Shelter Island Reporter Letters to the Editor
The Island’s core
To the Editor:
As a resident of Shelter Island for over 50 years and a taxpayer for more and as a business person for over 40 years, enjoying the natural amenities of the natural beauty of our Island, I have a question: What has happened?
Why are the citizens being led astray in more ways than one? Is anyone in charge? Is anyone thinking?
Affordable housing can happen, if the Town Board would just consider planning ahead. The members seem to pass the buck from one agency to the other, creating havoc and a person ready and willing and able to create some affordable housing has to walk away. Meetings, meetings, committees, committees, and nothing is accomplished.
But then we have the proposed short-term rental legislation ready to affect many people on the Island because of several complaints regarding rental properties. I think I have written enough letters and I do not need to let you know what has happened — the core of this Island is being attacked. It is an outright invasion of privacy.
Our Town Board is not doing its job. The president of the Chamber of Commerce wrote a letter on the issue: “We ask the Town Board to be open-minded and thorough in their examination of the issue as they continue their deliberations.” Well said!
Attend the hearing on April 7 and let the board members know you want them to scrap this proposed legislation since it will do so much harm to us, that it is unbelievable.
GEORGIANA KETCHAM
Shelter Island
The default destination
To the Editor:
The latest draft of the short-term rental (STR) law does a good job of setting up the urgent need to regulate STRs (Section 1) and it provides a sensible list of vacation rental regulations (Section 3).
However, after establishing that STRs are a major problem and following with a list of needed regulations, the draft fails to meaningfully limit the practice of renting unoccupied properties on a short term basis. It says that all advertising must stipulate a 14-day minimum rental period (Section 3 B 1 c), but later says a property owner cannot rent more than once in any 14 day period (section 3 C 1) — not a word about duration.
This is confusing at best and self-contradictory at worst. It means that, despite the advertised 14-day minimum, a property owner could still rent for a night or a weekend. So Shelter Island would remain the only East End town without a firm 14-day minimum. We would become the default destination for weekenders, partiers and all the rest.
I wish we could turn back the clock to the days when Shelter Islanders earned some extra money by renting to fresh-faced young couples who might someday buy and become their neighbors.
Unfortunately, those days are long gone. Now it’s all about money!
Airbnb and other on-line brokers have exponentially increased the demand for STRs. Homeowners have eagerly responded, turning their homes into businesses. Potential buyers routinely ask our real estate brokers about rental income potential, and an alarming number of homes sold are immediately put on the rental market. STRs generate more income than monthly, seasonal or longer rentals.
Among the loudest of those opposing regulation of STRs are people offering their homes for as much as $1,500 a night and up to $42,000 a month. Yes, it has become big business, and young people who want to make the Island their home are increasingly finding they cannot afford it.
We cannot allow the Island to be the only East End town that allows rentals under 14 days in owner unoccupied houses. We cannot let the Island become the default destination!
JOE HINE
Shelter Island
Negative outcomes
To the Editor:
We have made Shelter Island our home and are concerned that the proposed short-term rental (STR) regulations will have numerous negative effects outweighing the benefits.
STRs will reduce tourism to the island by cutting in half the availability of one-week rentals (the most common family rental period). There will likely be some positive impacts such as easing of tourist-related congestion and rental turnover/disruption. It’s important to note there has apparently been no analysis quantifying how much tourism will be reduced, so the extent of any positive effects are unknown.
The regulations will produce significant negative outcomes: Financially harming islanders who rely on one week rentals to afford family vacation/weekend homes; reducing tourist revenue local businesses need to survive; and making our community a place where enforcement officers have ticket quotas turning neighbor against neighbor.
In addition ,STRs will reduce the property rights of all residents to use their homes as they wish, burden residents who rent their homes (for any period of time) through licensing fees and arduous reporting requirements and increase taxes for all residents to cover costs of implementation, activity monitoring (spying) and administrative needs.
The financial harm these rules will have on some Islanders outweighs the quality of life benefits they offer to others and this is magnified by the lack of meaningful discussion of who will be injured and how.
There is no stated measurable objective and there is no plan for follow up analysis or review. It will risk the health of the Island’s economy with no preparation for the inevitable unintended consequences. In short this regulation is a poorly thought out reaction to a matter that the police can handle.
Simply fining and banning from the rental market home owners who don’t properly manage their rentals will very quickly stop bad behavior without the need to harm Islanders who have done nothing wrong.
Every member of the community should be opposed to this regulation until it is properly and thoughtfully rewritten with its goals, impact assessment and follow up steps properly defined.
PETER and KATE HUMPHREY
Shelter Island
Happy and impressed
To the Editor:
Congratulations Shelter Island students, parents and staff for your time and effort in providing us with another fun evening.
As I do every year, I attended the first night of the Shelter Island School play, “Curtains.”
Again, this year, the performance made us both happy and impressed for two straight hours. It is such a delight spending an evening observing what these few mentors can get out of today’s youth.
I counted 100 folks from this small school involved in the performance. No other sport or school activity is as actively involved by people as this undertaking. Along with teaching the children how to work as a team, they are also learning how gratifying hard work can be.
As I said, with 100 folks involved, it is difficult to mention all of you, but being a lifelong coach and teacher, I can appreciate a great program. I know this one starts with two unbelievable people — John and Anu Kaasik. They somehow know how to create an atmosphere of learning, teamwork and fun and for that I say, “Thank you.”
For the kids, I have no idea how you remembered all those lines. When I leave, I always have a renewed faith in the direction these young people will be leading our country.
Now, just one more thing: Make sure that the title of the play has nothing to do with the thinking of the Kaasik family. As always, thank you again.
BOB DeSTEFANO
Shelter Island
