HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0675.078 2022-2024 From: Esther Lehmann
Sent: Sunday,January 21, 2024 4:00 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Bill 121 written comments
Aloha,
Thank you for taking the time to read my concerns regarding Bill 121.While I understand the need for
regulation of short term rentals, I am concerned with more stipulations and legal requirements put on
primary residence and hosted accommodations. Our family has 2 adjacent acres on the Big Island.We
live on one of the acres, and when family is not in town we host both a cottage on our property and the
house on my family's property.We have never had any complaints, pay all of our taxes, and are doing our
best to keep our family's land in Hawaii.
As I have read through the proposed bill, I am overwhelmed.There is so much paperwork with the
potential to take away the income that allows us to stay in Hawaii, raise our children in Hawaii, and
provide a place for parents and family to come visit form the mainland. I cannot turn those
accommodations into long term rentals or my family is not able to visit for periods of time through out the
year.
It is concerning to me that we don't have enough long term housing, it is concerning for me that we don't
have affordable housing, but it is also concerning to me that families living in the islands can't use their
own properties to make an income so WE CAN STAY.As you consider Bill 121, please remember that
your constituents and local owners are creatively doing our best to keep our land and our family here.
Please consider focusing on un-hosted or foreign owned vacation rentals before penalizing the primary
residence and hosted properties that are benefitting Hawaiian residents and paying taxes that help
support our state.
Lei
Mahalo for your time, = ,.
Esther Lehmann �-
c.aCD
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Comm. N..
Ref. To: 9 WARD
1 Ref. Dote JAN 3 2024