HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0739.015 2016-2018C Y CLER,
OF 4A A
ToThe County Council:
Thank you �����ng�eUnebzhe��ev�o�o[our�mmunKyonthen��ro��������^ -'
Vacation Rentals |nour County, and how iteffects the fuU4ennresidents ofour comnnnun0em.
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| have been aresident cfHawai'|for 33years. Being mpart ofthis community teaches you the true
meaning ofaloha. |tteaches you how tobeopart ofacommunity, how tobeagood neighbor, and -
how tobmg|ftedanextmndedfami|yyouneverknmvvyouhad.
\ feel our neighborhoods shifting aooflate, asvvehave gone from fewer and fewer full-time rentals,
tomore and more short-term vacation rentals. Our sense ofcommunity |mdisappearing. We now
live next to a rotating door of full time vacationers, people that generally have no regard for the
people living next door who are living their everyday life. Our neighborhoods are starting tofeel like
resort areas. And my family did not buy a home in a residential neighborhood intended for single
family dwelling tolive next to a resort; more the opposite.
| have used Airbnbaaatraveler, and have enjoyed UL | have always been a respectful tenant, both
ofthe owner/house and ofthe neighbors. | know several friends and families that rent portions cf
their homes here mnisland eashort-term rentals. \nmost ofthese instances, the owner lives mm
property, only renting mportion nftheir house orohono. They are excellent hosts, guides and
managers that do a great job at making sure the neighborhood is still respected. When management
is on premises, you typically deal with a very different type of vacationer than when a short-term
renter has the entire house tothemselves.
Inmysituation, our neighbor the owner does not live on the property, or ask his renters to be
considerate )nregard to their noise level. All he cares about imrenting as often oapossible, to
sometimes groups over 1Upeople, and keeping the money coming in, regardless of its effect on our
neighborhood. This changes the environment in the once tranquil, residentially zoned neighborhood
my family worked so hard to purchase a home in.
| understand that full-time renters can be just aadisruptive, loud,andd attimes. But with
full time neighbors, there }uanopportunity tofoster relationships andbuihdaoonornonoourtemyfor
each other. New neighbors every week, in the "I'm on vacation" mentality, is very different from a
neighbor going about their day today life.
| also understand that home owners have less legal protectionfrom full-time renters vmshort-term
nenb*nu. This iaaseparate issue that also needs hobe addressed, but not inregard tothis Bill.
Though my family owns the home we live in, I have looked into renting in different neighborhoods.
The price of rent has risen to astronomical rates since the short-terrn rental craze gripped the
islands. Families who live here full time struggle toprovide anice home for themselves and make
ends meet. I am not being naYve to the growth of tourism on this island regardless of short-term
nmnta|a, but do feel that it contributes to the high cost of renting. |'d like to see the price of rent fall to
where the residents of Havva|l can be as comfortable as it's vacationers.
I would like to see the end of short-term rentals such as Airbnb and VRBO when a property in a
residential neighborhood is being used solely as a vacation rental and an owner or manager does
not live on property. | would like to see zoning intended for single family dwelling to remain as such.
} don't approve any grandfathering, and |stand against the loophole this Bill proposes ofsimply
paying the county for a permit to rent a property as a short-term rental in a restricted area without
consent ofthe neighbors insaid neighborhood. |mthis simply about making more money for the
county, or a genuine concern for our neighborhoods, for the sake of our communities?
Thank you for taking the time to hear me.
Heather Carvalho 176-872 lo Kualua Pl. Kailua Kona HI 96740 1808.364.7542 1 April 24, 201-V,