HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-04-04 PL-CCI-2024-000003 Bill 121 Anonymous - Ben P. From: Ben P.
To: WPCtestimony
Subject: STVR
Date: Thursday,April 4,2024 11:10:43 AM
Dear Planning Commission,
I'm writing in response to today's meeting to address pending Hawaii County legislation on Short Term Vacation
Rentals(STVR), bill 121.
As a fourth generation Hilo resident who currently lives adjacent to a hosted STVR, I can say that our experience
living next to a hosted STVR in our RESIDENTIAL neighborhood has been nothing short of a nightmare.We've
had to deal with noise issues, health issues, and safety/security issues. Up to this point all of our complaints with
the planning dept. and the county have fallen on apathetic ears partially due to no legislation to protect the
residential aspect of neighborhoods against this sort of use.
Some of our experiences over the last few years include: HPD responding to guest disturbances in the early
morning hours, guests blocking our private driveway for parking/access to our neighbor's STVR because our
neighbor has insufficient parking for all of his guests on his property, guest cigarette smoke blowing downwind into
our house and children's bedrooms, guesting mistaking our house for our neighbor's,trying to check-in to OUR
home at 1AM. Our children's first expose to nudity has now been from the neighbor's guests feeling free to disrobe
and change in front of their guest room windows—which directly faces our children's bedrooms.We've had
guests trespass through our gated property so to more quickly access their STVR, and on a few occasions
experienced verbal,threatening confrontations after I've personally asked STVR guests to please kokua and be
respectful of the residential neighborhood by keeping load noises down.What does my neighbor do about any of
these grievances: Nothing.And so far, no amount of complaining to the county or HPD has produced any
remedy—keep in mind that our neighbor's house is not permitted for 6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms or any of the
other modifications to allow our neighbor to run a successful mini-hotel/STVR.
I personally wish that the County Council had not given into the greed the STVR industry, but if STVRs(hosted or
un-hosted)will not be banned from residential neighborhoods then I implore the planning commission to adopt
very strong language and policies to regulate STVRs and with full accountability.As a fourth generation Hilo
resident I can tell you that living next to a STVR has been a nightmare, please make it stop.
Sincerely,
Anonymous