The Discussion of STR Regulation Continues
A year ago, a draft of the legislation regulating short term rentals was made available on the City of Hudson website. That draft can still be found here. Scroll down the page to "Documents." Now, a different and more stringent version of the law is being considered. That version can be found here. One of forces behind the revisions that have been made to the draft legislation since the beginning of 2020 has been First Ward alderman Rebecca Wolff, who sits on the Common Council Legal Committee. Her stated goal in regulating STRs is to ensure that Hudson is "a community where people live."
Last Monday, the Hudson Development Corporation's Emergency Business Task Force held a virtual roundtable discussion about the proposed STR law, with John Rosenthal (Fourth Ward), who chairs the Legal Committee, as its guest. Gossips' report on that meeting can be found here. This Monday, the discussion continues, and Gossips has learned that Rebecca Wolff has agreed to be part of this Monday's Zoom meeting.
The meeting takes place on Monday, July 20, at 3:00 p.m. Click here for the link to join the meeting. You are advised to be prompt because, for security reasons, to avoid Zoombombing, the meeting host may not let people in after the meeting has begun.
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For a brief moment I was hopeful that the "Documents" you referred to would actually be the documents showing why the STR was necessary -- what impacts are there to justify it, how many noise complaints there have been, etc. -- but alas, it's just an early draft of this bizarre, draconian, and massively untimely law.
ReplyDeleteMordant. Spot on.
DeleteIn the almost 3 years of debate about this no one on the legal committee or anyone attending the meetings has presented any factual information about noise complaints or negative impact of STR--- it's just been Ms. Wolff, the mayor's aid, and 2 other people constantly complaining and making false and misleading claims. It has been a sickening side show to watch. But oddly and I guess not surprisingly there are no notes or records of all those meetings- the legal committee last year for the most part didn't record minutes.
DeleteHudson is becoming an Iron Curtain Country --AHEM City,sorry Same bureaucracy !!
ReplyDeleteThere surely are some efforts underway in this regard. Misguided, ignoring history and human nature. Simple solutions to complex problems -- with jail time. Scratch a radical Leftist, find a radical Rightist.
DeleteWe would sure like to hear Some hard statistics from Ms. Wolff as to how STR guests are harming the neighborhoods and economy of Hudson, and causing more noise and problems than local residents, instead of touchy-feely slogans about ensuring Hudson remains a community where people live.
ReplyDeleteThe proposed law calls for not only fining violates, but 6 months of imprisonment!
ReplyDeleteMyrtle
Can’t wait to see the Implementation and enforcement of all this. So in addition to involving the planning board, the building department and the Pope, now we’re going to clog the courts and jail otherwise law-abiding people. Get the popcorn.
ReplyDeleteMs. Wolff's goal for regulating short term rentals have changed many times over the past 3 years. It started with the purpose of punishing her next door neighbors who she didn't like and who occasionally rented there home on a short term basis (this also prompted her to created the fake "Affordable Hudson" organization where she influenced various agencies with false information- then the goal became to ensure affordable housing because she realized that she was an evil gentrifier from NYC and wanted to "help" (even though she rented and rents the apartment in her own home at a 'luxury' rate (far from what she defines as 'affordable') - and now it's to ensure a community where people live. I encourage all to listen to her radio interview (Google it) where she basically outlines a scorched earth future for Hudson. She calls for all restaurants and businesses on Warren Street to close - and when asked about where all those people would then find jobs- responds that "they can move to other places." Ms. Wolff's only motivation and goal with STR regulation seems to be to rid Hudson of its middle class - and for her to tell everyone who is left what is best for them. She is a bad sour apple (with a constant frown on her face) that is causing city government to rot from within. God save us from this self proclaimed witch.
ReplyDeleteHere's the link to the radio interview John Darby references in his comment: https://wavefarm.org/radio/wgxc/audio-archive/xck9d4. It took place on November 21, 2018. Rebecca Wolff is being interviewed by John Kane on the subject of affordable housing, but a major topic of discussion is STRs. The actual interview begins at 7:35.
DeleteThanks for the link. This was a troubling interview. She has an inability to speak in compete sentences. She has no data to back up her opinions.
ReplyDeleteFor me the most troubling aspect of this whole debate is that no one has laid out and defined the problem to be solved. Unless we can define the problem (with data) we cannot begin to look at solutions to the specific problem(s).
I am a full time resident. I do not have any STR properties. So I have no direct skin in the game. However, I do have skin in the game when it comes to Hudson continuing to thrive. I want to continue to live here.
Here are the 2 problems that I have directly experienced with STRs and my proposed solutions:
Loss of neighbors:
When I moved here 10+ years ago all the properties around me were occupied. Now not so much.
Proposed solution:
limit the number of full-time STRs on any given block to a percent of houses on that block.
Problem:
Valuation of my single family home:
In the last valuation my home, which has zero income potential, was compared to business enterprises which had been sold in the previous year with statements about 50k to 70k prior year income. Sold furnished. Turn key businesses.
Solution:
All full-time STRs need to be removed from the residential rolls for the purpose of evaluating the market value of truly residential properties.
Let's try to define the problems first. Then we can come up with reasonable solutions.
M. Morris, I appreciate your thoughts. However, I also live here, have for decades and want to remain here. But my property taxes have quadrupled over the years. One of the ways I am able to pay the ever escalating costs of remaining in my own home is to rent several rooms as STR. I do not think my home should be labeled in any of the negative and somewhat derogatory ways posited by Ms. Wolfe or others. You appear to be sensible, so I hope you can understand that there are a number of real Hudsonites who just want to rent out a few rooms and be left in peace. It is our way of providing affordable housing for ourselves. Many of us are middle class people with roots in the community.
ReplyDeleteMyrtle
Myrtle:
DeleteThere is no reason why you should not be able to rent out rooms in your house. It benefits you and it benefits our local economy. When was referring to limiting the number of STRs on a given block, I should have been clearer. I meant non-owner occupied STRs. If the issue is loss of neighbors, then limiting the number of non-occupied houses in a block would solve that. If you live here, and are a neighbor, you should be allowed to do whatever you wish with the extra rooms in your house.
I also have seen my taxes increase exponentially in the last 10 years. I understand where you are coming from.
wait wait, the City is paying 20,000$ to hire an outside contractor to play Bad guy, and find all the residents who aren't obeying the citys mandates? this is a joke, please how is this even on the table during a pandemic!!! put the city's budget to USE for the good of the people!!!! shame
ReplyDeleteYesterday in the HDC meeting Rebecca Wolff admitted that the current proposed STR Legislation was written 2 1/12 years ago. You can hear for yourself in the recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/_8lwNI75rW9JU5HT5RDxR4wQWd7pX6a81ilN-aVfzkZ8jPxiBoCq8Qf5mZg560mh Password: qUM1F5@E
ReplyDeleteThis is obviously very disturbing since she only began her term in January of this year!
It's disappointing that the sensible draft that I assume John Rosenthal and Tiffany Garriga put together last year - with almost 12 months of intense public input and discussion - was sat on for 12 months- then thrown out entirely when Rebecca came on the scene- and replaced with the current DRACONIAN punitive draft. This is painful, unfair, and an abomination of the legal process!!!
Shame on the current Legal Committee and Common Council President for letting this happen!!!!