Planning 2018-06-28 Minutes - Public Hearing - Zoning Code Amendments for Short Term Rentals

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currently a situation on the east side of his property, and many short-term tenants and cars coming and going, which has caused him problems. He said there has been on-going Code Enforcement issues on the property. He said he hopes short-term housing is not approved until the City can manage rentals and ADUs. Roger Lorenza, citizen, is in favor of ADUs and short-term rentals. He said any restrictions placed on people who own their own home is unrealistic. And the income received from rentals is needed. He said Airbnbs in Tukwila should not be compared to Seattle or other states. He said that there should not be a policy holder for prohibition; he said yes permit the use of residential housing in mixed use zones; do not require a license to operate a short term rental; he agrees with cleaning up the existing regulations, if the present code does not address the short-term rental than do not change the code; He said it’s expensive to buy a new home and if people want to rent out their home it’s their right. Terrance C. Morgan, citizen, is opposed to short-term rentals. He said he has spoken to the Mayor on these issues. Garcia Queuedo, citizen, is opposed to short-term rentals. He said the quality of life would be a major issue, and there would be parking issues. As well as environmental issues. He said change is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be negative for the people who live in the community. Jenny Sims, citizen, is seeking support to allow Airbnbs and short-term rentals in the community but is against boarding houses. She said her family needs to rent out their basement to help with the mortgage. She said she likes the flexibility and the control that short-term rental allows. She said the long-term tenant laws are in the tenant’s favor, and it can be hard to evict problematic tenants. She said having Airbnb provide insurance is a safety net and makes her more comfortable having short-term rentals in her home. She said they would make more money with a long-term rental, but she is not doing it just for the money, but also the flexibility and convenience. She said the network is set up to weed out the problematic people, and she pointed out there are problems with both long-term and short-term rentals. She said she has had a very positive experience so far. She said even if short-term rentals are denied homeowner may not be able to create more long-term rentals due to cost to meet code requirements. She said many homeowners run Airbnbs to help combat the high rise in property taxes. She is not opposed to having regulations for short-term rentals if they are easy to follow and are not prohibitively expensive. Paul Winchester, citizen, is in favor of short-term rentals and has been running an Airbnb, for the past 18 months. He said he has not experienced any parking issues. He said he has been a long-term landlord for over 30 years, and long-term tenants are much more problematic then short-term rentals. He said his property is in better shape now that he has the extra income to maintain the property opposed to having long-term rentals. He said Airbnb vets the tenants. He said when he retires he plans to live at the property in the winter and during vacations, which would not be possible with long-term rentals. He said it provides good income and it has worked out well for him. He currently participates in the rental property program and has had the property inspected through the rental permitting process. He also has a business license, is paying his property taxes, and it is generating good revenue for the government. Patricia Perry, citizen, has been an Airbnb guest in different Cities, and she likes the experience of the personal touch better than hotels. She said she has property in Tukwila and if she needed to, she could run an Airbnb. She has considered it as she gets closer to retirement, to keep up with mortgage cost and property taxes. She said it irritates her being told what she can do with her home when she is the owner. She said progress is happening and it is hard, but she thinks there is a way to meet half way with this issue. She doesn’t think it has to be all or nothing. There were no additional public comments. Nora Gierloff, Community Development Deputy Director, stated this is a complex issue, and asked how do you develop regulations that allow you to enforce rules for problematic renters? Page 2 of 5