short Term Rentals Date: Thursday, December 20, 2018 5:11:41 PM To whom it may concern, The current proposed ordinance limiting short term rentals (STRs) appears to be both arbitrary and capricious. STIR properties are typically better maintained and managed than traditional rentals and include mechanisms for self -regulation and accountability that cost the town nothing: the active feedback mechanisms provided by STIR websites offer a valuable service to the STIR neighborhoods and Ithaca's tourists since it provides real time feedback about the state of STIR properties from the informed and discerning clientele that use STRs. Ithaca is the third most popular AirBnB city in NY. What will be the economic impact of the ordinance as proposed? We live and work here, we pay taxes on our income and our visits. We spend that STIR income here in the town. Unlike multination hotel chains, we get no tax breaks to build a hotel and we don't ship our profits elsewhere. We have no objection to well -reasoned, even-handed ordinances that protect the rights of neighbors and landlords, but the current proposed ordinance does not do that. Arbitrary. "absence of a rational connection between the facts found and the choice made ... an action not based upon consideration of relevant factors and so is arbitrary" Lu The town has not provided a meaningful justification for adopting a 29 day limit. The ordinance appears driven by reaction to a few vocal though well -found complaints, but no attempt has been made to quantify the scale of the problem. We could find no systematic effort in the minutes of Town meetings to objectively quantify the current harm caused to neighbors of STRs or to estimate the magnitude of harm this restrictive ordinance would have on the owners of the STRs. Limiting days will financially challenge many residents who have made upgrades to properties and are counting on the income from STRs to cover those costs. Capricious: "an abuse of discretion or otherwise not in accordance with law or... without observance of procedure required by law" i The current effort appears to be driven by anecdote and hearsay, without transparency or meaningful engagement of all constituencies. We ask that the town to answer the following questions: 1) What is the goal of this ordinance? 2) Can they demonstrate that it fairly balances the needs of STIR neighbors and landlords? 3) Why is public comment not being allowed? 4) How was the working group convened that drafted the legislation? 5) Who appointed the members of that working group and what do they or their constituencies have to gain from the outcome? 6) What opportunity was given for both sides of the issue to voice their concerns? 7) If passed in its current form, what grace period will be provided to allow landlords to divest themselves of properties they can no longer manager according to their current business plan? r https://definitions. usIega1.com/a/arbitrary-and-capricious/ Paulette Rosa From: Jen and John Bokaer-Smith <jbs@westhavenfarm.net> Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2018 2:13 PM To: Paulette Rosa Subject: Concerns about limiting short term rentals in the Town of Ithaca to 29 days To: Members of the Short Term Rental Committee From: Jen and John Bokaer-Smith, 114 Rachel Carson Way Re: Concerns about limiting short term rentals in the Town of Ithaca to 29 days December 20, 2018 Dear Town Committee, We are long-time Ithaca residents (Jen is class of IHS '85). We fully understand the concern about the impact of short-term rentals on neighborhoods, and we support your efforts to preserve neighborhoods' character. But, the 29-day limit you are proposing for short-term rentals is far too restrictive. Ithacans should be able to go away for a season and rent out their homes, while still living in their homes primarily. We understand that the 29-day limit was conceived as a response to Ithaca's high demand weekends; this is a short- sighted and restrictive view. We urge you to find a compromise that will allow neighborhoods to be preserved and discourage serial short-term rentals of non -owner -occupied homes, while allowing regular homeowning Ithacans to strategically generate income during "vacation" season. As the cost of living in Ithaca gets higher and higher, the town must be supportive of the creative efforts of its residents to figure out how to continue to live here. A 45-day limit would accomplish this compromise —it's enough rental days that regular, creative Ithacans can generate meaningful income from their homes, but it's not enough time to be worth it to absentee landlords to engaging in short-term rentals of non -owner -occupied houses. Please consider changing the limit from 29 days to 45 days. Thank you, Jen and John Bokaer-Smith West Haven Farm 114 Rachel Carson Way Ithaca, NY 14850 westhavenfarm.net I bs(a).westhavenfarm. net Jolin R. Barber 'tAw 309 East �King Road Ithaca, New York'14850 9V, 607-327-0024 September 28111, 2018 Mr. Bill Goodman Ithaca Town S'Upervisor 245 NorthTioga Street Ithaca, New York'14850 Dear Mr. Bill Goodman I am writing regarding a recent article I read in the Ithaca Titnes al)OUt possible legislation pertaining to Airbnb rentals in the Town of Ithaca. I write with great concern because I am someone who rents half of my duplex located at 1.048 East Shore Drive on Cayuga Lake for three months in tile surnmer through Airbnb. The I purpose of the short -terra rental is to help offset my steep school and property taxes. Fv(also been able to fix up the home by adding a new roof and energy efficient windows and insulated vinyl siding, in large part thanks to the extra summer income. I can assure YOU that if you speak with my neighbors on the road where my property is located, they will tell you they've enjoyed meeting the people from all over the country and beyond who have rented my property through Airbilb. There are no issues with loud parties or other neighborhood disruptions and the reason is because my property is listed on the Airbnb site as a cozy lakefront home, but also states this is not a "party" home and is in a residential neighborhood, therefore turning away those looking to raise hell. Airbrib also allows for reviews by the renter and the host that are available for review on the website before approval, thus helping to prevent and discourage disruptive people from renting. My point is I feel the new proposed ordinance restricting Airbnl) rentals to only 29- days a year is unfair to people who properly manage their rental and benefit froln the additional income. Which begs the question: why punish everyone for the actions of a few? If some property owners are hosting noisy & rowdy partier's then they should be dealt with accordingly and they should start by filing a noise complaint with the local police.'rhere are stiff penalties, fines, and remedies throtigh the court already in place for these type of violations I strongly disagree with the proposed ordinance given what I've read thus far, and I look forward to having my chance to speak publicly about these changes. Please reconsider implementing any ordinance that punishes others for the actions of a few. Thank You for your time. qincerely of n R. Barber n 11- N From: Katherine Goldberg -Forrest To: Paulette Rosa Subject: Short Term Rental Feedback Date: Sunday, December 16, 2018 4:25:24 PM To Whom It May Concern: We are writing to share our experiences as AirBnb hosts in our community, in light of recent related policy proposals. Since January of 2017, we have welcomed 336 guests, from 10 different countries. We have not received a single complaint from a neighbor; in fact, both of our direct neighbors have visited our rental and booked it for their own visiting family members. It is not an exaggeration to say that the care and maintenance of our property since becoming Airbnb hosts has become even more impeccable than it was when we were renting the property long-term. This is due to the simple fact that we are visiting the property more often (as would be the case for any Airbnb versus long-term landlord), tending to its condition, preparing it for guests, keeping its sidewalk free from snow, addressing garbage and recycling with increased frequency and assuring that our guests have a safe and enjoyable stay. This is far more than most landlords in this, or any other town, do for a yearly renter. We also feel far more engaged in our local community via tourism than we did when we were long-term landlords. We have a large binder in our rental, full of maps, restaurant listings, local businesses, wine trails, cheese makers, music performances, museums, live theater, festivals, parks, trails and more. We keep it up to date and make sure that we know which events are happening when guests are staying so that we can direct them accordingly. Our guest book is filled with notes, telling us which of these local events, businesses and restaurants have been visited — we can tell you with certainty that our Airbnb guests bring more business to our local community than a single long term renter would. Finally, we have invested significantly into our property to make it the highly -rated Airbnb that it is; we renovated the property at substantial cost, updated and furnished with a long-term view of contributing to our community in this way. We have been fortunate to find a means of supporting ourselves in a town where this is not a given. We are, frankly, more concerned about the financial stability of Ithaca's tax -paying residents than multi -national hotel chains. Airbnb in Ithaca has produced a triple win: satisfied guests, supporting the local economy, enabling hosts to live in the community they love. Any policy which attempts to restrict this immensely positive system must be able to stand up to this local reality. We strongly believe that what has been proposed thus far does not. Thank you for your consideration. From: Michael Rocco To: Paulette Rosa Subject: STR Committee Meeting Date: Sunday, December 16, 2018 12:40:59 PM Good Afternoon, As a host who uses Air BnB for multiple purposes, I would hate to see the limit be at 29 days per year. I enjoy getting possible guests to my home for a cheap rate, as well as giving them the opportunity to explore our great city with the plethora of opportunities that it gives them. With this 29 night limit, it would hurt not only the hosts of Air BnB, but it would disallow a lot of visitors in coming to explore our great city. With this in mind, I hope the Committee does not pass this. Thank you, Michael Rocco Letter to Town of Ithaca Board December 18, 2018 Re: Short Term Rentals (STR) in Medium Density Residential Zones Attention: Mr. Bill Goodman, Town Supervisor Dear Supervisor Goodman, At the STR meeting on November 29th, 2018 a letter from the Ithaca Board of Realtors dated November 27th, 2018 was reviewed and discussed by the Committee. Also reviewed and discussed were Carolyn Greenwald's undated letter and the Forest Home letter dated November 27, 2018. Not having been allowed to speak at the meeting, we offer our comments to these letters and to the Committee's discussion below, summarized as follows: • Realtors used uncorroborated data to demean residents' complaints • Committee using the uncorroborated industry data to consider new laws • Prime STR season is 120 days, not 365 thus concentrating the frequency of STR activity and impact to neighborhoods • Realtors are actively marketing ADUs- diminishing residential housing stock • Separate determinations/laws within zones can be achieved with overlays • Overlays can be address -specific and thus readily enforced • Renwick, Forest Home and Cayuga Heights enjoy similar geography, historical aspects, uniqueness, density and residential feel • Renwick Heights and Forest Home are in concert with Cayuga Heights' limits of 14 days UNHOSTED and 28 days HOSTED Please read on for a more thorough explanation and presentation. ITHACA BOARD OF REALTORS LETTER 1. On page 1, paragraph 1, it seems the given data has been accepted by the Committee as the gospel- but there is no independent attribution of the source. Might it be that it came from Airbnb? However- the Committee has said that Airbnb refused when it requested such data. So if the STR industry is the real source, the Committee is deliberating and legislating on data from a biased and apparently uncooperative source. That is not in the best interest of Town residents. 2. On page 1, paragraph 2, the uncorroborated data was used statistically to demean the objections and complaints raised by Renwick and Forest Home residents (that began almost 3 years ago). In the letter's misrepresentation of data there is no mention of the complaints raised by our Town neighbors in Cayuga Heights. As you know, Cayuga Heights held many meetings with residents on both sides of the STR issue and promptly developed and responded with sensible solutions. 3. On page 1, paragraph 4 there are kudos given to hosts for improving their properties and maintaining them. This is overblown- especially with UNHOSTED STRs. There is no evidence/data to support these statements. 4. On page 2, paragraph 1- again the use of unsubstantiated data to make a point. Also who is keeping bona fide records of all incidents- our direct experience is that problems/complaints are underreported because neighbors find it uncomfortable to report neighbors. The prime rental season is June through September approximately, or about 120 nights. If the limit is to be 120 that means every seasonable (desirable) night will be rented, possibly to a revolving door of 120 (times 2 or 3 per bedroom?) different tenants. Honestly would Committee members enjoy living next door to an UNHOSTED STR with car doors slamming, dogs barking, and transientguests talking as they struggle to let themselves in late at night -from June through September? Surely not- and they would be especially provoked if they liked to enjoy sleeping with open windows. S. On page 2, paragraphs 2 through 5- the Realtors object to the common sense provisions in the proposed Town legislation. They simply do not want any restrictions on STRs that would restrict profits for potential developers and thus commissions to themselves. There is no coincidence that realtors now more actively market Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) formerly referred to as possible rental income, mother-in-law suites, separate income apartment. ADUs catering to STRs damage the ambiance of the residential neighborhood and diminish housing stock for families and traditional renters. CONCLUSION: Your legislative predecessors worked very hard to craft laws/zoning that preserved the benefits of residential neighborhoods. Traditional B&Bs were discouraged. Airbnbs are really just B&Bs on a modern platform, and they impact the quality of neighborhood life- especially when UNHOSTED. See Attachment A for a glimpse of what neighbors have to deal with potentially every night. The Board of Realtors on the other hand just wants to promote and profit from a product- they could care less what happens to the residents that raise families there. CAROLYN GREENWALD'S LETTER Page 4, paragraph 7 makes the interesting point that regulations need not apply to the entire Town and that separate determinations for different areas within a zone are possible. However, this was wrongfully contested by some members of the Committee - as further discussed below. FOREST HOMES NOVEMBER 27, 2018 LETTER In paragraph 2, Forest Home supports keeping STR legislation amongst Renwick Heights, Forest Home and Cayuga Heights consistent. Given the close similarities of these neighborhoods that is quite logical. We would appreciate it if the Committee would articulate the reason for its reluctance to consider this. COMMITTEE DISCUSSION AT THE NOVEMBER 29TH MEETING 1. Mr. DePaolo asserted that Renwick Heights' residents would never be satisfied unless the Town banned STRs altogether. That is not true. We have been actively engaged in this issue with the Committee for nearly 3 years. We have also participated with Cayuga Heights in discussions concerning their legislation of STRs. Our position has evolved as can be seen in Attachment B dated November 16, 2018, paragraph 6: "Since Renwick Heights is so similar to Cayuga Heights, it would seem that the same reasoning that Cayuga Heights used in selecting a limit of 14 unhosted and 28 hosted days would apply to Renwick Heights as well". Note that this letter was emailed directly to all STR Committee members. We have attended all public STR Committee meetings and have been disappointed that our letter has not been discussed as thoroughly as the correspondence received from proponents of STRs. 2. Supervisor Goodman stated and Mr. DePaolo argued that it is not legal to have different requirements within a zone. We believe Ms. Leary requested that the Town's attorney verify this- but it did not appear that that request was granted. Please note that our research into this shows that it is not illegal to have specific zoning laws that apply only to an overlay area- in fact that is exactly what it is designed to do. We have learned that Lansing has overlays and we are looking into this. Both Renwick and Forest Home have geographical and historical uniqueness for which an overlay argument would likely be successful. An overlay area could have different restrictions for parking, number and frequency of permits granted, limits on dwelling capacities, noise limits/hours, etc. We will continue to research this to present you with more documentation and request that you authorize the Town Attorney's parallel research. 3. Director of Code Enforcement Bates objected to overlays on the basis it would be a "nightmare" to enforce. Why? Everyone knows that a complaint is not even issued unless a neighbor raises an objection. Since complaints and permits would be address -specific the restrictions for overlay addresses could be easily confirmed and applied. Would it be that much harder to enforce 14 vs. 28 days? Finally if one additional staff person were required to support this enforcement then raise the cost of permits. 4. Ms. Hunter argued that it makes no difference if it is 15 days or 28 days because it is stretched over 365 days. As mentioned above the prime season is June through September or approximately 120 days. So the calendar concentration of STRs at 28 days is more like 1 in 4, not 1 in 12. S. Ms. Hunter argued that hosts use the STR income to "fix their roof and pay their taxes". We don't know about taxes, but we have seen very few tangible improvements to neighborhood properties. CONFIRMATION OF RENWICK HEIGHTS POSITION We live in a unique neighborhood as do Cayuga Heights and Forest Home. We believe any legislation in these three areas should be consistent in all important ways. There is an advantage in being consistent as it is less confusing to owners and neighbors (your first line of enforcement). The inherent logic and resident support make it easier to stand legal challenge. Make no mistake that Airbnb, owners and other money interests will want few if any restrictions/regulations and more, and more, allowed stays. We believe overlays to our three areas are quite logical and legal if the Committee and Board will it to be so. We support the Town's draft legislation, but we want a 14 day limit on UNHOSTED STRs and a 28 day limit on HOSTED STRs. Respectfully submitted, For and on behalf, Concerned residents of Renwick Heights Attachments: A- Photo showing cars spilling onto street B- Email to Town from Renwick residents dated November 16, 2018 To: Town of Ithaca Short Term Rental Committee From: Carolyn Greenwald Town Resident and Homeowner since 2001 Re: Grandfathering Long Standing STR properties Date: December_, 2018 Dear Short Term Rental Committee and Town of Ithaca Board, Recently we proposed to the STR committee that certain long operating STR renting property uses be grandfathered, and therefore exempted, from certain limitations (but not all regulations) of the proposed STR regulations. One committee member dismissed this idea since such properties would be operating "in the shadows." I wish to clarify my proposal because the opposite is true. Please consider grandfathering and exempting properties from other limitations if they: 1) Have been registered with and paid room tax to Tompkins County for a period of time. We suggest allowing all properties that have been paying for at least 4 years to qualify for this exemption. We have been paying this tax for over 10 years. 2) Require that these properties register with the Town of Ithaca. This requirement (registering as a rental property) includes annual inspections and compliance with rental codes. 3) Require that these properties use contracts for rentals and such contracts must include clauses (i) allowing only tenant use of the property (no additional guests); (ii) allowing on - site parking only; and (ii) enforced quiet hours. Landlords should be made fully responsible for all violations with fines and penalties. The rational behind grandfathering these properties is that these homeowners (myself included) have proven themselves to be responsible citizens who have greatly and for many years contributed to the economic growth of our area without compromising their neighbors. Moreover, we have an established track record of not "operating in the shadows," but instead regularly reporting to the requesting municipality all of our income, and paying taxes on that income, in compliance existing rules. This group of homeowners will continue in the responsible neighborhood -minded way that they have been doing for a long period time. Many, like myself, have invested considerably in the care of our properties without knowledge that the Town wished to consider ending short term rentals. Our reliance and our dedication to Town economic growth deserves acknowledgement. You may be wondering why we are so keen on short term rentals. The answer is simply that in 2008 (before Airbnb) we wanted to keep our house (which is wonderful but not a great option for young kids) but could not find an academic year tenant despite our best efforts and many showings. We found a family that wished to take the house for the week of Thanksgiving and that started us on the short-term rental path. The lack of interest in our property for longer term tenants undercuts any argument that by focusing on short term rentals we are adversely affecting the housing market. We simply provide housing for a different group and wish to continue to do so in order to pay our mortgage, property taxes, up keep and not have to sell the house that we built and hope toreturn tofull time when are kids are grown. I would also like to address any counter argument that the Room Tax is paid to the County and not tothe Town ofIthaca. The room tax funds programs that enhance the quality oflocal life. The room tax is distributed by Tompkins County Area Development to non -profits in our area through its Tourism Capital Grants. Organizations that have received money from T[ADinclude the Community School ofMusic and Arts, the History Center, the Museum of the Earth, the Sciencenter, the State Theatre, Stewart Park, the Hanger Theatre, Cayuga Nature Center and Cass ParkSkatePark. These organizations bring art, music, science and learning to our area, enhancing the lives of Town residents. The room tax is also used to support local festivals and for area beautification. Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration. Carolyn Greenwald Adam Schaye 889TaughannockBlvd (formerly 887\ Edward Waters 115 Monroe Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Short Term Rental Committee Town of Ithaca New York December 16,2018 Re: Restrictive ordinance on home owners rentals Dear STR Committee, I am writing to object to the governmental overreach that the 29 day provision would bring to the property tax paying owners renting their homes in Ithaca. In addition to the property taxes the city receives, there are also AIRBNB taxes which the city also benefits from. Renting our property in Ithaca is actually a plus for the city and residents. The majority of our renters are here because of The Universities and local tourism. They all support the local economy when they visit. They bring money to local businesses, helping to make Ithaca and Tompkins County a thriving destination. As homeowners renting through AIRBNB, we have a vested interest in maintaining our home to a high standard. We only rent to guests that agree to participate in a rental arrangement that respects us and our neighbors. We have clearly stated rules to ensure this. Successful AIRBNB owners and renters rely on a review process that protects both parties. The across the board 29 day provision unfairly punishes the majority of responsible homeowners due to the actions of a few. Honestly addressing the amount of rundown long term rental properties in Ithaca is where local government could make improvements. Some questions I have are: Are the corporate interests (new and existing hotels) in Ithaca driving these provisions? Is it right and just for corporate interests to be above rights of property owners and residents of Ithaca? Please reconsider this uninformed ordinance. At the very least this should open for public debate. Sincerely, Edward Waters December 18, 2018 I moved to Ithaca this spring, attracted to the arts, culture, and natural beauty. As part of my financial plan, I purchased a place with a small rental unit. When 1 was not able to find a renter, perhaps in part due to the many new rentals coming on to the market, 1 became a reluctant AirBnB host. What 1 found with AirBnb was the opposite of all of my fears. In my experience, 100% of my guests came to Ithaca to enjoy the assets exactly as 1 myself have done. While I was hosting, 1 worked hard to provide a comfortable, clean, welcoming experience. To a person, my guests took care of my property respectfully, expressing their appreciation for the opportunity to stay there. They were kind, communicative and clean. They spent money on restaurants and culture, and left our community with a positive attitude and a desire to return. Currently, I have a full time renter on my property. However, the ability to switch back and forth between long and short term rental gives me flexibility that insures my financial security. 1 appreciate being able to share my home responsibly while I host people from all over the world. Well run AirBnb's are a boon to our tourist industry, giving guests a rich personal experience, allowing people like me, a property owner, an entrepreneurial opportunity a way to afford to live here. Problem AirBnB's, those who do not take care of things properly, can and should be reported and shut down by the company. AirBnB has helped to provide me the tools to create a viable small business, which has benefitted all involved. My experience, and that of my guests, has been nothing but positive, professionally and personally. Respectfully, Kari Robertson From: Mia Slotnick <mjslotnick123@gmail.com> Subject: Short Term Rentals Date: November 16, 2018 at 2:05:00 PM EST To: Bill Goodman <bgoodman@town.ithaca.ny.us>, Bruce Bates <bbates@town.ithaca.ny.us>, Paulette Rosa <PRosa@town.ithaca.ny.us>, Susan Ritter <sritter@town.ithaca.ny.us>, Pam Bleiwas <PBleiwas@town.ithaca.ny.us>, TeeAnn Hunter <THunter@town.ithaca.ny.us>, Rod Howe <RHowe@town.ithaca.ny.us>, Pat Leary <Pleary@town.ithaca.ny.us>, Eric Levine <eLevine@town.ithaca.ny.us>, Rich DePaolo <rdepaolo@town. ithaca. ny. us> Bcc: macananny@gmail.com Dear Mr. Goodman and members of the Town Board, Planning Board, Planning Committee, and Short Term Rental Committee, At the last Short Term Rental committee meeting, there were several comments from committee members that our neighborhood would have liked to respond to, but were not able to due to time constraints. Hopefully, you have all had a chance to thoroughly read the letter from Renwick Heights, as many of the comments that were brought up were addressed in the letter. It was repeatedly stated at the meeting that Renwick Heights is the only neighborhood that the Town has heard from with concerns about STRs. We feel that the reason other neighborhoods have not come forward is because other neighborhoods have not experienced STRs to the extent that we have. Renwick Heights has had an unusually high number of STRs for such a small area. STRs were introduced to our neighborhood three years ago by a family from Seattle. This family had experience AirBNBing their Seattle home, and immediately listed their Renwick Heights home on AirBNB and regularly rented it out, despite objections from residents. They actively encouraged other neighbors to list their homes on AirBNB. With minimal enforcement of the Town Code, STRs flourished. The geographic location of Renwick Heights also promotes the practice. Renwick Heights is essentially an island, surrounded by the City, the Village of Cayuga Heights, and the lake (see attached Town Zoning map -Renwick Heights is the small yellow area labelled MDR between the City, Cayuga Heights, and the lake). Because Cayuga Heights has strictly limited the number of STRs allowed in the Village, this is pushing more STRs into Renwick Heights where regulation is much looser. Several of the properties in our neighborhood describe their homes on AirBNB as being "in Cayuga Heights". STRs will continue to be pushed towards Renwick Heights from Cayuga Heights if more days of STRs are allowed by law in Renwick Heights. We are truly the "canaries in the coal mine". It should be expected that the adverse consequences experienced by Renwick Heights will occur in other parts of the Town, once the practice of STRs expands, with highest impact in areas that are similar in character to Renwick and Cayuga Heights. Another comment made at the meeting was that Renwick Heights cannot be easily delineated. This is incorrect. The map below shows that Renwick Heights is a very well delineated area that is clearly bordered by the City, Cayuga Heights, and the lake, and is distinctly separated from the rest of the Town. In fact, it is difficult to understand why it was not originally part of Cayuga Heights, as it is contiguous with the Village, and is indistinguishably similar in its characteristics. Since Renwick Heights is so similar to Cayuga Heights, it would seem that the same reasoning that Cayuga Heights used in selecting a limit of 14 unhosted and 28 hosted days would apply to Renwick Heights as well. Renwick Heights is also clearly demarcated as a distinct area of historical significance. According to the Town's Comprehensive Plan, it was one of the 28 sites selected for placement of a historical marker that recognizes Renwick Heights as a distinct area, and commemorates the Town's history. This designation of historical significance, along with its geographic isolation, clearly distinguishes it from other areas of the Town. We would greatly appreciate it if Renwick Heights was considered separately from other Medium Density Residential areas of the Town in regard to the Town's STR regulations. Because of the density and proximity of homes to each other, challenging topography (hills, narrow streets, cul de sacs, limited parking), distinct neighborhood character, and historical significance, the negative impact of STRs to the the quality of life in Renwick Heights is much greater than it would be in many other MDR areas of the Town. Thank you for considering. Sincerely, Renwick Heights Neighbors From: george myers To: Paulette Rosa Subject: Support for Airbnb Date: Tuesday, December 18, 2018 9:36:08 PM I write as an owner of an Airbnb property in the city of Ithaca, both to explain the benefits of Airbnb in Ithaca, and to express my opposition to measures that would severely limit Airbnb owners. About a year ago, I purchased a property on a quiet side street a few blocks from the Commons, at a cost well above the assessed value, for the specific purpose of making it suitable as an Airbnb rental. At that time, I went though a lengthy and comprehensive evaluation by Ithaca building and electrical inspectors, and complied with every directive in order to receive a Certificate of Compliance. Since that time, though I do not reside there, I have made other improvements to the house and maintained it in pristine condition. It has enjoyed great success. I am a retired music teacher, having taught the orchestra at Ithaca High School for many years, and rental of the property has provided my wife and I with significant income. We currently have bookings reaching well into 2019 and 2020. Although I do not reside in the house myself, in the year I have been hosting the property, I have been present almost every day to clean, prepare for guests, sweep sidewalks, mow the lawn or clear snow. I am by no means an "absentee landlord". I am on a very friendly basis with my immediate neighbors, and have frequently exchanged favors of property upkeep with them. I know I am considered by them to be a good neighbor. In addition, I am active in the Ithaca community - I volunteer at the Ithaca Reuse Center as a member of the fixers collective, my wife teaches violin in town, my daughter teaches at Ithaca College. Since we have been hosting, there has not been a single complaint of noise, litter, or any kind of disturbance caused by my guests, and in part because I can vet each guest before approving a booking through Airbnb's system of approval, I have found that guests we approve have left the house in perfect condition upon their departure. By the same token, guests can see our reviews on the Airbnb site before thy book, and know what to expect during their stay, as well as understand our requirements of them. Among our specific requirements are no parties, no extra guests, no smoking, and quiet time between IOpm and Sam, all meant to make guests aware of being respectful both of the house and the neighbors nearby. It is a culture of mutual respect that Airbnb works to promote. I want to note that every time a guest stays with us, room tax is paid by Airbnb to the city of Ithaca, and in every respect we have met our fiscal responsibility to the city. I believe that the Airbnb experience is a unique one for visitors to Ithaca, one that is not comparable to a stay at, for example, a hotel, and one that enhances Ithaca as a visitor friendly city. Guests have mostly been families of present of prospective students at Cornell and Ithaca College, people visiting to take or teach any number of courses and workshops offered in our city, business people coming for a short stay, and, of course, tourists visiting our beautiful city. They have without exception expressed to me, through Airbnb's system of review, their appreciation and enjoyment of their stay. Many have booked more than once. And some have booked for weeks at a time. The attraction for many guests is to be able to stay in a house where, unlike a hotel, they can be "at home" - the house is fully and attractively newly furnished and includes a full kitchen, laundry room, comfortable living room and bedrooms, and instant access to me as a host for suggestions about exploring the city, or for helping in any way I can to make their stay enjoyable. I live close by and am available at a moments notice. Let me offer some specific examples of past guest experiences: 1. A couple with a young child come to visit their daughter at Cornell, accompanied by the student's elderly grandparents. While here, they are able to be in a home together, care for their parents, prepare a family meal for their college daughter, put their child to sleep while they relax in the living room, and enjoy all the privacy a home affords. 2. Four graduate students from Spain arrive last summer for a three week course at Cornell's School of Hotel Management. They attend classes all day, and are able to gather in the evening, discuss their course work, eat and cook what they choose, even celebrate the birthday of one of them. For three weeks, they have a home of their own, while still having easy access to every attraction Ithaca has to offer. 3.Two couples in their in their sixties visit, bikes in tow, to have a mini reunion and enjoy the Porchfest weekend. They shop for groceries, maybe enjoy a glass of wine in the living room, do a laundry before leaving, and enjoy the camaraderie they have come to Ithaca to rekindle Each of these is an experience that would not be possible in any other rental situation in the city. Whether for a weekend or a month, I provide, at very modest rental, all the comforts of their own residence to guests, and their appreciation is borne out in their reviews of us following their stay. They often express how they are grateful to have found an alternative to the usual hotel experience. A place to call home. I am not unaware that there is a shortage of housing in Ithaca, and that it is a challenge to find viable solutions, but I truly believe that the presence of Airbnb rentals in the Ithaca does so much to contribute to its attractiveness to visitors. It is a singularly unique experience and choice that Airbnb offers, namely a "home away from home", and it is clearly an option that is much appreciated. It is my strong hope that we be allowed to continue to offer the choice, and that restrictions will not be imposed to limit that. A twenty nine day limit would be the death knell for Ithacans depending on the income from Airbnb rentals, and a requirement that the owner of the house resides there would end the possibility for me and others to continue to provide this attractive and useful alternative to traditional rentals. Respectfully, George Myers From: Kurt Martin To: Paulette Rosa Subject: Proposed action on short term rentals Date: Wednesday, December 19, 2018 11:26:34 PM As a property owner in both the town and the city of Ithaca, and a frequent user of short term rental services, I believe it would be a disservice to our community to restrict this type of accommodation. When travelling, I think there are many benefits to this type of accommodation, including having a more local experience, trying different types of spaces, and having flexible housing that can fit a variety of needs. As a host myself, I have had the opportunity to meet people from all around the world who have chosen the space we have available because it fills a need for them better than other available options. We have had a diverse collection of guests who tend to appreciate the walkability of our location, and who shop, dine, and seek entertainment within walking distance of the house. While providing an economic benefit, these guests also add to the demographic diversity of our town. Our guests usually arrive by public transportation, so there are fewer cars parking on the street than with other types of rentals or owner occupied buildings. Some in our neighborhood have had a negative reaction to students, and short term rentals provide an alternative way to produce income from property without having some of the perceived negative impacts of student -oriented rentals. As both a host and a guest, I see value in short term rentals. I think that placing further restrictions on this type of rental will have a negative impact on my family personally, and on our neighborhood, so I encourage the Short Term Rental Committee to continue to allow this type of accommodation without restrictions on the number of nights one may host, or on which properties or ownership types may be used for this purpose. Thank you for you consideration, Kurt Martin TO: Town of Ithaca Board; Tompkins County Legislature RE: Petition to Stop Short -Term Rentals in `Renwick Heights', Town of Ithaca September 2016 We the undersigned are residents of the area generally comprised of Renwick Drive, Renwick Place, Renwick Heights Road, and parts of East Shore Drive and commonly known as `Renwick Heights'. This area is a peaceful, quiet, low -turnover residential community that enjoys close proximity to Boynton Middle School and Ithaca High School. The area is zoned Medium Density Residential. We are very concerned about the short-term (less than 30 days) rental activity in our area. There has been an alarming increase in 2016 of the number of residences being offered and the frequency of occupations. These are let for rent by the owners using Airbnb, Home Away, VRBO and other forms of advertisements to generate their short-term business. Please see the attached Appendix 1 depicting the locations of rentals with red circles and a number indicating the frequency of short- term occupations so far this year. The URLs for the advertisements are given at the bottom. We believe that the quality of life, safety, neighborhood character and sense of community are diminished by these short-term rentals. In May, 2016 a group of concerned neighbors met with the Town of Ithaca official that is responsible for enforcement of zoning regulations. The official characterized these occupations as "transient" in nature as the stays are less than 30 days in duration. His conclusion was that these occupations are not permitted by Town Code because the residences are not licensed B&Bs, the owners are not present during the short stays, and the residences are not permitted to operate as hotels/motels. We requested verbally and via email that the Town Code be enforced. There have been some actions to enforce the rules- and we appreciate that- but the Town's enforcement efforts are being ignored. We fear that the seeming inability to enforce the Code is also acting to embolden others to engage in the practice. Thus the undersigned (see Appendix 2) Renwick Heights residents formally petition the Town of Ithaca and Tompkins County Board of Supervisors to take more vigorous actions to enforce Town Code and put a stop to these short-term occupations. Appendices: 1- Renwick Heights: red circles denote short-term rentals summer 2016 2- Undersigned - Concerned Renwick Heights Neighbors Effects on the residential quality of the neighborhood: When we decided to buy a house, we were offered several properties in Collegetown— which would have been very convenient as we were both working at Cornell. We turned them down largely because of the transient nature of the residents there. We opted instead to buy in Renwick Heights, because it was residential, and we wanted to know our neighbors. The residential character of our street will be negatively affected by having an increasing number of AirBnB rentals. This is not supposition; we have seen the effect on traffic and parking already. The renters might well be very nice; but they drive —and more importantly they park —their cars. I recently checked out the AirBnB website for Ithaca and found that several advertisements touted, as a desirable feature, that the neighborhood was quiet. I noticed also that some explicitly mentioned —again as a desirable feature —that the neighborhood was residential. I find it ironic that the two features cited as desirable were the same two features that would be compromised by an increase in AirBnB rentals. Effects on resale value: Furthermore, for many of us, our homes are major investments. And for many of us, we will eventually sell them. I wonder what the effect of more AirBnBs will be on resale value. I understand that, for many renters, AirBnB is an economic question, but it is also an economic question for those of us who bought homes in a residential neighborhood. Enforcement of restrictions: For the sake of argument, assume there is a restriction on the number of days a homeowner can rent their house and on whether the homeowner must be present during the rental. It's all fine and good to have those restrictions on paper, but how will they be enforced? Will some official go around the neighborhood to check? Unlikely. Will residents have to stoop to spying on and reporting their neighbors? What an unpleasant situation that would be —for renters and neighbors alike! The town and the IRS: Obviously, this is a question for lawyers, but I'm wondering what sort of obligation, if any, the town would have vis avis the IRS. If the town allows renting for more than 1.4 days per year, will it be obligated to report to the IRS people who are renting their homes/ rooms for more than that number of days? The home as a castle: Finally, I understand the argument that one can do anything with ones home, because it is, after all, ones home. However, this is not always true. Unless I am mistaken, I cannot, for example, raise pigs on my property, even though it's my property, because the resulting smell would negatively affect the quality of life of my neighbors. Turning a residential area into a renter's haven would also negatively affect the quality of life of the neighborhood. Appendix 2: Undersigned - Concerned Renwick Heights Neighbors Resident Name Address Si -t r Da e �^ 6-7-7GnI'�J4GK I'L— 1. • :.5 2.MAL,�� ?L 3. c �' 4. ve (-,4 V, 5. All bait 6. 7.L Wk0 8. 10. K 11. 12. _ PIA !S io 7-/U i Ck 13.,JA'K vale 14. CohnvY�lNlix 161. LiC�lftt/e 17.��C� MI 91) j AMW"44, -flAtt 7 Bevil dk ra < a� Ren w �u�S tad zg penw�(k NIS �. fC�t Statement to Town of Ithaca Board re: Short Term Rentals to Transient parties Date: 23 Jan 2018 During the summer of 2016 problems with short term visitors to the Renwick area intensified with the number and frequency of strangers overnighting in our neighborhood. Parking congestion, speeding, noise, persons wandering into private areas and other disturbances caused alarm. Discussions with Owners that were permitting use of their homes for transient rentals revealed that the occupations were not occurring with owners or their representatives being present (ie, UNHOSTED). Further, owners felt they had an unfettered right to rent their homes, or parts thereof, without considering any impacts upon their neighbors. Owners claimed they were carefully vetting prospective tenants but could not explain their online advertisements 'to come party in Ithaca'. Civil discourse soon stopped. Properties in the neighborhood have been bought and transformed into what are essentially unlicensed B&Bs without the breakfast, and without the life safety and other safeguards required of licensed B&Bs, and hotels. Renwick is a traditionally quiet family neighborhood with several schools within walking distance. Alarmed by the sudden deterioration in our peace, quiet and security a group of Renwick neighbors met with the Town enforcement officer. The officer reasoned that since these operations walk and smell like B&Bs they should be held to the same essential standards. Realizing that any enforcement was becoming an overwhelming task, a group of neighbors formally petitioned the Town Board in September 2016 to take action. However the enforcement officer's reasonable interpretation of the Codes' intent and efforts to enforce them via established codified standards seem to have been (at light speed) undermined/thwarted by the Town Board. The Board maintains that since "Air" B&Bs are not specifically mentioned in Town Codes (how could they be when Codes were established before these enterprises became available?) that they must be allowed to operate. Further the Board is bent on re -writing existing Codes such that they are, in some fashion, permitted. The now familiar cry of the'sharing economy' is touted by certain Board members as the reason for creating laws that allow for more frequent and even UNHOSTED operation of these home businesses. Further considerations: 1. If it has been too difficult to enforce the intent of existing Town Codes, how will it be possible to set up, administer and enforce new regulations? 2. How much will taxes go up to allow for additional personnel and tools necessary to administer this permitting process? 3. We are fully aware that organized lobbying by online operators and in some cases even threats of legal action have occurred in local municipalities wrestling with these issues. What has occurred in the Town of Ithaca? 4. What mechanism will be open to neighbors to raise complaints? Will these home business be required to have liability insurance sufficient to compensate neighbors for the acts of their tenants? 5. The Town's interpretation that the existing Codes are not enforceable since they do not account for "Air" B&Bs is puzzling. It is also different from that of other local municipalities (we believe Cayuga Heights has a fundamentally different take). Would the Town be willing to host a public discussion of these differences, ideally with other municipalities? 6. Renwick neighbors believe it is important to illuminate any potential conflicts of interests amongst lawmakers dealing with these matters. Once again we would respectfully request full disclosure from Town Board members and Officials with regard to their personal involvement with STR operations --both as users of the various on-line services, as owners, as close relations of owners, or otherwise beneficiaries. January 23, 2018 Dear Supervisor Goodman, short term rental committee members, and Town Board members, We are very concerned about the Town Board's proposal to allow 29 days of unhosted short term rentals and unlimited days of hosted short term rentals in low, medium, and high density residential areas of the Town. The IRS stipulates that renting your residence out for more than 14 days must be reported on your income tax. Surely the existing Town code Chapter 270-219.2 on Limitations on home occupations would therefore apply. It states that home occupations should meet all of the following requirements, including: A. An area of no more than 25% of the floor space of the dwelling or 500 square feet (whichever is less) shall be used for the occupation. G. The business shall not generate traffic in any greater volume than would normally be expected in a residential neighborhood, and any need for parking generated by the use shall be met off the street. H. The business or use shall not be detrimental to the residential character of the surrounding neighborhood. In our experience with short term rentals in Renwick Heights, all three of these requirements are violated. Obviously, they use more square footage than is allowed. There is a marked increase in traffic from the renters, and they often drive at high speeds. Our neighborhood has always had a lack of off-street parking because of the hilly terrain and space constraints of the neighborhood, so many residents have limited or no off-street parking and must park their cars on the street. The renters' cars add to this parking congestion. The character of our neighborhood is negatively affected by traffic increases, the presence of strangers in the neighborhood, and the noise and disturbance to privacy and peace that they create. B&Bs are allowed in some residential areas of the Town by special permit. Hosted short term rentals appear to be the same thing as a B&B, but they, along with unhosted short term rentals will avoid all the permitting, inspections, tax obligations, insurance, handicap accessibility and safety requirements that legitimate B&Bs and hotels must adhere to. The individual characteristics of each neighborhood vary greatly within the Town, and should be assessed and used to determine whether the neighborhood is suitable for short term rentals. Density of the housing and parking constraints should be part of the decision as to whether or not to allow them, rather than making a blanket one -size -fits -all decision for all residential areas. How will these businesses be monitored and regulated? In our experience, expecting the home owner to adhere to the regulations does not work. Asking neighbors to monitor and report violations led to conflict and police involvement. Why are so many days being proposed? Why not start with a small test number, and see how it goes. The situation can be monitored and re-evaluated at a later date, and the number of days can always be increased if things are going smoothly. Will there be a limit on the number of people allowed to stay in each house? How will this be determined and monitored? Will there be a limit on the number of occasions that the house can be rented vs the number of days to limit the impact on the neighborhood? (ex. 3 weekends total instead of 6 individual days) How will it be permitted? How many homes in one street will be allowed to have permits and conduct rentals? How will it be determined that the home owner is living in the house at the time of the rental (a hosted rental) or not living in the house (an non -hosted rental)? Will the home owner have to be available and contactable by the neighbors, the Town, or the police if there are problems with the renters or the house, or in an emergency? We chose to live in a residentially zoned area because we wanted to live in a quiet peaceful neighborhood with neighbors who we know. It is wrong to allow non -hosted short term rentals (aka hotels) and hosted short term rentals (aka B&Bs) in an area where people bought their homes because they wanted to live in a strictly residential area. What is the point of living in a residential area if people in the neighborhood are allowed to run a hotel or B&B in their home? The designation as being "residentially zoned" becomes almost meaningless. The petition we submitted to the Board in September of 2016 signed by 17 Renwick Heights residents stated that the quality of life, safety, neighborhood character, and sense of community had all been diminished by the short term rentals operating in our neighborhood. At that time, short term rentals were deemed illegal by the Town, and we requested that the Town continued to enforce the Code to put a stop to them. There are numerous websites (AirBNB Watch, Share Better, Keep Neighborhoods First) which catalog the countless disaster stories of short term rentals all over the world. Homeowners, renters, neighbors, neighborhoods, cities, and towns have all suffered from these experiences. Let's not make the same mistake. Sincerely, /114 %X 17Z Mia Slotnick and Kenneth Simpson Renwick Heights Road Paulette Rosa Subject: FW: Town Meeting tomorrow Hello Supervisor Goodman, My name is Ed Cohn and I am the manager at Rogues Harbor Inn in Lansing. It has been brought to my attention that the town of Ithaca is considering allowing people to rent out their homes for up to a month while the owner is not present. From my perspective as an operator of a B&B, this proposal is bad for multiple reasons. First, there are currently way more rooms available in legitimate businesses - hotels, motels, B&Bs, Inns - than than the area can fill. The only exceptions are the weekends that bring in folks for the Cornell and Ithaca College events which are only twice a year. It is then that there is a shortage of rooms in the area. All other times, especially in the off-season, we are not filling our establishments. What about regulating this? Are you planning on collecting lodging tax? Does the home owner need to have liability insurance? How does this benefit the community? There is also the issue of AirB&B, which has almost ruined the legitimate B&B business everywhere, undercutting our rates and not offering true B&B amenities. There have been too many disaster stories of people letting strangers into their houses only to return to a trashed house, having items stolen, and other damage including having the house burned to the ground! (check out some of these stories: Many neighborhood residents look out for each other and keep an eye on things. Allowing non-residents to stay in a neighborhood for up to a month, while in many cases would be no problem, could be anxiety provoking for the residents. This is just a bad idea. If the only upside is that the home owners are making some extra money, then I don't see that as a compelling reason for opening up our neighborhoods to potential problems while hurting the legitimate, struggling lodging industry in our area. Thanks for your consideration, Ed Cohn, B&B Manager Rogues' Harbor Inn 2079 East Shore Drive, PO Box 97 Lansing, New York 14882 607-533-3535 1 Paulette Rosa Subject: FW: Airbnb statement Hello Bill, We are unable to attend tomorrow's Town Board meeting and are hoping you can read this aloud during the comments portion and enter it into the public record. Thank you. To: Ithaca Town Board From: Maralyn Edid and Lawrence Blume; 22 Renwick Hghts Rd., Ithaca Date: Jan. 22, 2018 The Airbnb phenomenon is real and compelling: Homeowners have an opportunity to earn money by renting out a room or the entire abode for a short period, whether they are present or not. That's arguably a win for them (but did the "guests" trash the place?) but not for their neighbors or the town. Suddenly there are more cars on the street; where will they park? There are more unknown people coming and going with no connection to the community; will they hold noisy parties or leave trash strewn about? Is the home now a business (despite loud denials) in a neighborhood zoned as residential? What will happen to the value of surrounding homes, to the tax base? How will the town reap rewards from this intrusive business activity? We are given to understand that the Board is contemplating a very generous, loose rule about short-term rentals. (Hopefully we are misinformed.) This is alarming. Who will enforce the limits? Is the sheriff's department sufficiently staffed to handle problems that may arise? What about the legitimate concerns of neighbors who oppose short-term rentals? Surely there is a more balanced way to enable people to profit from home ownership without harming the rest of us. We urge you to proceed with care. Paulette Rosa From: Michael MacAnanny <macananny@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2018 2:04 PM To: Bill Goodman; Paulette Rosa Cc: Mia Slotnick; Barbara Marie Koslowski; Luisa Antunes; Kenneth William Simpson; Maralyn Edid Subject: Short Term Rentals Dear Bill, Paulette and the Town of Ithaca Board, Thank you for allowing us to comment on the Town's proposed law regarding UNHOSTED short term rentals. Please review our comments that follow, as we hope they may receive further discussion and consideration at the Town meeting on 8/23/18: 1. We understand that this law applies only to UNHOSTED units, but there seems linkage for HOSTED units that we believe are covered under the Laws enacted earlier this year in the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) provisions. If this is so, it would seem a Tax Parcel's deeded Owner could have an unlimited number of short term rentals provided the unit or units comply with the Town's registry and operating permit regulations and that that Owner (not his/her relatives) is present during the occupations. There is however an exception for ADU's existing prior to the enactment of the ADU laws. Would you kindly verify that our understandings are correct, or comment if we are in any way mistaken? This will help us to have a comprehensive picture of where the Town is going with the proposed UNHOSTED law as it fits together with Short Term Rentals. 2. If there are are two permitted ADU units in addition to the Owner's permitted primary residence in the dwelling, could each of the ADU's be rented for 29 mgghts, and the Owner's residence be rented for 29 nights, for total of 3 x 29 = 87 nights if the Owner is not present, ie, UNHOSTED? 3. Under 6. Definitions, there could be some confusion. What laws are applicable if the USTRs are not located on the same Tax Parcel as the Owner's primary residence? Could the Owner sleep soundly in his or her Lansing primary residence while his/her multiple USTRs in Renwick are being occupied? 4. We do appreciate the somewhat muscular provisions governing reporting and enforcement. We do believe however that neighbors will be required to police their neighbors' STRs to make enforcement viable. Counting the nights that a neighbor has unfamiliar license plates at his property, watching the comings and goings of transient guests, and tracking and reporting the data are uncomfortable tasks. We wonder if AIRBNB, VRBO, and other agencies could be convinced to make quarterly reports on each properties' rentals available to the Town (?). Apparently NYC has an aggressive program for enforcement and may have worked out some agreements with these agencies. Another thought is that revenues from operating permits and fines could be used to hire additional personnel to monitor and enforce STRs. Thank you in advance, and feel free to contact me prior to the meeting if clarification is needed. On behalf of the Renwick group, Very truly yours, Michael MacAnanny Fromm: Brent Cross /bcoss@cayuga-heights.ny,us> Sent: K4 d b rOl.2OI8lO-34A�� To: i Cc Bruce Bates Subject: RE:Airbnb unsafe' unsanitary Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Flagged 44"o The property at is not located within the Village of Cayuga Heights jurisdiction. | suspect that it might beinthe Town nfIthaca, therefore iamcopying this message to their Code Enforcement Official. Sincerely, Brent 7,17 NO Sent: Saturday, September 29, 2018 5:55 PM To: Brent Cross Subject: Re: Airbnb unsafe, unsanitary Ithaca, NY 14850. }fL On 4/27 lhud booked uccoruouodadoos viauirbob a|what was u "Roxdc artist space." There ixoobathroom. l also had occasion to stay in adjacent cabin for the night. Noteworthy is the door on the second Om« to the outside (both locals) that opens i0 u"dead drop,' to the pavement below. Not safe at all. November 27, 2018 To: Members of the Short -Term Rental Committee, Town of Ithaca From: Undersigned residents of Forest Home Re: Short-term rentals in residential neighborhoods in the Town of Ithaca Unhosted Short -Term Rentals (USTRs). 1. We commend the Board for recognizing USTRs as incompatible with the viability of residential neighborhoods and for considering legislation that will put restrictions on these rentals. 2. We would ask that the Town reconsider the proposed number of days it will allow USTRs by adopting the Cayuga Heights standard of 14 days. This would make the restriction consistent among Cayuga Heights, Renwick Heights, and Forest Home. 3. We urge the Town to be more proactive and vigorous in enforcing both the proposed short -terns unhosted rental policy, as well as long-term rentals in residential neighborhoods. Right now the burden of policing falls upon vigilant neighbors who are willing to make a report based on the traffic they see going in and out of the property. The burden should more appropriately rest with the Town's zoning officer(s). 4. We also ask whether the Town can legally reclassify rental properties as businesses, which would then allow the Town to restrict these rentals based on their incompatibility with the residential designation. Signed electronically: Giulia and Klaas van Wijk - 108 McIntyre pl. Laure and Abe Stroock, 115 McIntyre Pl. John J. Clark and M. Patricia Clark, 101 Forest Home Drive Francois and Dawn Clvinger, 109 McIntyre Place Ruth Mahr, 103 Judd Falls Road Rosemary J. Silbey, 105 Judd Falls Road Allison Wilson, 128 Judd Falls Road To: Town of Ithaca Short Term Rental Committee From: Carolyn Greenwald Homeowner since 2001 Re: Opposition to pending legislation limiting "Airbnb style" rentals for lake properties Dear Short Term Rental Committee and Town of Ithaca Board, Upon reviewing the proposed regulation on Airbnb style renting, I was pleased to see that the committee recognized that this is appropriate and beneficial in at least some areas of the Town, specifically along the lake. I write in support of that part of the proposed legislation that excludes lakeside properties, and provide further rationales for that decision from the prospective a lakeside homeowner. As you know the same regulation need not apply to the entire town- like all zoning what is appropriate in one area may not be in others. The positives of this type of renting in a limited residential, and tourist heavy lakeside area clearly outweighs the negatives. Moreover, with regard to the lakeside properties in particular, the impact of an imminent ban (rather than phasing in over time) on Airbnb style renting would cause serious financial harm to some of your constituents. In 2001, just before my husband and I got married, we bought 887 Taughannock Boulevard, on the west side of the lake. Calling the structure that was there a "house", let alone a "fixer upper" is very generous-- There were holes in the floor, the electric was not to code, access to the property was by holding on to a rope, the outside lacked siding, it was insulated with cardboard, the dock was falling into the lake, the lawn hadn't been mowed in years and a hole in the wall was simply stuffed with a half full bag of kitty litter. We spent the next seven years hauling, hammering, and using blood, sweat and tears to make our home a house. In 2008, 1 was pregnant with our third child. Our house was nearly complete but it was not the right place to live with a four year old, a one year old, and a newborn baby; but we did not want to sell. We worked so hard on the house and wanted a chance to enjoy it, so we decided to rent it and move to a residential neighborhood on the other side of town. We could not find a tenant to take the house for the winter but we could easily find tenants to come on a short term basis, particularly in the summer. Moreover, charging a different price for summer rentals of a lake house, and winter rental of a house on the side of hill, is obviously the most fair and efficient rental scheme. We registered our house with Tompkins County and were listed in the old Visit Ithaca pamphlet (this may not still exist) and now on the visitithaca.com website. For 10 years we have paid 3% of our rental revenue (Le over $20,000) in Tompkins County Hotel Room Occupancy Tax. The idea was, and has always been, to use rental revenue to pay the $15k+ a year property taxes and mortgage so we don't have to sell the house and can move back someday soon (amazingly college is only 5 years away). In 2014, we purchased the lake house four houses to the North (907 Taughannock) as an income property, as running a second nearby rental is efficient given the effort and systems of running the first. When we bought that property it had been on the market for over a year, with several price drops. We eventually purchased the property at price only supportable by rental income, and have rented it for the last four years without incident or complaint. Continue The Lakeside Exclusion While for all of the reasons implied above and discussed in your meetings, we believe the benefits of Airbnb style renting outweigh the harms and should be permitted for lakeside rentals. The harms sought to be redressed are all more fairly and appropriately addressed by regulation —such as noise or parking regulations- tailored to the harms at issue. Please note, lake houses are often utilized on a short term basis in the summer months even by the owners. As you are clearly aware, there is no inherent reason that a single policy is best for the entire town rather than area by area. We are — of course- particularly interested in the thirty or so properties on west side of Cayuga Lake. This area is not a neighborhood. There are no sidewalks or connections between the properties and there is little interaction between neighbors. The majority of houses are not full time owner occupied. Many of the arguments we have heard advanced as to the harm of this style of renting simply do not apply to this small area on the lake, where short term summer vacations are the norm for owners and renters alike. Indeed, we take our own family of five to the lake house for as much as possible over the summer. Again, we lived in this house for 10 years and hope to move back someday, and this type of activity by our neighbor has never bothered us — or felt out of character - in that location. If you were to enact a new policy suddenly for our area, rather than over, say, a period of years, it will cause a devastating financial loss the magnitude of which has not been acknowledged. Our houses are booked for rentals for the next year (not fully, but several weeks of next summer are leased as summer bookings and repeat renters book first). Yearly rentals of lake properties —in contrast to other properties in Town- generate substantially less revenue than renting for the summer months alone. Over 50% of the income from the house happens over the summer alone. To be clear, if a new policy impacting our houses is implemented, we will not be able to pay the taxes and mortgages in short order. This is particularly true as it is too late to find a tenant for the current academic year, at anything more than a bargain rate, which cannot possibly cover the costs. A new policy will mean foreclosure, selling or both. While selling is an option, any new policy will have a devastating effect on the lake house market if several people (and we will be two), are all forced to sell at once and in the wrong selling season. Of course potential buyers in a small community will know that all of the former renters were forced to stop and are selling in desperate straits before foreclosure, and of course that will dramatically lower sale prices. Please note- this is particularly true for the unique lake property market in ways that are totally different than the rest of the Town where the impacts on a substantially larger market will be more diffuse. The lake house market is very limited in size, and has a very high rate of (particularly summer) Airbnb rentals. I will only briefly note the general benefits of this style of renting, because I assume you are well aware at this stage in the process. But from a personal level I feel compelled to note that the benefits of short term rentals are many. It provides income to local homeowners, which in turns pays substantial local taxes, including room tax, (and necessarily in households that don't send kids to the schools). It provides a great experience for our tenants, many of who come back every year, who in turn spend money in our community, in a way that hotels cannot (e.g. tenants bring their dogs and boats to our property). This is why we are so very very relieved that the proposed legislation excludes lakeside properties and urge you keep this exclusion. Impacts of the Regulation Generally With regard to the lake (if the proposal were to change) and additional areas, implementing the policy suddenly, rather than over say, a period of years, will cause a devastating financial loss. Owners may be forced to make a quick sale and if many owners have to do this at the same time, the market will flood and owners may not be able to recoup the fair market value. Additionally, breaking already established leases will cause financial distress if the owner has both collected and banked on the rentals going forward as previously scheduled. There are several ways to implement regulations without having the devastating effects discussed above, to lay out a few: (1) Begin with registration requirements and monitoring (pass on the cost if any) rather than a 29 day rental limit. If that proves insufficient to address concerns then reassess. This will allow the Town to avoid the giant headache that implementation is sure to bring. (2) Allow an exemption for leases that were signed prior to the effective date of the new regulation. For example, we have several weeks already rented for 2019, and lease payments already made, that would be a substantial burden to undo if the regulation passes. (3) Increase from the proposed 29 days to the academic summer break (including graduation weekend). A compromise position allowing an academic year lease and then separate rentals for the summer months would allow enough income to not cause a crisis, and still mean a single tenant for the vast majority of the year. (4) Have an effective date of new regulations 1-2 years in the future so that long term tenants can be leased up at market rates, and properties that need to be sold can be sold over time, in the proper season and not under duress. Even if there is agreement that a change is desired, after 10 years of Airbnb style renting there is not now a crisis that demands immediate change that will devastate a few property owners, who will shoulder all of the burden of the new regulation. (5) As an alternative to a future effective date, provide a 1-2 year grace period for existing rentals without allowing new homes to start. This will prevent any new issues while allowing existing landlords to manage an exit from the market. (6) Allow grandfathering for properties with an established short term rentals to continue without restriction in recognition of the Room Tax paid (the benefits of which are required to be used for the Tompkins County Tourism Program), and the value of the tourist dollars brought to our town. (7) Like all zoning, this regulation need not apply to the entire town or none. Make a separate determination of what is best for different areas within the Town. Carolyn Greenwald Adam 5chaye 887 Taughannock Blvd Ithaca NY 14850 607-227-6122 r Al Your Voice for Real Estate 957 Mitchell Street Ithaca NY 14850 Phone: 607-257-1001 FM iiC�T:7T►11111 DATE: November 27, 2018 TO: Town of Ithaca, Town Board Members Susan Ritter, Director of Planning Members of the Short Term Rental Committee Bruce Bates, Director of Code Enforcement c/o Paulette Rosa, Clerk, Town of Ithaca FROM: Kyle Steele, 2018 President of the Ithaca Board of REALTORS RE: OPERATING PERMITS FOR SHORT TERM RENTAL UNITS: We respectfully submit this petition in objection to several of the provisions in the draft local law titled "Operating Permits for Short Term Rental Units." Background According to data provided by Airbnb, there are over 850 private property owners in Ithaca sharing their homes with visitors through the Airbnb platform alone. These hosts provide temporary accommodations to an estimated 33,000 guest nights in Ithaca annually. The Committee tasked with considering legislation to regulate short term rentals in the Town of Ithaca has provided limited evidence of public concern regarding these visits (signatures of 16 Town residents regarding a single property and one written letter of concern from one Lansing property manager). In discussions with the Town, it is our understanding that there have been few, if any, other recorded complaints specific to short term rentals in the Town of Ithaca. While any negative impact on neighbors or their properties is right to be considered thoughtfully, using this data as a benchmark, it suggests that the incidence of neighbor complaints is an occurrence in fewer than 5/100 of 1 % of guest visits. By contrast, these same property owners are offering a unique service to visitors to our community; a service that there is clear evidence these guests prefer over other lodging options. It is also our experience that property owners who frequently offer short term rentals take better care of their property as the property is being cleaned (and repaired as needed) between every guest visit. Further, unkempt property receives negative reviews and no longer attracts future guests. E-mail: lbr@1thacarealtors.com ❖ Web: IthacaRealtors.com ❖ Facebook.com/ithacaREALTORS Page 11 Proposed Regulations The language in the draft legislation proposes the implementation of several significant requirements of property owners who are not on their premises during the visits of their guests. We see these requirements as excessive and unnecessary. Specifically, 1. We see no correlation between the number of nights of un-hosted visits and the incidence of neighborhood complaints and believe the 29-day limit is arbitrary and needlessly punitive to property owners who are providing responsible lodging to over 33,000 visitors annually. IF there is reason to cap the number of un-hosted nights, we would propose a limit of 120 nights per year allowing for those who live here during the academic year to offer accommodations during the summer break benefitting the local economy and maintaining the use and care of their property during their absence. 2. Limiting occupancy to 2 persons per bedroom does not accommodate properties that offer non -bedroom sleeping options, such as studio apartments with futon or fold -out beds, property owners offering glamping or other alternative lodging experiences (boats, trailers, tree houses, etc), or couples with small children who either bring sleeping accommodations or allow their infant children to share their bed. Many of the visit occasions to our community involve families visiting their student child who may wish to spend the night with them in their rental space. 3. Posting of Town Regulations in each sleeping space in an USTR exceeds any regulations required of long-term rental property owners or other short-term lodging providers. Further, guests and hosts making arrangements through short term rental platforms are both vetted thoroughly and reviewed publicly, allowing for significant pre- screening of potential visitors and hosts. Guests agree to abide by house rules which often are stricter than Town ordinances. Since all short-term rental platforms already require guests to make visit arrangements directly with the property owner, guests and owners have several means to maintain contact during the visit (phone, text, email) without posting this information; 4. Requiring property owners to keep a written log of every guest visit and/or to inform the Code Enforcement Officer of each planned guest visit in advance of arrival is again a significant burden to hosts/property owners. All such rentals are already recorded by the hosting platforms and property owners rely on these logs to maintain their accounting records for payment of room taxes, sales taxes, and income taxes. 5. Operating permit required. Again, with many hosts offering individual rooms or alternative lodging accommodations, we see the requirement of operating permits for rentals that are not otherwise already subject to the Town's Rental registry regulations as unnecessary and potentially unenforceable. 6. The exclusion of Agricultural, Conservation and Lakefront Zones from applicability is appropriate. We do believe that these exclusions should extend at a minimum to Low Density Residential if the concern begin addressed is primarily one of on -site parking although this concern is already addressed under the proposed parking regulations. 7. Noise concerns should be addressed through the existing noise ordinance (Chapter 184 of the Town of Ithaca Zoning Ordinance) that offers a mechanism for neighbors to register their concerns and have them addressed by property owners. We believe parking concerns can be likewise addressed on a property -specific basis using existing provisions of Town law. E-mail: ibr@ithacarealtors.com **.*Web: lthacaRealtors.com ❖ Facebook.com/ithacaREALTORS Page 12 From: Bill Goodman Sent: Monday, October 29, 2018 12:46 PM To: Michael MacAnanny Cc: Paulette Rosa Subject: RE: Short Term Rentals- Letter from Renwick Neighbors Thanks, Mike, I will circulate it to the Committee at our meeting this afternoon, and have Paulette send it to everyone else when she gets back into town. Bill ... Ithaca Town Supervisor 215 North Tioga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 607-273-1721 From: Michael MacAnanny [mailto:macananny@gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2018 4:32 PM To: Bill Goodman Cc: Paulette Rosa Subject: Short Term Rentals- Letter from Renwick Neighbors Dear Supervisor Goodman, Town Board members and members of the Planning Board and Planning Committees: As you aware our Renwick Neighbors' Group has been active in opposing Short Term Rentals (STR) in our medium density zoned residential area. This began with our initial petition to the Board nearly two years ago, followed by attendance at numerous meetings with yourself and Committee members. We acknowledge your and the Committee's willingness to hear our concerns. While we still oppose STRs on the basis that B&B's were not intended to be permitted in this zone without explicit zoning approvals/changes, we realize that the Town is determined to allow and to regulate STRs. As the Town develops regulations to deal with STRs our group wants to be sure that all Board members are aware of our concerns and have the benefit of our input. So, we have prepared the attached letter summarizing our experiences, thoughts and suggestions. We request that it be circulated to the entire Town Board, Planning Board and Planning Committee. We look forward to having further discussions and communication on this topic. Very truly yours, M. J. MacAnanny (On behalf of the Renwick Neighbors's Group) To: Ithaca Town Board, Supervisor Goodman, Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees, Mayor Woodard, City of Ithaca Common Council, Mayor Myrick Statement about AirBNB: Please note that "AirBNB" also means VRBO, or any other agency that relies on the intemet and its programs to administer the business of STRs Introduction: Why we are writing this: The background for this letter includes: concerns about parking; confrontations with strangers in our residential neighborhood; our questions about the appropriateness of having large numbers of transients in our medium density residential neighborhood; numerous meetings with the Town Planning Committee and Short Term Rental Committee, and, the recent statement that the whole Town Board hears only what the Planning Committee chooses to report —which may or may not include residents' complaints and questions, depending on what the Committee has decided to recommend. We have also included some information about what Cayuga Heights has decided to do, so that the information will all be in one document. Fostering transparency In response to a direct question, we were told that the Committee reports to the Board only the points that it has endorsed, thus leaving out some of the concerns that have been expressed but that the Board has declined to endorse. We have thus decided to write this to provide a more complete coverage of what some of the issues have been and are. Finally, to foster transparency, we are also sending this to the Board of Trustees of Cayuga Heights and to the City of Ithaca Common Council. It seems, to us at least, that consistency across municipalities would be desirable for a number of reasons. Some of our concerns about AirBNB: Neighborhood. for whatever reasons, some neighborhoods (e.g., College Town) have developed to include fairly high density housing with a largely transient population. People know this when they decide to buy a house and, for many, proximity to Cornell compensates for other characteristics of the neighborhood. We applaud the strategy of trying to deal with the negative effects of AirBNB (parking, etc.), but we mourn the loss of the neighborhood feel that AirBNB has contributed to. We used to have a neighborhood in which neighbors looked out for one another. Indeed, some neighbors actually left their doors unlocked when on vacation. For years we had neighborhood block parties several times a year, and there was a strong sense of community. Now, we no longer know who the people are in our neighborhood, because they are often strangers. Some of the ads on AirBNB have touted our neighborhood as residential, and this has been portrayed as desirable. It is ironic that a characteristic seen as desirable on AirBNB is the same feature that would be compromised by AirBNB rentals. In addition, dealing with the negative effects of AirBNB is analogous to treating the symptom rather than the cause itself. Limiting AirBNB would treat both. Very concretely, some of us have found AirBNB renters exploring our back yards (uninvited), putting large bags of trash into trash cans that do not belong to the host (this is relevant, because we pay for trash collection), and using our yards as rights of way. We understand the pro AirBNB argument that one ought to be able to do what one wants with ones own home; however, we would argue that one also should be able to have private property be private. In addition, there are already limits, based on common sense, on what a homeowner can do with their own home if what they are doing affects the rest of the neighborhood; constraints on excessive noise and on raising animals in ones backyard are obvious examples. We have also seen people leaving hosts' houses carrying boxes. Because these people are strangers, confronting them would be uncomfortable at best and potentially dangerous at worst. Again, this sort of thing compromises the residential character of the neighborhood and destroys the sense of community. It would not be surprising to see it in College Town; it is unfortunate to see it in a residential neighborhood. Density: in contrast to College Town especially, many residential neighborhoods are less dense. We would suggest that density be taken into account when deciding on the number of days and number of licensed hosts. One way of taking density into account would be to consider the total number of parcels of land or existing primary dwellings. (see suggestions, below) Resale value For many of us, our homes are primary investments and are desirable precisely because they are in residential areas. We worry about how the re -sale value of our homes will be affected by having a large number of short-term rental units in the neighborhood. One reason for our concern about resale value is that our neighborhood is currently an area that is attractive for people with families, as it is very close to Ithaca High School, the Boynton Middle School, and Cayuga Heights Elementary School. We question whether it would continue to be attractive if it increasingly became a neighborhood of AirBNB rentals. Is there actually a shortage of rental units in Ithaca and what would the effect on hotels be? One of the arguments offered in favor of AirBNB is that Ithaca has a dearth of available rental units=except for the times when Cornell and Ithaca College are graduating. However, we were told by Peggy Coleman, vice president of tourism and community relations at-IthacalTompkins Visitor Bureau that there are not enough visitors to fill the available (hotel) rooms in Ithaca. A contact in the local lodging industry corroborated this point. Can the Tompkins County Convention and Visitors' Bureau provide information about whether there actually is a shortfall of available rooms (excluding the times during college graduations)? In addition, what is the relation between Tompkins County and the hotels in the area? On the one hand, our understanding is that hotel rental units help support the economy of the general Ithaca area in two ways. Not only do hotel guests pay city occupancy taxes, but hotel guests also support local restaurants. The opportunity afforded by AirBNB for people to eat in their rented homes would likely cut into that. On the other hand, our understanding is that AirBNB gives Tompkins County a percentage of every AirBNB rental. How does this factor into decisions about regulating AirBNB? The effect on the availability of affordable housing in Ithaca: In our (small) neighborhood alone, two houses are now off the market, because they have been bought to function as AirBNB units. Any one who has recently tried to buy a house in Ithaca knows that options are limited. Why limit them further? Enforcement or how to avoid a Big Brother atmosphere: asking AirBNB for information One of the issues discussed has had to do with enforcement. Our understanding is that this will be left up to neighbors, the idea being that neighbors who notice infractions of the eventual policy will be responsible for sending complaints to the Town Code Enforcement Officer. In our view, this is likely to lead, not only to a Big Brother atmosphere, but also to a situation in which, for lack of a better word, neighbors will need to spy on one another to insure that the policy is being followed. We understand that the Town does not have the resources to monitor individual AirBNB hosts. However, we note that, in some cities, AirBNB has agreed to provide rental information to the relevant authorities. It has been argued that AirBNB has done this only for large cities. However, in New York State, Ithaca is the third largest AirBNB market (after New York City and Buffalo), according to an article by Matt Butler in the Ithaca Times (9-12-18, p.3 ff.). We suggest, therefore, that it would at the very least be worth exploring this possibility with AirBNB rather than ruling it out a priori. Furthermore, if the various municipalities involved in AirBNB act as a group, AirBNB might well be more inclined to provide this information. The question of conflict of interest We suggest that the Town Board of Cayuga Heights serve as a model of how to deal with possible conflicts of interest in cases in which Board members might also be themselves involved in AirBNB hosting (or as renters themselves). In that regard, we offer here, with her permission, a statement from Maryann Friend, member of the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees: "In Cayuga Heights, those Board members who operated short-term rental properties recused themselves during any discussion and crafting of legislation pertaining to short-term rentals, to avoid conflicts of interest." We freely admit that we are not using the term "conflict of interest" in what might be what Bill Goodman has presented as the strictly legal sense of the term. Rather, we are using it in a "common sense" way to refer to the transparency that citizens ought, rightly, to be able to expect from the people who are representing them —whether or not the representatives have faced opponents in elections. We suggest that even volunteering, let alone being elected, to be a representative carries with it the tacit understanding that personal advantage will not trump considerations of the people who are being represented. In our view, the decisions of the Board of Trustees of Cayuga Heights reflect this understanding. The question of taxes Taxes come up in two contexts. One is that, if homeowners rent out their houses for more than 14 days, then the IRS considers them to be running a business. As businesses, will they then be taxed as businesses? The other has to do with what the relation is, if any, between the Town Board's allowed number of days and the IRS. Specifically, if an AirBNB host rents a property enough days that it becomes a small business, is the Board liable for reporting that, or can it simply turn a blind eye? Coordination with Cayuga Heights or with the City of Ithaca Bill Goodman noted that the "the Town surrounds the City, so we are going to work with them on this issue". We are all in favor of leveraging as much clout as possible as a way of encouraging AirBNB to share information such as who its hosts are, how often they are renting their homes, how many people they are renting to, if the rental is hosted or un-hosted, etc. However, in terms of specific issues, we note that Renwick Heights and Cayuga Heights are both in the Town of Ithaca and that, as already noted, they are similar in density and character. In contrast, the City of Ithaca has a more heterogeneous set of neighborhoods (from the residential neighborhoods of Fall Creek to the largely transient neighborhoods of College Town) and, so, coordinating with the City in terms of AirBNB issues would make sense only if the particular neighborhood in the City were taken into account. And, if particular neighborhood mattered, then why not simply rely on what Cayuga Heights has decided? It seems like following the plan that Cayuga Heights has recently implemented regarding number of days allowed would be sensible. Perhaps there could be a sunset period of a year to then re -visit the topic, and adjust as necessary. Determining number of days and of licensed hostings: We have several questions about and some suggestions for determining number of days of licensed hosting and for allotting permits. Everyone recognizes that Cornell and Ithaca College graduations put a premium on rental units. Cayuga Heights took this into account when determining their limits. Why has the Town Board chosen a different limit? We suggest it would make more sense to have a uniform policy, especially if that would provide leverage in negotiating with AirBNB to help with enforcement. Furthermore, the IRS declares it a business if a house is rented out for more than 14 days. If a house were rented out for more than 14 days, the IRS would count it as a business. What would be the point of allowing businesses in an area that is zoned residential? Is the aim to change the zoning or to disregard it? Finally, 14 days is surely enough to accommodate college graduations. Thus our questions remain: how was the limit chosen and why did it not take account of the IRS rules about businesses? Given the similarities in both density and character between Renwick Heights and Cayuga Heights, we offer, again with her permission, a statement from Maryann Friend, member of the Village of Cayuga Heights Board of Trustees: "The decision of 14 un-hosted short -teen rental days was based on the times of greatest housing need, which has historically been during Cornell and Ithaca College graduation. The decision of 28 hosted short-term rental days was a compromise that emanated from community and Board discussion." Possible principles for deciding on number of days of AirBNB hosting and for deciding on possible permits .Possible considerations for limiting number of days: Applying a uniform 29 day rental allowance has a substantially different impact on areas that differ in density and neighborhood characteristics: * Housing density is distinguished by lot size and by whether the houses are single or multiple family dwellings * Characteristics of neighborhood include whether the neighborhood is a largely rental/transient community vs. a fixed residential community. Characteristics also include traffic patterns such as whether the street is a through street or a cul de sac (the latter of which would result in doubling the impact of traffic from rentals). For example: 29 days for 5 houses in a 10 acre parcel where average lot size is 2 acres, is very different from 29 days for 20 houses in a 10 acre parcel where average lot size is 0.5 acre. The neighborhood exposure to rental would be 5 x 29 days for the low -density area vs 20 x 29 days in the higher -density area. i.e. the higher density area would receive 400% more impact than low density. The impact of a 29 day rental period will be magnified in Ithaca because the main demand for short term rentals is from May to Mid -September : i.e., 25/29 days could occur in a 4 month period. Solutions for decreasing impact in higher density areas could include limiting the number of permits and/or decreasing the number of days. Restricting permits to 1 in 4 properties (5x29 days) would equalize the impact on low and higher density areas. Decreasing days for the 20 properties to 14 days would cut in half the impact in the higher density area, but it would still be 200% more than 29 days in the low density area. The higher density, residential regions in the Town of Ithaca e.g. Renwick Heights and Forest Home, closely approximate The Village of Cayuga Heights (which borders Renwick Heights and Forest Home). The Village of Cayuga Heights has limited short- term rental to 14 days based on need for accommodation, impact on neighbors and the neighborhood, and the fact that renting for less than 14 days does not require an IRS filing- i.e it is not considered a business. The 14-day limit would discourage prospective buyers from purchasing properties in residential areas with the intent of using them for for -profit short-term rentals, rather than as residential dwellings. Possible considerations for deciding on possible permits: I, f the criterion is number of days per each host: 29 days may be acceptable for a low density neighborhood, or a neighborhood where occupancy is short term and transient. However, 29 days centered on the 4 month peak rental period would have substantial impact on higher density residential areas. If the criterion is number of permits: For those who do not get permits but want them will there be an annual lottery permits per area? For those who have them will they stand to lose them if there is more demand in the area? Will it be a one year rolling permitting process? A combination of restricted permitting and reduced days might be required to alleviate the impact of short-term rentals in higher density areas. One last and very important question: Can the Board explain why those renting for more than 14 days per year are not a home business and therefore subject to the regulations controlling business in residential areas? For those renting more than 14 days it seems only fair that they would be regulated in a similar way to other businesses such as B&Bs with respect to safety and inspection. This also has implications for zoning and property taxation. In closing, we thank you for considering our concerns as you craft legislation to regulate short term rentals in the Town of Ithaca. Sincerely, Renwick Heights residents I il ,�4nnanocfi- Boulevard Ithaca, YorAl-, 14850 Euuril" regyil 111(1 Cm ly @yi,-? It o 0" Town of Ithaca STR Committee 21.5 North Tioga Street Ithaca, New York, 14850 Via Email. and Hand Delivery Please include in 10/2,9/18 CoMimittee Member Packet Re: Short Term Dear Honorable STR Committee Members: In. regard to the short term rental legislation permit program currently under consideration, review and proposal by this Committee to the Town Board, I am. writing to urge flv Committee to recommend that the Town grant an exception for single family owned Lakefront properties. I have been advised drat this exception has been under discussion by this Committee and I thank the Committee memtvrs for wresting with. all the difficult issues involved. E have lived in my cottage at 887 Taughannock Boulevard (formerly 885 Taughan-nock Boulevard, but recently the address was changed, by the'lown) year-round for 17 years. I have operated local salon business(es) in Ithaca for 30 years. I work 50+ hours a week and my income bracket is working middle class. Thanks to the vision of Tompkins I- �-Mtnty and the Town of Ithaca, I can actually own my primary residential lake cottage as a middle class strugg)ing businessperson and resident. I now need short term. rental income (commencing this summer) from Airbnb rentals my home in order to make ends meet because my partner and. I are both aging and ha r health issues. We are still working full time but we will need to retire in the near fUtUl We relied on, anticiluted short term cotta.i*e rental Short term rentals are the Mstoric norm in this zone and most Lake Front zones acro the county. The Com rehensive Plan for the Town encourages residential use an P accessible use of the lake. It never occurred to us that short term rentals could be limite or prohibited in the Lakefront zone. Codification of respectful checks and balances a welcome and appropriate. However, limiting single family owner resident short term rentals to certain weekends (less than the normal rental period of certain times between Ithaca College Graduation weekends through Labor Day weekend) would be arbitrary and capricious and cause substantial harm to the residents and retirees relying on this income. I know the committee has wrestled with these issues and I am grateful for your thoughtful consideration so I will bullet point some thoughts for consideration again by this committee: • Retirement age and aging health issues limit incomes. Short term rentals help us keep the cottage as we age, regardless of our retirement income, keeping our community diverse and inclusive and permitting middle class citizens to own a Lake House or cottage. Otherwise, these properties will only be available to high income residents and commercial owners which flies in the face of the Town's Comprehensive Plan • Short term renting one the lake front helps the local economy through tourism. • Over many years, Lake Front cottages have been permitted to rent short term. • Short term renting will help to keep us keep our dream alive by allowing us to keep our cottage - doing needed repairs and up -keep, paying our mortgage to a local bank. While we help the economy through short rental tourism, we also live here and spend our dollars locally. • We have already paid for repairs and improvements to the cottage, taking on debt because we relied on the short term rental income in our household budget. Without an adequate period of amount of time to rent the cottage, the result will be economic hardship. We actually live in a camper over the summer when the cottage is not rented. It is not glamorous but it makes ends meet, we try to make it fun, and it allows us to keep our cottage which we love and know we will return to for the remainder of the year and some summer non -rental times. • We feel that, because we live in the cottage a majority of the year and are long time middle class working residents who truly care about our neighbors and the community around us, that we should not have unreasonable time limits for short term rentals in the Lakefront zone. However, if a time limitation is legislated, we feel that the Lakefront zone single family residents should be permitted to rent short term for any period of time between Ithaca College Graduation and Labor Day. • We live in the lake cottage the majority of the year and we are respectful of the rental process because we are part of this community. We greatly care about our neighbors and commu nj ty around us. We are very selective of the tenants we rent to and conscientious of our neighbors (who also rent in the summer). We understand the necessity of a permit inspection system and safety is I paramount concern to both us and the Town. Limitations on non-faruily group P* noise, etc. is important to us too and is a condition of our short term rentals. also understand that commercial acquisition of residential properties is occurril I and we applaud this committee for their concern regarding sarne and urge the] to recommend preserving a neighborhood Lakefront zone accessible to tl, diminishing middle working class. Sincerely,, Robert E. Gates