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Home My WebLink About2024-04-09 PL-CCI-2024-000003 Bill 121 April Nelson From: April Nelson To: LPCtestimony Cc: April Nelson Subject: Oppose Bill 121 Date: Tuesday,April 9,2024 11:55:48 AM Aloha Planning Commission, I kindly ask you to OPPOSE Bill 121. I wrote a testimony letter for the last council hearing explaining how renting out a couple rooms in our home as a hosted vacation rental enabled stable long term housing for myself, my ex-partner, and our son. Our hosted rental helped pay the bills while I was on maternity leave, helped us pay off debt, and helped us save enough money so that when my partner and I separated, he could stop living in his car and buy the cheapest condo in town. Despite all these benefits, I stopped hosting a year ago because property taxes got so burdensome that I had to make over$2000 a year just to break even on the difference between full home exemption and the reduced exemption with a short term rental in our home. When TAT increased another 3%, I could no longer make it work as a single mom while also working a full time job. Over the years we hosted many locals from other islands and from the Hilo side, wanting an affordable Kona place to sleep. They elected to rest instead of driving the dangerous Saddle Road home late at night(which has claimed many lives lately- including a friend of mine). Losing these hosted rental options will impact all Hawaii residents. Besides my personal experiences, the biggest reasons I Oppose this bill are: 1. ENFORCEMENT - There is not enough staff to enforce the laws and ordinances we already have. This is evidenced by many unhosted rentals operating illegally with no action to remedy, and the thousands of unpermitted homes and additions that continue being built every day. More laws is not the solution! Enforcement of the laws we currently have, including noise ordinances and illegal parking, is. 2. TAKING CURRENT RIGHTS AWAY - We constantly hear Heather saying that everyone operating today can continue to do so. That is not true. I own a property that I rent out between 30 days and 6 months. I pay TAT tax as required, but do not presently need an STVR permit. My tenants have included traveling nurses and local families between rentals needing 2-4 month stays. There is no path in the bill to get a new unhosted STVR/TAR permit for certain property types/zones. 5 months is not the same as a weekly vacation rental. KEEP THE 30 day definition as it exists today. 3. BURDENSOME PROCESS - The new process is so burdensome, how is the county going to have staff to handle the influx of applications? It is so costly and difficult,many hosted operators will be unable to continue. Add to that the possibility of the State just taking the right to rent short term away at any time, people will be hesitant to register if they do at all. I suspect many people will "find another way" if they need the money to survive. Then the County and State will not get new revenue they expect, and will miss out on tax revenue they are currently receiving. 4. GOOD FOR HOTELS, BAD FOR FAMILIES OF BIG ISLAND - Where are you going to stay when you want to take your family to Volcano for the weekend? The Volcano House is expensive, the cabins are booked out for months, and KMC doesn't answer their phones (to the point that my neighbors had to drive out there to talk to them in person in order to make a future reservation!). I recently took my son for a weekend in Volcano and we stayed at an affordable, hosted Airbnb. My son and I got to explore Volcano for two whole days rather than driving the dangerous roads at night two hours home. Many hosted rentals will shut their doors if this bill passes. It will hurt ALL OF US except the mainland corporate hotels. Big Island families will lose income they need to survive, all the support staff including cleaners, maintenance folks, and property managers will lose income or their jobs, and we all will lose affordable places to stay in Volcano, Puna, Hilo, Hamakua, Kohala, and even Kona. We are going to push people into driving tired after a long day, and more of these fatal accidents will result. 5. IT WILL NOT CREATE MORE LONG TERM HOUSING - These hosted rentals are spare rooms that residents need for their own family to visit part of the year. They are hosted by residents fearful of renting long term until Landlord-Tenant code issues are addressed. 6. IT WILL INCITE LITIGATION - I do not want MORE of my tax dollars going toward defending bills with known legal holes in them. Please listen to the residents of Big Island about this bill. The corporate people supporting this legislation are supporting it for financial reasons only. We, Big Island families, are trying to survive, keep money local, and make this a better place for all of us to live. Mahalo for your support, April Nelson