At a Town Board study session on August 27, the public was given an opportunity to provide comment on the topic being discussed.
Allowing the public to do this during a study session is new and gives our citizens an opportunity to give input on topics that are important to us before an issue goes before the Trustees at a Town Board meeting for a vote.
At this particular study session meeting Short Term Rentals and Bed and Breakfast issues were discussed.
Regarding the STR and BnB issues.
Trustee Cindy Younglund said. “I remember a time when we were 100% booked in our hotels, this is not the case.” I have a couple of comments to offer on this:
- I interpret that to mean Trustee Younglund feels STRs and B&Bs are taking business away from hotels. From speaking with other vacation homeowners, and from our own bookings, I know, in fact, that STRs & B&Bs are not fully booked either.
- While it is true, were there no STRs or B&Bs in Estes, hotels would in fact have more guests booking with them. It is important to realize the market has changed a lot when it comes to vacation lodging. People have more choices and choose what they prefer, many of whom now choose to stay in a home rather than a hotel room. It is also important to note that the hotels and motels could not accommodate the more than 4.5 million guests that visit Rocky Mountain National Park each year. Not all stay here, but many, many do.
- Our guests tell us that they prefer short-term rentals because they are often less expensive, cleaner, more comfortable, and infinitely more accommodating for family stays.
I find that having that choice is no different than choosing one brand of anything over another. We Americans like to have choices. Does Hilton take away from Marriott’s bookings? Maybe, but you cannot blame Hilton.
I liked what Trustee Kirby Hazelton said, “We have a wide variety of lodging choices.” She seemed proud of that and said she wants to preserve it as do we vacation rental owners.
Someone said that neighbors of short-term rentals do not know their neighbors. I do not believe that is the case with every one of them. It seems that comment paints all of us with the same brush. We happen to be very close with our neighbors. We have dinners together, go to each other’s homes for a glass of wine or just visit in the street. One of my neighbors pulls weeds in our yard. We bake cookies for each other at Christmas, etc.
On the other hand, we have friends here (not STR owners) that do not know their neighbors at all, that is just how they are.
I know other STR owners who do know their neighbors. The fact that we/they have licenses has nothing to do with knowing the neighbors. It has to do with people. I am sure that you will find that there are many people in many neighborhoods here without licenses who do not know their neighbors and vice versa. That general statement is made up. No research has been done to find out if STR owners know their neighbors. If someone wants to know their neighbors, you can find them and say hello.
If I can give my two cents about a few of issues:
The town trustees are still saying that Bed and Breakfast licensees must serve a “fresh cooked breakfast.”
Breakfast is impossible, I think, to monitor and, as I said at the study session, a “fresh cooked breakfast” is problematic.
First, the Board has not defined what a “fresh cooked breakfast” is. So that is not clear.
Second, not everyone wants a “fresh cooked breakfast” that visits here. Many people are here for weddings, breakfasts are often commonly taken with their friends and family. Some hikers leave at 4 a.m. I am certainly not going to cook from 3:30 AM until check out time.
Third, there are so many people who have gluten, dairy, egg, nut, and other allergies. It would be impossible to meet those dietary restrictions.
And lastly, not to mention the health issues involved, like having pets in the home, people still getting COVID, colds, flu, etc.
Eliminating the linkage fee was discussed for those of us who house the workforce, or live in the house, because we are “workforce” as much as anyone working in a hotel.
The linkage fee was implemented, ostensibly, to help the town with affordable housing and childcare, though, frankly, it felt—and occurred at that trustee meeting several years ago when it was voted on—like retribution.
Currently the increase in lodging taxes passed two years ago—the 6E ballot initiative—is filling the town coffers nicely for the affordable housing and childcare needs.
There is no real need for the town to continue collecting the linkage fee. I believe that the linkage fee should be eliminated. It is punitive.
Also, the requirement of having the owner or manager reside in the property is unnecessary. We have never had a complaint from any of our neighbors regarding noise, except when we had J1s living with us years ago.
The only issue anyone has ever had with the house is plumbing, in which case, we called a plumber. Plumbing does not affect the neighborhood, but it can affect the guests. We are there, but do not need to be. The plumber knows how to let himself in. So, no real issues with over 2,000 guests—I just checked—over 8 years.
STR and BnB owners bring revenue to our town, provide a service, take better care of their property than many long term rental owners, and are valuable citizens in our community.
Please stop blaming us for things that are not just happening in vacation rental properties.
Lots of people benefit from short term rentals. The renters enjoy staying in beautiful setting. STR owners earn income. The town of Estes Park receives money from the Estes Park Lodging tax. The State of Colorado and Larimer County collect sales taxes. Local business have increased sales. You know who doesn’t benefit? The neighbors who have to deal with rude and obnoxious renters. Figure out how we can benefit and get back to us. Otherwise, stop the whining!
I agree with many of Becky’s comments. Why not eliminate the Bed and Breakfast designation completely? Perhaps that is an outmoded way of providing a lodging experience? However, I do think if you are operating as a hotel by renting your house on a nightly or weekly basis, you should be paying the same kind of taxes and fees as the hotels and motels do. And I can’t go into the debate about “affordable” or “work-force” housing. There is really no such thing in our little paradise.
I’m torn on this. I’ve owned a large-ish property for 18 years. For the first 10 years or so, it was very quiet-dark skies at night, not a lot of traffic on the road that runs through my property. Now, I’m rebuilding my road on a yearly basis. To be fair, one of the owners has helped with the road. One. My attorney suggested I just block the road, but I hate being the mean old man on the mountain. I’ve reluctantly agreed to the B&B’s coming in, but the’ve brought many changes. I know my neighbor tell’s the tenants about bears and trash, but I’ve still have to deal with overturned trash cans and the fact that bears have a memory-they come back to sites where they find food. I informed one set of tenants of that fact, and they left every light in the rental on for the duration. We used to have “dark” skies, and it used to be very quiet. I’ve found their children playing in my pasture- one group set up a hammock between two of my trees and used it for three days. I didn’t give them any grief, but I thought it was a bit over the top. I love kids-I was a teacher for 15 years-but I worry about liability-There are things in my pasture that they could get injured on. As the old timers say, “It ain’t like it used to be”.
I’m torn on this issue. I’ve lived here for 18 years on a largish property, full time. I want my neighbors to be able to use their property in whatever way is legal. A private road runs through my property, with 3 property easements. My attorney suggested I gate it, but I’m really not looking to be the mean old man on the hill. For the first 10 years, or so, it was very quiet here-dark skies, little traffic. Now, we often have lights on all night and lots of traffic. Only one of the rental owners has helped with the road costs and maintenance. Worse, there are two ways into the area and most use my road as it is kept up and much easier to drive on. I’m sure the owners caution their guests about locking the “bear proof” trash cans, but-. I had lost guests, showing up in my driveway at 3 am. I’ve had “guests” set up hammocks on my property for the duration. As one old timer said, “It ain’t like it used to be.”
The losers in this property grab are people in Estes Park who would like for their police officers, firefighters, hospital staff, teachers and other essential people to live locally. Also impacted are second and third generation Estes Valley families who would like for their children to be able to afford to live where they grew up. My daughter, who works for the school district, doesn’t see a viable path to home ownership in Estes. She will move on as will other professionals. Let’s get real about the true price that STRs extract from communities. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/vacation-towns-limit-short-term-rentals-amid-housing-crisis