Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Nobody actually lives... anywhere on your block or any of the blocks around you anymore

Probably the most important thing to note from last night's City Planning Commission hearing on short term rentals is the strident terms in which the landlords phrased their demands.  What they'd like to do is create blocks and blocks of absentee owner rentals.
James Uschold, attorney for the Alliance for Neighborhood Prosperity, said his group has recommended that zoning rules be changed so that each block can automatically include up to 20 bedrooms rented out as short-term rentals. Another 10 bedrooms could be used for the purpose as a conditional use.






That's where the landlords are on this point. They believe short term rental opponents are discriminating against nobody's right to actually live here. That they make this demand so unequivocally is worth remembering when this issue makes its way back to City Council. Back when Council punted on this issue in the first place, Stacy Head said she didn't want to put up with the "irrational behavior, vitriol and outright lies,” of critics warning against this very thing.

Stacy's plan under development at the time would have allowed STRs under the pretense that they would help remediate "blight" before eventually reverting back to regular long term rental housing... probably.. maybe.  They key to selling that, though, was the conceit that landlords turning block after block of a neighborhood into a de-facto hotel was an absurd notion.

Well, now here they are just up and saying that's exactly what they want to do.

 If you have time to watch the video from the meeting, here that is.




The CPC is still taking written public comment until November 30. Here is how you submit those.



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