2024-04-14 PL-CCI-2024-000003 Bill 121 Martina Wing Testimony

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From: Martina Wino To: LPCtestimonv Subject: Concerns Regarding the Impact of Bill 121 on Our Local Communities Date: Sunday,April 14, 2024 2:56:14 PM Chairman Barbara DeFranco Leeward Planning Commission County of Hawaii 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Building E,2nd Floor Kailua-Kona,Hawaii 96740 Aloha Chairman DeFranco, I am writing to express my deep concerns regarding the proposed measures in Bill 121. As a 26-year resident of Kona deeply invested in the well-being of our local communities, I find it imperative to voice the potential negative impacts this bill will have on our'ohana and the spirit of aloha that defines our island. Firstly, the bill's approach to regulating short-term rentals appears to lack a comprehensive understanding of the economic implications for local homeowners. Many families,myself included, rely on the income generated from short-term rentals to afford our living expenses. By imposing severe regulations without conducting an economic impact study, we risk jeopardizing the financial stability of over 7,000 households on the Big Island. In the next few years, I will retire, and my long-term plan has always been to supplement my mortgage with STVR income. Bill 121 will take this option away. This is simply not okay. Moreover,the bill's restrictions on where hosts live and where guests stay within a property are overly intrusive and disregard the autonomy of property owners. Such regulations could transform the character of our neighborhoods, not through organic community development, but through imposed limitations that do not reflect the needs or desires of the residents. Additionally, the punishment is excessive. This is simply not okay. In light of these concerns, I respectfully request the Planning Commission to consider the following recommendations: I. Conduct an economic impact study to fully understand the implications of Bill 121 on local homeowners and the economy. 2. Recommend equal treatment of property owners,regardless of their living arrangements on the property. 3. Reconsider the restrictions on host and guest accommodations to allow more flexibility for property owners. 4. By addressing these issues,we can find a more balanced and fair approach to regulating short-term rentals that respects the rights of property owners while addressing the commission's concerns. Lastly, after attending the County Council and Windward Planning Commission hearings and seeing the overwhelming opposition to the bill, I was struck that the County Council voted in favor by 8-0. It was obvious that not one council member heard what was being said.