2024-04-30 Bill 123 Linda Sankovich OP

Home

From: Linda Sankovich To: WPCtestimonv Subject: Bills 121 and 123 Date: Tuesday,April 30,2024 4:25:57 AM Dear Chairman Lin and all members of the Windward Planning Commission - I am unable to be present for the May 2, 2022, meeting when you will continue your consideration of the bills that will alter the short term vacation accommodations for Hawaii Island. I was present at the last meeting and was struck by the heartfelt comments from the audience about the real impacts that the bills, as currently written, will mean for our friends and neighbors. The bills seek to regulate and enforce phantom issues. The count of actual complaints against short term rentals is low compared to the onerous and lengthy proposed legislation. The bills also put burdens on the Planning Department that I am not sure can be handled without additional staff being hired. Short term rentals and their operators are being scapegoated for the lack of affordable housing on the island. This is a simplistic and inaccurate conclusion. Many tesitifiers have said they will not convert their current rentals to long term rentals. They have also said that their ability to rent short term does cure housing affordability for them. It cannot be denied that current residents rely on this vital source of income to support their living here. Furthermore, if current operators decide to sell and move off island, they will sell their property (in many cases their only large investment) at top dollar. This is contradictory to the "affordability" argument. In the case of Bill 123, I see absolutely no reason to eliminate "bed and breakfast" as a possible short term accommodation. Further, residents and operators were told by Council Chair Kimball at a roundtable discussion about the bills that this category of housing would be a "safe harbor" for operators. Residents and constituents need to have trust in what they are told by their elected officials because they make important decisions for their households based on that(mis)information. For these reasons and more, I respectfully request that the action that the Planning Commission take is to refer the bills back to Council with the recommendation that an up-to- date study be embarked upon. There are unintended consequences of the proposed legislation that need to be fully studied and considered prior to your further action on these bills. Thank you for your consideration - Linda Sankovich 15-2066 7th Ave Kea'au Hi 96749 (734) 865-0539