Southold Town Hall was packed last night as a crowd of residents, divided on the short-term rental issue, turned out to implore the board to craft policy before the summer season.
The town is not alone as the board grapples with the hot-button issue; the Greenport village board is also facing the same challenges, as residents turned out Monday to voice their feelings on the divisive topic.
Lori Hollander, who lives in Southold, began by protesting the short term rentals proliferating on sites such as airbnb.com.
“The quality of life for residents of the North Fork is being increasingly affected by an unregulated short term rental market,” she said. “People who’ve bought their homes in residential neighborhoods can now find themselves living next to unregulated, unsupervised and unlicensed properties functioning as commercial businesses.”
She added that the “ability to make a profit” from short-term rentals has encouraged speculators to buy up lower priced homes to be use, depleting the affordable housing market on the North Fork for year-round renters.
Hollander urged the board to adopt regulations, such as those implemented in Southampton and East Hampton, including a required issuing of rental permits on a yearly basis; limiting a property owner’s ability to rent for less than two weeks only three times in a six month period; restricting acceptable bedroom area to 70 square feet for one person and an additional 50 square feet of floor area for each additional person; on-site parking restrictions limiting renters and their guests to parking only in the driveway of the home which they are renting; routine inspections to ensure that health and safety regulations are met, and rental tax implementation.
After doing her own sampling, Hollander said 296 properties in Southold Town are listed on VRBO and 298 on Home Away.
“We have tools within our code to remedy the spread of this rental problem,” Hollander said.
Mike Griffin of East Marion said owners of short-term rental properties are not subject to the same regulations as hotels or B & Bs. He expressed his concerns over the potential for a “proliferation of party houses that will only degrade our neighborhoods. Please take action. We are on the crest of a wave.”
Residents filed up to the podiums to describe their fears that short-term guests would not build up and nurture a community in the same way as families or seniors; they also were concerned over their own diminishing property values.
On the flip side, Maribeth Edmonds of Mattituck and her husband Tom said they supported short term rentals. Having traveled, they found it preferable to stay “in a home with a family; it’s full of life and we’re given a unique perspective of the place we’re visiting.” The couple enjoyed the experience so much they listed their own home in Mattituck as a short-term rental.
“It’s a lovely home, one we cherish,” Edmonds said. “We also love our community and our neighbors and don’t want any harm to our house, or any loud noise. We go to sleep early and we regulate those who come to our house.”
The couple offers guest such as Catapano cheese and North Fork Potato chips and are always home when their guests are in the house.
Councilman Jim Dinizio said what they are operating is a bed and breakfast and they can come to Town Hall for a permit; that type of situation, where owners are present, is something the town looks to embrace, he said.
Anne Murray of the East Marion Civic Association said her prediction was, if something is not done, “party houses will exist in every hamlet; they do already . And it will become reminiscent of Vineyard 48.”
If rental permits were instituted, fines for violations might pay for additional code enforcement, she said. “Nobody should have to live next door to a nightmare scenario.” She said she has no issue with someone who rents out a room in their own home while present. “It’s the speculators,” she said. “They have no interest in our community other than taking money out of it and putting nothing into it.”
Cutchogue attorney Abigail Field spoke, representing about a dozen homeowners who rent their residences on VRBO.
Her clients, she said, “are eager to give a face” to the responsible property owners. “They use their homes part of the year themselves, and generally hope to retire here. They love their homes and Southold, which is why they carefully screen their renters and why they support responsible regulation of short term rentals.”
Responsible regulations, Field said, includes a permitting process that ensures the homes are up to code, have no more guests than appropriate given the number of bedrooms, and other reasonable requirements to ensure neighbors feel secure that their quality of life is protected. “Responsible regulations also include consistent and evenhanded enforcement of not only a short-term rental code, but related quality of life codes like noise and light ordinances,” she said.
Her clients also support a permit fee that levels the playing field with B & Bs and hotels, Field said.
Field said her clients “very much support” allowing weekend rentals to continue, “as long as it’s done responsibly”, not for one night, which draws party crowds, but for whole weekends.
After an assessment of the economic impact of short-term rentals, surveying 91 people who spoke to the experiences of 400, Field said 57 percent were weekend guests; if the town banned weekend rentals, a majority of that market would not return, serving as an economic blow to the restaurants, wineries, and farm stands they visit, she said.
According to Field, VRBO benefits the local economy with the groups surveyed spending an aveage of $1,850, or more than $1.5 million per year, in town during their stay on dining out, shopping, tasting rooms, farm stands, art, spas, limos and other costs.
“It’s real money coming in,” she said.
The goal, Field said, is to catch the bad apples but allow for regulated short term rentals.
“We urge the town of Southold and its code committee to enact responsible regulation of short term rentals and enforce it consistently and transparently. That way, the town can continue to enjoy the profound economic benefits these rentals produce, while protecting the quality of life for year-round residents,” she said.
Councilman Jim Dinizo said he saw those results as somewhat “skewed,” since year round residents are also a boon to the economy, shopping, dining out, and going to farm stands, as well as supporting schools and volunteer fire departments.
Deborah Pittorino, owner of the Greenporter motel, said she’s obligated to have permits, subject to inspections, required to have insurance, and to collect a hotel occupancy and New York State sales tax. “The list goes on. We should all pay taxes as Americans. What bothers me is this is not a level playing field,” she said.
While she is not against sites such as airbnb.com, believing “every American should be able to operate a business, as long as it’s within the community’s laws, and they are paying taxes,” she feels everyone should abide by the rules. If not, she said, she could “surrender her hotel license” and then, she wouldn’t be subject to sales or occupancy tax or commercial insurance. She could host after hours parties and wouldn’t be subject to inspection. “I’ll be in line with everyone else. How does that sound?” she asked.
Russell said the matter would be discussed again today at a code committee meeting at the Town Hall annex at 4:30 p.m.
After the meeting last night, Russell said the huge turnout “is indicative of the number of calls and emails I have been receiving for months. Clearly the public wants it addressed. Hopefully we can walk out of the code committee with a draft that can be noticed for public hearing that would try to fairly address the issue.”
Councilman Bill Ruland thanked all who turned out to have their voices heard.
