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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/06/12 Documents Submitted at Mtg Diana Shiplet From: Amy Gunter[guntera @ash land.or.us] Sent: Friday, August 03, 2012 2:20 PM To: 'Barbara Christensen', Diana Shiplet Subject: FW: Vacation rentals From: Melody [mailto:meljones @opendoor.com] Sent: Saturday, July 28, 2012 12:50 PM To: planning @ashland.or.us Subject: Vacation rentals Bill Molnar, As a vacation rental owner, I feel privileged to be able to share our space with people who choose to stay with us rather than a hotel. We have made close friends with guests who return year after year. All of our guests are here to see Shakespeare plays, attend weddings, and mostly, to live in a neighborhood to get the feel of Ashland to retire or relocate in. These people are intelligent, kind and very respectful of our property and our neighborhood. Everyone recycles and we only ever have ONE can of garbage per week. Because of our guests, I am SURE our yard and environment is much cleaner and presentable, like cleaning ones house before having dinner guests. Our guests don't pick up children, drive to and from work everyday, go to appointments or do daily errands, they seldom get in their cars. There is definitely a shortage of housing for Ashland visitors as people often comment that EVERY PLACE is totally booked and they are so grateful there is an alternative place to stay. I hope the council understands the importance of vacation rentals. I see this as being nothing but a win win for the City of Ashland, our visitors and us vacation rental owners who need this extra income to pay for the high cost of living in this lovely place. Visiters comments: "We were fortunate to have stayed at this lovely cottage in June 2012 and we would like to thank Melody, Jeff and Julian for their hospitality. Their place has a beautiful, large garden with 3 seating areas, a BBQ area, a vegetable garden and a hammock- all of which were offered for our use. We were in town for a family wedding, and were encouraged to invite people over to enjoy their amenities. Over the course of the month we were there, we were able to invite our relatives and friends over - and ended up having some wonderful evenings with them. The cottage is within walking distance to Lithia Park, the Shakespearian Theatre, the Cinema and several restaurants and shops. You won't be able to find a better place to stay in Ashland. We are looking forward to going back next year". Char and Gerry Vancouver Island, Canada 1 Hi Bill, I am off to a family wedding today and just had to express my support for the council to seriously study changing the zoning rules that the City of Ashland currently has on the books regarding the rights of long-term property owners to rent their homes short term to people who are coming to Ashland to visit and explore. We have a long-term rental at 508 Ann St. We have successfully been renting by the month to vacationers and those people who have a great interest in the beauty of Ashland, in all its form, and want to explore the livability of our charming little town. As you know, David and I have lived here a long time, about 30 yrs. and most recently in 2005, due to a family inheritance, we were able to buy two rentals. Ann St. was gutted by David and is now 570 sq. ft., one room with a fabulous deck facing Grizzley Peak. Because we are trying to cover our mortgage (inheritance wasn't enuf to pay it all! ), we realized that since it was such a high end cottage, everything having been remodeled, that month to month to just a tenant who was living here already wouldn't cut it, so we furnished it and have been renting it by the month as a Vacation Rental. Thus we listed it on VRBO.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner) and have been successfully full as a month to month vacation rental since Jan. 2006. Sometime earlier this year, as we got more and more busy with the Distillery, we didn't have the time to monitor the website, field all the phone calls and emails from interested parties who wanted to rent it. So, we hired a Property Mgr. As things progressed, she kept telling us that she was getting numerous requests to rent it by the night, so we started dabbling in the short term rental market, obviously increasing our income while decreasing the wear on the cottage as we were able to rent it for less days per month and still make more than the monthly rate. Then, as you are very well aware, the 'Crack down' by the City came in the form of a 'Cease and Desist' letter sometime in June. We immediately stopped doing the short-term rentals and went back to the by the month. We would really like to be able to apply for a CUP to allow us to rent by the night (with a 3 day minimum) and pay the Business licenses and the Bed Tax and whatever else the City of Ashland requires of a like rental situation in a zoning area that allows it. We want the city to win, to gain tax revenue, (TOT) that they deserve and can rightly use. And we like the idea of regulating these rental homes by the Health Dept and such. Please let it go on record that Diane Paulson and David Eliasen, long-term Ashland residents support the City of Ashland changing the zoning or allowing CUP's for people with homes in this same situation. Thank you for your time and concern in this very important matter. Sincerely, Diane Paulson (this email is proof of my signature) P.S. two of the renters have bought homes here, and one of the renters was the interim Fire Chief as well as folks who are attending the United Bicycle Institute (UBI), Ashland Massage Institute, Parents visiting their grandchildren wanting a home to visit with them at and other interesting situations in Ashland.