Letters to the Editor

Within the past 24 hours, I have been pelted with letters regarding the single family home rental issue. The setting of Mammoth Town Council priorities at its next meeting on Aug. 20 appears to be the impetus. What follows is a sampling. 

 

Lehman’s survey

Dear Editor,

I was recently provided an email written by Mr. Gregg Martino discussing his opposition to nightly single family rentals in Mammoth Lakes.  I personally have not expressed an opinion one way or another, but feel that regardless of one’s opinion it should be based on fact.

In Mr. Martino’s letter he states the following:

“… if one looks closely at the survey from Matthew Lehman, responses as of July 1, 2014, make it clear that a majority of our community do not want this change to happen (out of 153 responses, 76 were strongly opposed or mostly opposed and an additional 30 were only in favor if there were conditions (as now) bringing the total to 69 percent basically opposed, while only 42 (27.5%) of the responses were in favor)).”

This statement is not accurate and it’s not clear that the community is opposed to, or in favor of, nightly single family home rentals. Mr. Martino did not mention the respondents that were fully in favor of nightly rentals.

As of August 13, there have been a total of 159 respondents for this survey.   Here are the running totals to date:

62 (38.99%) voted –  I’m very much opposed to renting single family homes on a nightly basis in Mammoth Lakes

19 (11.95%) voted – For the most part I’m opposed to renting single family homes on a nightly basis

5 (3.14%) voted – I don’t care one way or another

31 (19.5%) voted – I’m in favor of renting single family homes on a nightly basis with conditions

42 (26.42%) voted – I’m very much in favor of renting single family homes on a nightly basis.

81.12% of respondents were full time residents of Mammoth Lakes; 18.87% were not

85.53% owned their home while 14.47% were renting

Up until the July 1 date, approximately half of the respondents were opposed or mostly opposed, and half were in favor or in favor subject to some sort conditions.  In recent weeks there has been some lean to opposing nightly rentals. This survey is still open, so allow your readers to express their own opinions:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CPMCBD8 .

 

Matthew Lehman

Mammoth Lakes

 

Dither and wither

Dear Editor:

We are almost winning, we just need to keep doing the same thing and try harder; famous quotes from the wars in/on Vietnam, Iraq, gay rights, marijuana and SFR (single family rentals) in Mammoth. One of the definitions of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

I own a “bunch” of condos, etc. in Mammoth and I keep getting these letters from the HOA’s and rental agencies saying we have to stop the SFR rentals because they are going to eat our condo rental lunch and disturb the peace of SFR home owners. While I always hesitate to use the terms “common sense” & government in the same sentence, it would seem to me that the following would be reasonably obvious to government types with some semblance of common sense.

Nightly rentals for SFR’s and condos are different markets with different consumers for the most part.  ure there is some crossover but if you really want an SFR and can’t get one in Mammoth, I’m guessing you just go to another ski town to find one for the most part. Hint Mammoth Luddites; yes you really do have competition from other ski towns that have lots of easy to find SFRs.

It would seem that most SFR owners use them as second residences and hence are only around about 30 days a year at best. I’m sure there is a very vocal minority of “real” primary residence owners but let’s face it; most locals cannot afford an SFR in Mammoth. So I’m guessing there are not many “real” primary residence SFR owners in Mammoth who are going to be inconvenienced by the supposed party animal renters next door.

So what we are really talking about is the rental agencies using the small number of “real” local/primary SFR owners as a front by suggesting they are being oppressed by animal house college kids renting the house next door and disturbing the peace. Of course, this ignores the obvious; college kids cannot afford to rent a whole house and if they did, they would want to be in the Village next to the party bars.

The town is spending money enforcing unrealistic & probably unenforceable rules when it could just be collecting more taxes and spending the balance elsewhere; like paying off that stupid lawsuit they refused to settle long ago when it would have been cheap.

The people who just want the town to try harder sticking to the current unrealistic plan are probably the same folks who said just give the attorneys more money and they will save us from the airport lawsuit and/or trust those guys from Intrawest, I’m sure they are going to build a parking structure for the Village soon.

Of course, inevitable does not mean anytime soon, Mammoth probably has a large/long does of unproductive dithering ahead of it before it ever get its act together.

 

Michael Medkiff

Santa Monica/Mammoth

 

Save our neighborhoods 

Dear Councilmembers,

I was unable to attend your priorities meeting last week due to a lack of notice. Although Council may not legally be required to provide much notice, our community wants to be involved, which is an asset that should be nurtured, not ignored.

Next week, Council will formalize its  short-term priorities. I am thankful to be able to reach out before your decision making meeting. Based on reports from last week’s workshop, it appears that the expansion of single family nightly rentals may be on your agenda. As a founding member of the TOT enforcement effort, a small business owner, a 13 year resident of Mammoth Lakes and most importantly, a mother of two young children, I believe I can provide a valuable perspective on the question of nightly rentals.  I want to mention that I strongly feel the Single family Homes issue is a very separate issue than TOT Enforcement, it should not be part of the same discussion.  I know this first hand from my years of involvement and the countless hours spent on the TOT committee.  Enforcement of all ordinances are essential to peace in our neighborhoods, a sense of community and curb appeal throughout town.

As a young family in Mammoth, my husband and I have been waiting for the right time to buy a home and set our roots even deeper in this town we have come to love. To be very honest, the talk of legalizing nightly rentals in single family neighborhoods is a main reason why we have refrained from buying a home. While we are fortunate enough to have a condo as a part of our job, our goal has always been to move offsite not only to strengthen our roots here, but to remove ourselves from the “transient” issues we deal with on a regular basis. To me, this is personal. My business will not suffer, as 1849’s location will allow us to continue to thrive. Our community may not be so fortunate.

Like our local friends that live in single family homes, we want our children to know our neighbors and feel comfortable being outdoors. We want to be a member of a neighborhood and community of other families. Our current situation, where we live in the midst of short term rentals does not allow our children that freedom. Our guests are wonderful people, but they are on vacation and behave accordingly. They are strangers, not neighbors. We deal with noise. We deal with trash. The list of impacts is long and unpleasant.

I have done extensive research on peer communities and want to share with you what I’ve learned. After legalizing nightly rentals, as happened in South Lake Tahoe and Big Bear, single family houses became income properties, not places to live. Local families were driven out of the neighborhoods and forced to move to the outskirts. This is also the case in towns like Vail, Aspen and Breckenridge, where local families have mostly moved away to satellite towns such as Edwards, Carbondale and Silverthorne. If nightly rentals are legalized in Mammoth, you will see a flight of locals to Crowley, Benton and Bishop.  This may not happen in the first year or even the second year.  However, if we look down the road 4-5 years, this is inevitable based on what has happened in other areas and based on our current real estate market trends.

Five years ago, the Town Council rejected the legalization of nightly rentals and announced to the community that any neighborhood that was interested in changing their zone should come forward. Of course no neighborhood has done so, since the majority of residents and second homeowners are opposed to having nightly renters next door.

I encourage you to listen to the community and to really think about the long-term consequences of your decisions. Mammoth may (or may not) bank some additional money off of nightly rentals in the short term, but the long-term damage to our community would be irreversible. I have looked at every angle of this issue.  The only reason I could see council wanting to make such a dramatic change is income.  Let’s allow the TBID time to do what it was intended to do – build our occupancy levels and increase TOT income.  There are far too many down sides to a change this dramatic in a town that thrives on our community and our people.

I would like to ask each of you to think back to when you first came to Mammoth with the dream of home ownership or how you felt in your new Mammoth home getting to know your neighbors in our small community. Those with children, or that hope to have children, must see the picture I am painting even clearer. It is so clear to me and so many others. Instead of thinking about how we can be more like other towns, let’s recognize what makes us so wonderful – our families and our community. Let’s not undermine this one thing that makes us special. Trust me, families forced to live down valley in Edwards, Carbondale and Silverthorne all wish they could be “more like Mammoth.”

 

Cheryl Witherill

Mammoth Lakes 

 

Fair is fair 

Dear Editor:

Based on an article in The Sheet last month, coupled with reports from the Town Council’s workshop last week, it appears that Councilmember Michael Raimondo is doubling down on his efforts to force nightly rentals into single family neighborhoods in Mammoth. My extended family and I have owned a home in Mammoth for almost 12 years and I am appalled that Mr. Raimondo thinks that he has the right to impose his agenda on us and our neighbors. So here is my new plan:

If Mr. Raimondo wants to infringe on the quiet enjoyment of our home, we will infringe on the quiet enjoyment of his business. As long as Mr. Raimondo continues to advocate for the homes in our neighborhood to be rented out to groups of tourists, I will advocate for the boycott of his restaurant, Old New York Deli. I’ve always tried to pursue a “live and let live” approach to life, but if Mr. Raimondo wants to mess with my family’s most personal treasure, our home in Mammoth, we will do the same to his business.

I’ve also heard rumors that Councilmember Shields Richardson has changed his position on the nightly rental question and is now in favor of legalizing nightly rentals in family neighborhoods. While I find this hard to believe given his clear statements during the campaign, if it proves to be true, we, along with our friends, will also no longer be frequenting his business, the Side Door.

 

Laurie Williams

Mammoth Lakes/Manhattan Beach

 

How about a trial period? 

Dear Editor: 

Here’s an idea …Remove ALL restrictions from home rentals in the TOML for a “test” period of FIVE to TEN years.

Those who vehemently oppose it will, over this time period, be able to provide experiential evidence to prove their case … or perhaps come to realize that it wasn’t really all that bad after all. Maybe even come around to the idea that all the fears they had were unwarranted. Those who currently favor the idea can, in the fullness of time, evaluate their endorsement and decide whether or not to permanently lift restrictions or re-impose them.

Will neighborhoods go down the drain because people will be renting their single family homes? I think quite the opposite. The care and value of our properties and neighborhoods will rise as those who wish to rent their homes come to learn that their properties must be maintained in top condition to even be in contention for rental.

I favor the rental of SFH in Mammoth, not because I will ever rent my SFH on a short term basis … but because I think it will be a much more positive experience for the town than the naysayers believe. It will bring Mammoth some badly needed revenue. And it will probably encourage people who perhaps otherwise may not have come to Mammoth because of the restrictions, to come see us.

Does anyone possibly believe that this is the worst thing that could happen to Mammoth?

 

Peter Dach 

Mammoth (and elsewhere)