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From: Ben P. <br /> To: WPCtestimony <br /> Subject: STVR <br /> Date: Thursday,April 4,2024 11:10:43 AM <br /> Dear Planning Commission, <br /> I'm writing in response to today's meeting to address pending Hawaii County legislation on Short Term Vacation <br /> Rentals(STVR), bill 121. <br /> As a fourth generation Hilo resident who currently lives adjacent to a hosted STVR, I can say that our experience <br /> living next to a hosted STVR in our RESIDENTIAL neighborhood has been nothing short of a nightmare.We've <br /> had to deal with noise issues, health issues, and safety/security issues. Up to this point all of our complaints with <br /> the planning dept. and the county have fallen on apathetic ears partially due to no legislation to protect the <br /> residential aspect of neighborhoods against this sort of use. <br /> Some of our experiences over the last few years include: HPD responding to guest disturbances in the early <br /> morning hours, guests blocking our private driveway for parking/access to our neighbor's STVR because our <br /> neighbor has insufficient parking for all of his guests on his property, guest cigarette smoke blowing downwind into <br /> our house and children's bedrooms, guesting mistaking our house for our neighbor's,trying to check-in to OUR <br /> home at 1AM. Our children's first expose to nudity has now been from the neighbor's guests feeling free to disrobe <br /> and change in front of their guest room windows—which directly faces our children's bedrooms.We've had <br /> guests trespass through our gated property so to more quickly access their STVR, and on a few occasions <br /> experienced verbal,threatening confrontations after I've personally asked STVR guests to please kokua and be <br /> respectful of the residential neighborhood by keeping load noises down.What does my neighbor do about any of <br /> these grievances: Nothing.And so far, no amount of complaining to the county or HPD has produced any <br /> remedy—keep in mind that our neighbor's house is not permitted for 6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms or any of the <br /> other modifications to allow our neighbor to run a successful mini-hotel/STVR. <br /> I personally wish that the County Council had not given into the greed the STVR industry, but if STVRs(hosted or <br /> un-hosted)will not be banned from residential neighborhoods then I implore the planning commission to adopt <br /> very strong language and policies to regulate STVRs and with full accountability.As a fourth generation Hilo <br /> resident I can tell you that living next to a STVR has been a nightmare, please make it stop. <br /> Sincerely, <br /> Anonymous <br />