2024-04-14 PL-CCI-2024-000003 Bill 121 Kathleen Carr Testimony

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From: Kathleen T Carr To: LPCtestimony Cc: Kathleen T Carr Subject: Testimony on Bills 121 and 122 Date: Sunday,April 14, 2024 10:48:50 AM To the Hawaii County Leeward Planning Commission, I am writing to you because I have concerns about the proposed new regulations, Bills 121 and 122 that will impact hosted vacation rentals. I have been operating a vacation rental in my home for 22 years, and have not been required to register as a hosted vacation rental, according to the Planning Dept. With the new proposal, I would need to register as a hosted TAR. Would I be grandfathered in? What concerns me is the following section in the proposal for requirement to register. My house was built in 1980 with building permits. The building code has changed since 1980, so I'm not sure whether there would be a requirement to pass current codes. How would this be handled? Will there be inspections, and if so, by who? There are a lot of homes in South Kona that were built around this time period. "Section 25-4-16.5 (2).The transient accommodation rental must meet health, safety, and construction code requirements established by law." This building division approval is also problematic because the building permits presently take up to two years to build a house, and this proposal would overburden the permitting process even more. Part of the housing shortage problem is the obstacles in getting permits in a timely manner. One of the reasons for the new proposed regulations is to create more housing for residents. However, my unit and many others would not be suitable for long term rental. One reason among others, is that there have been no stoves permitted in these units or rooms, so I only provide a hot plate, microwave and toaster oven. Most vacationers do not do much, if any, cooking so as a vacation rental it is not a problem. Mine is a 350 sq. ft. downstairs studio, which just doesn't have satisfactory facilities for long term rental. The county passed regulations for non-hosted vacation rentals in 2018 to create additional local housing, but has there has been any independent research presented on the results. Have those regulations helped the housing situation? This legislation will affect more than 7500 families, including me, plus all the jobs created for service providers who clean and maintain the rentals. For many of us, we rely on this short term vacation rental income to be able to afford to live on this island. Many of us depend on this income to make ends meet each month. I will be turning 78 next month, and there are not a lot of other employment opportunities for me, so it