Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutSupplmnt Info - Ord 1332 Correspondence_1Klassen, Rachelle From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Sunday, November 05, 2017 8:39 PM To: Swartz, Kevin; Klassen, Rachelle Subject: Fwd: Short Term Rentals -Thank you! Sent via the Samsung Galax\ S.* mini. an A I & I (i I, IT. smui•thhone Original message From: Martha Osborne <Qualitymumt2003 u,yahoo.com> Date: 11/5/2017 5:03 PM (GMT-08:00) To: "Aylaian, Lauri" <lavlaianncityofoalmdesert.orQ> Subject: Short Term Rentals -Thank you! Dear Mayor and City Council Members, .J T I wanted to take a moment to thank you. Thank you for protecting the residential nature of our neighborhoods within the City of Palm Desert by passing the first reading to restrict short-term rentals in non -association controlled residential neighborhoods. I don't think I could describe how happy I am to know that very shortly there won't be a parade of transient residents coming and going across the street from me. Thank you again for bringing back our neighborhoods! Warm Regards, Martha A. Osborne 75525 Dempsey Drive Palm Desert CA 92211 760-413-8988 1 Klassen, Rachelle From: Hermann, David Sent: Monday, November 06, 2017 12:35 PM , • n To: Stendell, Ryanmi ▪ -V=i Cc: Swartz, Kevin; Klassen, Rachelle 2 1 Subject: FW: Attention: Ryan Stendell (with attachment) < Zrrn Attachments: Fact Sheet_v2a.pdf cA) r�.,73tAn N7C— rvi _ ""`^m ao Hi Ryan, - T O > (7 We received the message below and attachment over the weekend addressed to you from a resident regarding shb7t- term rentals. I am forwarding for your information and have copied Kevin and Rachelle as well. David David Hermann Public Information Officer Ph: 760.776.6411 Direct: 760.776.6380 dhermann@cityofpalmdesert.org From: Jann Buller [mailto:iannb774c amail.coml Sent: Saturday, November 04, 2017 6:33 PM To: Information Mail Subject: Attention: Ryan Stendell (with attachment) November 4, 2017 To: Ryan Stendell Kevin Swartz CC: Laurie Aylaian Thank you for your months of hard work and effort developing the ordinance approved by City Council on October 26`h. Your encouragement of public participation by representatives of many, sometimes conflicting, points of view is a tribute to the democratic process. The Planning Department and city officials involved in developing, reviewing and refining the ordinance approved by Council have framed a workable plan for addressing STRs. It restores integrity to the city's General Plan and quality of life to Palm Desert's residential neighborhoods. And, in my opinion, the approved ordinance offers something for everyone: • Preservation of purely residential neighborhoods and the strength of their social fabric • Robust business opportunities and options for investors, owners and operators • Growth opportunities for the city, developers and the STR industry in a new STR-friendly sector • Offsets to municipal costs for administration and enforcement • Diverse and plentiful accommodation options for visitors. During the public hearing that preceded Council's decision on October 26`h, it seemed that some attendees had either not read the entire draft ordinance or had not fully understood it. Because of this we developed a fact sheet to clarify key points for our website users and posted it on the site (ProtectPDNeighborhoods.org). A copy of the fact sheet is attached for your information. i I look forward to the meeting on November 16`h and, I hope, affirmation of the ordinance as approved by Council at the last session. Yours sincerely, Jann Buller 73110 Somera Road Palm Desert, CA 92260 2 ProtectPDNeighborhoods.org Fact Sheet: City Council Hearing on STRs, 10/26/17 Action before Council: Public hearing, followed by first of two readings of ordinance on short-term rentals within Palm Desert, and Council deliberation and decision Decision: No short-term rentals in R1 and R2 zones, except for on -site owner STRs and those in HOAs that allow them; existing STRs to phase out by July 1, 2019; new penalties and enforcement citywide Status: Second reading will be held in Council Chambers on November 16, 2017, at 4pm, where Council can let the decision stand or modify it What this means for R1/R2 residents: ➢ Actual neighbors on our streets and public spaces, not a stream of strangers ➢ Enhanced quality of life, as current STRs are phased out ➢ Crackdown on illegal STRs What this means for R3/PR residents: ➢ Enhanced quality of life from stricter enforcement .E 3nA7 ➢ Stiffer penalties for repeated violations and "bad apples" t i rrI„0 ➢ Crackdown on illegal STRs „rr7 < What this means for the vacation rental industry: 1 • -+oQ -7 > Owners in R1/R2: ='n o On -site owners can use rooms/casitas as either STRs or long-term rentals '^ o Owners in HOAs allowing STRs can use rooms/casitas per HOA and city requirements o Other STR owners can move into, sell, or convert STRs to long-term rentals or leases > Owners in R3/PR: o Owners of permitted STRs can still operate them, in compliance with the new ordinance o Any owners can apply for new permits if they wish, except where prohibited by CC&Rs ➢ Operators: o Operators can operate permitted STRs in R3 and PR, except where prohibited by CC&Rs o Operators can operate long-term rentals citywide, except where prohibited by CC&Rs What this means for the city: • Restoration of the integrity of the city plan and zoning > Higher enforcement and administrative costs, with offsets from higher fees, penalties and TOT What this means for visitors: We welcome visitors! Visitors still have the same variety of accommodation options: o Short- and long-term stays in any of the city's many hotels, motels and resorts o Short-term, home -style stays in any of the city's 952 units permitted in zones R3 and PR (where the number of permitted units can be expanded to meet demand) o Long-term, home -style stays anywhere in the city Klassen, Rachelle From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2017 2:54 PM To: arlette@powerthinking.us Cc: Swartz, Kevin; Klassen, Rachelle Subject: RE: please hold firm for neighborhoods from Dr. Poland Dear Dr. Poland, Thank you for your email message. By blind copy, I'm sharing your comments with the members of the City Council so that they have the benefit of your concerns regarding short term rentals. Best wishes, Lauri Aylaian City Manager City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 760.346.0611 (office) From: arlettePoowerthinkine.us [arlette@powerthinking.us] Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2017 1:10 PM To: Aylaian, Lauri Subject: please hold firm for neighborhoods from Dr. Poland Hello Lauri, am not sure if you remember me, but you came to speak at my Intro to Gov class at COD last year. You were a big hit! Anyway, I want to say thank you for helping our city remain a city and not a hub for party goers who tend to have little or no respect or care for neighborhoods. Just as important to that issue is the financial one. The hotels certainly pay more in taxes for our city when they rent a space than do the homeowners. Indeed, my guess is that many of the weekend rentals pay nothing to the city and yet they draw on our services even more. And lastly, this move to disallow short term rental (under 30 days/nights) will protect the value of the homes here and the quality of life. We have suffered the consequences of short term party houses too often in Silver Spur Ranch where I live. It is time to take back the neighborhood feel that we sought when we found this wonderful little city. So, thank you and please keep the line firm on this. ALL Best, Dr. Arlette Hear my podcast: www.listenwithin.org<htto://www.listenwithin.org> and join the internationally growing community of 'ARKists.' Dr. Arlette Poland JD, MA -Religion, MA -Ethical Leadership, Ph.D Professor i 760/409-1925 Be self -kind, not self-ish. ListenWithin.org<httr ://ListenWithin.org> 2 Klassen, Rachelle Subject: FW: Fwd: Claudio Bravo Rachelle Klassen City Clerk Ph: 760.346.0611 Direct: 760.776.6304 rklassen@cityofpalmdesert.org From: Iororr(aamail.com rmailto:Iororr@amail.coml Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 11:03 AM To: Information Mail Subject: [SPAM] - Fwd: Claudio Bravo * * * * Lor Orr Begin forwarded message: From: lororrna,Qmail.com Date: November 9, 2017 at 10:30:55 AM PST To: ioseph.galli@kesa.com Subject: Claudio Bravo Hello, I watched your story on the vacation rentals in Palm Desert last night and I just want you to know that Claudio Bravo is not the poor home owner that he portrayed himself to be. He owns a company called Bravo Properties located in Desert Hot Springs and owns dozens of homes of which he rents to section 8 people and he does not care what kind of criminals that he rents to. I was burglarized by his tenants and they also burglarized another neighbor, I know this because I have cameras. He bought foreclosed homes on my street and the tenants were free to do their drugs and park their cars halfway in the driveway and they would come out to the car several times a day and night. They even tagged my street. To the credit Desert Hot Springs police they were able to see the tagging and did not report me for reporting it. My house was up on the hill in a nice neighborhood with neighbors that have been there over 20 years I had lived there for 30 years and became a window a few months before he bought the foreclosures. I was alone and terrified to be in my own home, thanks to Claudio. He would buy the properties and remove all the landscaping, that was a sign he was the owner. If he is allowed to have a vacation rental he will not check any of his tenants backgrounds he won't care he just wants the money and he has a crew to fix any damage they do. This guy is a businessman not a poor home owner. I would suspect he is worth millions and I believe he lives in Brazil. Laura Arellano is the realtor he uses. i I am giving you this information anonymously, he still owns properties in my neighborhood. It's up to you if you want to use it. 2 Klassen, Rachelle From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 7:38 PM To: Klassen, Rachelle Subject: FW: Thank You Letter Sent to Desert Sun It looks as if the Councilmembers have received this, but you have not. I'm forwarding it to you for your records. Lauri Aylaian City Manager City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 760.346.0611 X305 From: Pam Silver fmailto:pamag@dc.rr.coml Sent: Thursday, November 9, 2017 1:53 PM To: Harnik, Jan <iharnik@citvofpalmdesert.org>; Jonathan, Sabby<sionathan@citvofoalmdesert.org>; Kelly, Kathleen <kkellv@citvofpalmdesert.org>; Weber, Susan Marie <sweber@citvofpalmdesert.org>; Stendell, Ryan <rstendell@citvofpalmdesert.org>; Swartz, Kevin <kswartz@citvofpalmdesert.org>; Aylaian, Lauri <lavlaian@citvofpalmdesert.org> Subject: Thank You Letter Sent to Desert Sun I am very appreciative of the City Council's decision to prohibit short term rentals (STRs) from areas zoned R-1 and R-2 in the city of Palm Desert. I am a year-round resident, wholly invested in my home in South Palm Desert with plans to spend my golden years in the neighborhood that I love. The proliferation of short term rentals has made my neighborhood feel less secure and predictable, which may be acceptable for risk takers in the real estate and hospitality industry. But for families like mine, who own one property and are on a fixed income, risk is not something that we welcome to our neighborhoods. I attended the study sessions, the Planning Commission Meeting and City Council meetings and was very encouraged by the effort made to find some middle ground for all Palm Desert constituents. But in the end, the loss of some financial gain for STR owners could not outweigh the possible erosion of something so important to our residents — our neighborhoods. Thank you Palm Desert for keeping your promise to R-1 and R-2 neighborhoods. The residents of Palm Desert are counting on the City Council to retain their favorable vote at the 2nd reading November 16th. Please protect our neighborhoods! Sincerely, Pam Silver Pam Silver (760) 861-0687 cell (760) 773-0216 home 80 :1 I NV E 1 A0N LIU v J 1 ti3S30 H1V d 301ija3111303b�'11� i Klassen, Rachelle From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 7:41 PM To: Klassen, Rachelle; Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Appreciation for Protecting Our Neighborhoods If you have not already received this email message and included it with the correspondence to the City Council regarding the Short Term Rental ordinance, please do so. Thanks, Lauri A. Lauri Aylaian City Manager City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 760.346.0611 X305 From: bl peters [mailto:blweni@gmail.comj Sent: Thursday, November 9, 2017 1:50 PM To: Aylaian, Lauri <lavlaian@citvofgalmdesert.org> Subject: Appreciation for Protecting Our Neighborhoods As full-time PD home owners having the misfortune of living next door to a STR, your recent vote to phase out these type of rentals in residential areas, was a very welcome relief. The many sleepness nights and mornings hopefully coming to an end will be gratefully appreciated. As will the lack of parking and trash issues we have put up with over the years. Hopefully no more loud drunks and swearing to be put up with - Yipee! Thank you for taking care of and considering the full-time residents of Palm Desert. Lynn & Bob Peters 1 Klassen, Rachelle From: Louise Ferrie-Blecher <louisefblecher@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 5:09 PM To: weber Subject: Short Term Rentals Ordinance - Letter Attachments: Palm Desert STR.docx; ATT00001.htm Dear Council Member Weber, Please find below a letter and comments regarding the Short Term Rental ordinance you will be debating at your upcoming meeting on Nov 16, 2017. Regards, Louise Louise Ferrie-Blecher _ -4OC - -n O > n CO m 1 November 13, 2017 no 0 co -v VIA EMAIL (kswartz@citvofoalmdesert.org) City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance We understand that the City of Palm Desert passed a first reading of an ordinance to ban Short Term Rentals in residential zones in Palm Desert as of July 1, 2019, and that there is a second reading of this ordinance on Thursday, November 16, 2017. My family rented a home through VRBO for a vacation in Palm Desert, within walking distance of El Paseo., where we encountered many tourists like ourselves. We had a wonderful vacation and enjoyed hiking, cycling, running, golfing, shopping, and ate out often in local restaurants. Many of the activities were within walking or short driving distance. We intentionally rented a property in a quiet residential neighborhood. Many families, like ours, enjoy this type of accommodation, and in this day and age of the growing "shared economy" it is not only increasingly common, but expected by many travellers. The property we rented was immaculately furnished and maintained, and exceeded our expectations. The neighbours, we met, said that this property had been renovated and improved by the owners specifically for them to rent out and they felt this had increased their own property values. The owners we rented from, screened us, as they, understandably, did not want any problems for their neighbours. Because of our positive experience, we have been looking into purchasing a home in Palm Desert. However, we are only interested in buying if we have the flexibility to rent it out for income to cover costs in between our intended regular personal use. We suggest that some of the economic spinoffs for the community, if we buy, is hiring people to help us manage and clean the property, repair the house, tend the garden, thus increasing employment locally. As well, we would need to purchase items for the home, pay for membership fees in a homeowners group and pay taxes, money that would stay in the community. We are concerned that if this ordinance is passed, there will be no more places to rent close to El Paseo. We would not come back and rent during future vacations or purchase property, and will look to communities where short term rentals are allowed, such as Palm Springs, Indian Wells or Rancho Mirage, or somewhere else all together. As well, we suspect that if homes can't be rented out, many property owners will look to get out of this market, and an overabundance of properties in this area for sale may negatively affect the real estate market. Fewer tourists in Palm Desert means fewer customers for all, especially businesses on El Paseo. We understand you are addressing the concerns of full time residents who have had negative experiences with disrespectful tenants in neigbhouring homes, and balancing this with the rights of the property owners who rent their homes. We hope the majority of your tourists are like us, and we imagine you do not want to drive us away, but this will happen, if there are no short term rental options. Hopefully you can implement bylaws to respond to noise and property standard concerns, and an effective dispute resolution system to deal with complaints in a timely manner. If this is created and funded out of the STR homeowner fees, and not raised from your permanent residents' taxes, this could be acceptable to a majority of the residents. We know you will never find a resolution to please everyone, but hopefully the voices of the people who enjoy coming to your community, and those who have invested significantly in buying homes, and creating a place for people to visit, will prevail. We believe a complete ban of Short Term Rentals will be a detriment overall for your community. We think it will result in fewer tourists (like my family), and reduced economic spending overall as a result of a reduction in purchases of properties, improvements to properties, employment, and tourism spending. We would like to propose that the City implement a minimum of 4-7 nights for Short Term Rentals as a reasonable compromise. This would discourage the weekend party people, but still give enough flexibility for those who respectfully vacation. We will be watching the outcome of this ordinance and plan our next steps re vacation or purchasing a home, following your Council's decision. Thank you for your time and consideration. Would you please kindly forward this letter to the City Council on my behalf. Sincerely, Louise Ferrie-Blecher Dr. Peter Blecher P.0 Box 113, 4773 Lakeshore Rd. Port Hope ON L1A 3V9 Canada Klassen, Rachelle From: Alan Cipolletti <alancipolletti@cox.net> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 8:44 AM To: Klassen, Rachelle Subject: Vote NO on the short term rental ban I have been a proud owner of a second home in Palm Desert since 2013. I purchased this home hoping that one day we could retire in the desert. In the meantime we use it when we can for vacations and long weekends driving in from Orange County. However this dream is only made possible by allowing me to offset the costs of owning this home by renting it out from time to time to vacationers and snow birds. I have done this through a professional management company called Vacation Palm Springs. They do a great job of vetting potential renters, keeping the house immaculate, and responding to any neighborhood complaints which we really have not had. They collect the occupancy tax which goes to the city and employ hundreds of local people. We have local ordinances to punish anyone that is abusing this privilege. Please don't impact those that are truly following the rules due to the few that are not. Sincerely, Alan Cipolletti 46219 Cypress Estates Court Palm Desert, CA 92260 949-394-1757 vs 0 o -v_4 a-< r AC =rrig" Arno W Fri xiR1 1 Klassen, Rachelle From: Stacey D <sgcanada@me.com> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 6:42 PM To: Klassen, Rachelle Subject: Don't Ban Permits We are currently home owners that use our home as well as rent for short term rentals. We have never had a problem with any renters... all really amazing guests! Our neighbors have never, ever had a problem! Palm Desert is already I trouble in the retail world as well as the restaurants are struggling! The residents of Palm Desert for not use these retailers... but the tourists do! If you want to eliminate noise issues... get rid of Coachella... it brings to many party people. We should not be punished for this venue. At the very least, let us keep our permit and limit additional ones! If not, we will be forced to sell our home. Please consider us! Best, Stacey & Steve Davis Sent from my iPhone 1 Swartz, Kevin r y RECEIVED FFICE F�)ESEK . t, i, From: Kearns, Bill <BKearns@lbarealty.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2017 3:47 PM 2011 NOV 13 AM 7: 1 0 To: Swartz, Kevin; CityhallMail Cc: Alli Tuszynski Subject: Ban on STR's in Palm Desert Good afternoon, I am writing to you both to share my concerns over the potential ban on Short Term Rentals (STR) in Palm Desert. While I fully understand the neighborhood concerns over short term renters I feel this ban is the proverbial "throwing baby out with the bath water". While there appear to be legal issues with how the full ban was proposed and agreed to (insufficient notice to affected home owners, impingement of property value etc) my letter is an attempt to sway your views to rewrite the rules on STR's to eliminate what the neighborhoods don't want. Unruly, boisterous, loud and non caring renters that require valuable city resources (ie police, fire) to manage when issues arise. I bought my home at 73745 Shadow Lake Drive after an STR of the home across the street over the Thanksgiving holiday 3 years ago. I live in Boise Idaho and we purchased the home on Shadow Lake as a friends and family "let's get away from the cold home". To that point we have our family Thanksgiving at the home now and we visit Palm Desert several times a year thru out the year. My brother and his wife stay in the home the entire month of April. In order for us to continue to be able to do that we need to rent the home to keep it in use (things seem to break when sitting idle) and generate a small amount of revenue to help with expenses. We view this as our "home" that we are willing to share with others who treat it like their home and hopefully come back every year. To date, we have not been able to rent the home due to the temporary ban on STR's and thus we have been awaiting guidance, only to learn they could be banned completely. I am sure you have many property owners who look at the STR rentals much differently than I do as they are actually investors trying to make profit. I do not share that view and as such, I would screen any potential renters to insure I avoid disrupting the neighborhood. With that basic overview in mind, I ask that you consider the following ideas for STR rules that I think would significantly eliminate the "noise" neighborhoods don't want. - Limit the number of people who can stay in a home to no more than 3 adults (over the age of 16) per bedroom. Reasonable or no limit as to children under 16 - Require that the rental have at least one adult staying at the home who is a minimum of 25 years old - Minimum rental period of one week - Limit the number of cars allowed to 1 per bedroom - Limit the total number of days anyone can rent to a short term renter to 90 days per year - Require all STR home owners to provide their and the property manager contact info to all neighbors adjoining the property and directly across the street. Gives neighbors the chance to call the home owner vs the police - Consider areas of Palm Desert where STR's do make sense. Our location is very near several hotels (a new hotel is under construction 2 blocks away from our home) so our neighborhood is already impacted by nightly renters, restaurant and shopping visitors. _ Consider an area near El Paseo where STR's make sense. - Any calls to the police that result in an actual noise or disorderly conduct violation result in a significant fine to the home owner..ie $500 per violation and increasing to $2500 if there are more than 3 violations annually. This needs to be a true violation vs an upset neighbor just calling the police because someone is having fun around their pool. 1 If the total ban is implemented I will have no choice but to sell my home on Shadow Lake and look elsewhere for a cold weather get away ie Scottsdale AZ. lam an "STRer" when 'travel as I do not enjoy being gouged by hotel operators for every thing I do at a hotel. I don't enjoy staying at hotels for more than one night. I think they are difficult and overcharge. I also enjoy preparing my own meals when traveling with my family. We have 2 small children so restaurant dining is not always preferred. Furthermore, if in fact a total ban is implemented the City will lose revenue in the following ways - Property values will fall with many other STR owners selling and thus property tax revenue will be impacted - My family and I will no longer visit Palm Desert so tourism and tax dollars will be impacted.Airlines fees, car rental fees sales tax etc etc - 1 would guess that pretty much all STR users are "tourists" so the same impacts to airline fees, car rentals and sales tax revenue is further impacted - STR tax revenues to the City will be eliminated !realize I am just one homeowner in your wonderful City. That said I do think my views on the above impacts are relatively common. I do think my suggestions would go a long way in reducing neighborhood complaints about unruly STR occupants. With that I sincerely hope you will take more time and think thru solutions to the noise problem vs an entire ban. STR revenue is a wonderful way to get new and younger entrants into the real estate market as well as generate tourism from young travelers. The Millineal generation has brought us many great shared concepts from home rental to cars, to office space. I truly believe eliminating STR's will reflect poorly on this generation's view of the Palm Desert which will further erode tax revenue and impact multiple retailers and restauranteurs. As an FYI, I just learned today that by 2020 Millineals will make up 50% of the US workforce. That is less than 3 years away! 'welcome the opportunity to discuss any ideas you think may help resolve this matter short of a full ban. Thank you for any consideration Bill Kearns 73745 Shadow Lake Palm Desert CA 949-233-8087 (C) Sent from my iPad 2 Swartz, Kevin �-4 From: Lisa Hsu <Iisawhsu@gmail.com> Z �{ CO Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2017 1:32 PM _r-�*+ To: CityhallMail; Swartz, Kevin morn Subject: Palm Desert Short Term Rental Consideration La rv' INC nu � o _ p .. Cl -*I Members of the Palm Desert City Council and City Associate Planner, - ''m We have recently been informed of an amendment to restrict Short Term Rentals (5TR) in the Palm Desert Country Club and we hope that you will reconsider and allow STR to continue to operate in our community. My husband and I have a property in the community, hoping to retire in Palm Desert in the coming years. We enjoy the neighborhood, the golf course, and many of the other wonderful things the area has to offer. Unfortunately, due to work and other commitments, we are only able to stay at our property a few times out of the year. In order to keep the house maintained and habitable, we have hired a wonderful property management company who screens potential renters and maintains the property for us. Our STR is fully compliment and well managed and is in top-notch condition; our neighbors have not had any issues and supports STRs as does the HOA in our struggling community. Please realized that not allowing STR will be devastating for our community. Our neighborhood would be deserted and turned to shabby unkempt properties, which will force us to sell our property and buy our retirement home someplace else. Not to mention that the decision will also put the golf course out of business considering how many guests come to play at the home course. We do not want to believe that the city would financially impact our community again for the sake of a few people who live in a higher end community, so please, reconsider. Like our renters, we bring a lot of business to the area every time we visit with family and friends. From golfing to dining out, every penny is spent to benefit the local community and small businesses. Most of our renters are families and they are from all over the world (Denmark, UK, Australia, just to name a few!), and it warms our hearts when they write in our guestbook how much joy our home has brought their families during their vacation. We would like to enjoy everything Palm Desert has to offer for many years to come with our friends and family, and we would love it even more to be able share our lovely community with the world. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. Regards, Lisa, a proud owner of a Short Term Rental property in the Palm Desert Country Club Community i November 8, 2017 VIA EMAIL (kswartz@citvofoalmdesert.org) City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Kevin Swartz Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance Dear Mr. Swartz, I have recently been informed that the City of Palm Desert passed a first reading of an ordinance on October 26, 2017 to ban Short Term Rentals in residential zones in Palm Desert as of July 1, 2019. I understand that there is a second reading of this ordinance on Thursday, November 16, 2017 at City Hall. I write to express my vehement opposition to this ban. I am a repeat renter of Short Term Rental properties in the residential areas of Palm Desert close to El Paseo. I have never violated any of the rental rules as set out by the owners of the properties or the City of Palm Desert. While I understand the nature of the complaints, I do not believe they fairly represent the owners in the area. Furthermore, I do not believe a handful of complaints should ruin the future experiences of respectful renters. The majority of travelers that use Short Term Rentals in residential zones are families and older, more mature groups. A ban will simply force us to look outside the City of Palm Desert. Not only will we rent outside of Palm Desert, we will spend out vacation dollars outside of Palm Desert. I simply cannot believe how poorly the responsible Short Term Rental owners have been treated by the City of Palm Desert. These owners generate revenue for the City and encourage year-round tourism. I would not have considered visiting Palm Desert in the summer if not for the amenities at these properties. Short Term Rentals in every area of the City of Palm Desert are positive for the community and the economy of Palm Desert. I would like to propose that the City implement a minimum of 4-7 nights for Short Term Rentals as a reasonable compromise. The City of Palm Desert should work with the responsible owners, rather than against them. Palm Desert heavily relies on tourism and this ban will affect more than one neighborhood. 2 Thank you for your time and consideration. Please forward this letter to the City Council on my behalf. Sincerely, Rabani Bubber 2501— 501 Pacific Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 2H2 rabanibubber@gmail.com Swartz, Kevin From: Nancy Nowak <nancy.nowak@me.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2017 9:07 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: STR Decision Many thanks for the thoughtful and thorough review of the short term rental issues in Palm Desert and your recommendation to tighten up fines, restrictions and to ultimately phase these out in residential communities. You have helped to preserve our wonderful communities and to keep our city strong ! Nancy Nowak 40669 Diamondback Drive 801-597-3551 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Vern Moses <vernvmoses@aol.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2017 4:20 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Short Term Rental Ordinance City Of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert,CA 92260.... Attention Mr Swartz It has just come to my attention that "The City of Palm Desert" passed a first reading of an ordinance on Oct 26,2017 to ban short term rentals in the residential area of Palm Desert where I come to holiday and relax multiple times a year as of July 1st,2019.I have heard there is a second reading of this ordinance on Thursday,November 16th,2017 at City Hall.l am deeply opposed to this ordinance as I travel from Vancouver, Canada to enjoy the deep serenity of this residential neighbourhood...ie the peace and quiet and safety of the neighbourhood! I stay within walking distance of "El Paseo" where I spend my hard earned dollars supporting the restaurants and other attractions...Bottomline is that I will have to reside in Palm Springs and spend my money there which will be detrimental to the "Palm Desert" area.) would ask that you would please listen to my opposition of the short sightedness of this ordinance"with respect"!At the minimum could the City of Palm Desert implement a 4 to 7 night stay as a reasonable compromise.Thankyou very much for taking the time to read this letter and could you please forward it to "The City Council" on my behalf Your truly Vernon Moses 1108-989 Richards St. Vancouver BC.. V6B 6R6 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Jas Uppal <jasuppal23@hotmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2017 12:27 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Cc: Tracey Jackson Subject: Attention: Kevin Swartz Dear Mr. Swartz, My family and I are extremely disappointed to learn The City of Palm Desert is considering a ban on short term rentals. My family and I have vacationed in Palm Desert twice a year for the past four years and your city has become our destination of choice. It's convenient location to our favourite restaurants and shops on El Paseo is the primary reason we enjoy our stays so much. If your ban is passed we will be forced to take our vacation dollars out of Palm Desert and into Palm Springs. We would love to continue our stays in Palm Desert and to continue supporting the local economy so we are asking you to reconsider this ban. The ban would not only deprive vacationers of all that your city has to offer, but it would also deprive local businesses of the financial support given by vacationers. Sincerely, Jas Uppal 6841 Arbutus St. Vancouver, B.C. V6P 556 (604) 802-2617 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Greg Ball <gregory.ball@yahoo.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2017 10:30 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Cc: Nanette Kufeldt; Jeff Kufeldt Subject: EMAIL FOR CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION ON NOVEMBER 16, 2017 -- SHORT-TERM VACATION RENTAL POLICY Dear City of Palm Desert Council Members: Re: Proposed Changes to Short -Term Rental Regulations in City of Palm Desert I am writing for myself and on behalf of my co -owners, Nanette and Jeff Kufeldt. Together we own 74638 Pepper Tree Drive, Palm Desert. We currently rent this property in accordance with the Palm Desert short-term rental policy (business license #16-00024284). We understand that the change to the short-term rental policy, if passed by Council, would forbid us from renting our property on a short-term basis (for any period less than 27 days) beyond July 1, 2019. We implore you to please reconsider this policy change for the following reasons. I purchased this property in 2009 and brought it out of foreclosure. Since that time, the property has been refurbished and literally tens of thousands of dollars have been spent in improving it and thereby positively contributing to the neighborhood. The property has been rented responsibly since the short- term rental policy came into effect without any incidents or complaints. During that time, we have happily contributed thousands of dollars to the Palm Desert city coffers. We implore you to please not punish us for the irresponsible actions of others. We understand the concerns raised by other residents and we do not necessarily disagree, but we strongly believe that the answer lies in proper and strong enforcement. We have done NOTHING wrong, but if this policy goes into effect you will literally put us out of business and will force us to sell a property we don't want to sell in a city and a neighborhood we love and care a great deal about. We are not wealthy people, but the ability to rent our property out has made the dream of owning a second home a reality. Rather than just complaining, we believe it is our obligation to offer suggestions and we think that stiff fines and a two or three strike you are out policy is a better way to go. Please seriously consider what we have to say because we spend a lot of money in Palm Desert. We, and responsible people like us, contribute a great deal to the local economy and this policy change, if effected, will drive us out. We don't want that and we would like to think that you do not want that either. Please consider our point of view and allow for something in the policy change that will allow us to stay and rent our home for periods less than 27 days. What can you offer us? We would be happy to speak to any Council Member at your convenience to offer a constructive perspective on this issue. I can be reached at 1-780-991-1292 and can put you in touch with Nanette and Jeff. Respectfully, t I I ;` NI1 E ► AM 1.10t '1.83S3o HI d 331 :130 )1133311 Klassen, Rachelle From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 2:35 PM To: Klassen, Rachelle Subject: FW: My thoughts on enforcement Rachelle, It looks as if you were not included in the list of email recipients for this message, so I'm forwarding it to you for your information and records. Lauri A. Lauri Aylaian City Manager Ph: 760.346.061 1 Direct: 760.776.6481 laylaian@cityofpalmdesert.org From: John Curran imailto:currani@email.coml Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 3:58 PM To: Nestande, Gina<gnestande@citvofoalmdesert.org>; Harnik, Jan <iharnik@citvofoalmdesert.org>; Kelly, Kathleen <kkelly@citvofoalmdesert.org>; Aylaian, Lauri<lavlaian@citvofpalmdesert.org>; Jonathan, Sabby <sionathan@citvofoalmdesert.ore>; weber <weber@citvofoalmdesert.org>; Swartz, Kevin <kswartz@citvofpalmdesert.or2>; Stendell, Ryan<rstendell@citvofpalmdesert.org> Subject: My thoughts on enforcement I posted the message below on the NextDoor website a few minutes ago. I have changed my mind about the issue of enforcement of any party houses that are short term rental units. The people who want to keep the STR industry in town at the status quo tell us that the city has done a poor job of enforcing its codes. They say the city needs better enforcement. They are saying you need to spend more taxpayer money to do this. They are wrong. The STR industry caused this to happen and they need to be held accountable. Message begins here: Pamela, I know I can find the owner of a property since it's a public record, but there are 1228 permits in the city database a majority of them are agents. The Riverside County website has contracted out the property owner information and now they want $5.00 for each owner record. I don't need that many records, but I am also not disposed to pay any money for this information. I find it really annoying that the real estate people and the pro-STR people on this board keep pointing at bad code enforcement as the reason we are having this discussion. We are having it because the STR industry has duped the city into a new zoning model where virtually all of Palm Desert is now mixed -use so that commercial activity can happen in R1 zones. i We have five years of this new zoning and when people began to complain about party houses, the pro-STR folks blamed the city. I have read a lot of news stories on the Internet in the last six months and I have not seen one that shows Airbnb, VRBO, or hosts say they will police the problem since they created it. Nor have they volunteered to help solve it. Sorry, cities. Sorry, next door neighbors. We have no culpability in the matter since we are simply brokers putting home owners and weary travelers together. Your city - your problem. The motto of the STR industry. I am told to call the Hotline at city hall. Why does the STR industry need a hotline? Bars don't have a hotline. Hotels don't have a hotline. Shopping centers don't have a hotline. When customers in those businesses get out of line, the business makes it stop. People get thrown out of bars and hotels all the time. Many of them are banned from coming back. I used to manage a bar. We had a list of people who could not come in and a list of people whose checks we wouldn't accept. Where have the STR owners been for five years? Why do I have to go look up a party house owner? Why doesn't the STR industry have a Palm Desert STR hotline so we can report a problem & you can address it and pay for the service as the provider, not just of the service but the root cause of the problem? Why should my taxpayer money go to pay for solutions to a problem caused by a single industry? Industries are fined and pollute our environment to avoid accountability. Posted on NextDoor on jc John Curran 73110 Somera Road Palm Desert, CA taxed when they pollute the environment. That is as it should be. Party houses but the STR industry tells us to ignore the man behind the curtain. The man who wants I want the curtain to be opened wide. 11/12/17 at 4:43 PM 2 City of Palm Desert November 9, 2017 City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Kevin Swartz Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance NOV 13 2017 Community Development VIA EMAIL (kswartz@citvofpalmdesert.ora) I own and operate a Short Term Rental in the City of Palm Desert with a permit. I am a responsible owner of a Short Term Rental and I am very opposed to the recent ban on Short Term Rentals in the R1 and R2 zones in South Palm Desert that was passed on first reading by the City Council. I am very concerned about this ordinance and the impact that it will have on the Palm Desert community, the economy of Palm Desert, the city revenues and the property values in our neighborhood. It is far too extreme a measure to correct the identified problems of noise and the party houses in the residential areas. It is also very unfair that just the R1 and R2 neighborhoods have been singled out, but that STRs are still allowed in the planned residential communities. This arbitrary distinction does not solve the problems that the City Council stated it was trying to correct: noise, different neighbors all the time, excessive parking. Palm Desert is a tourist dependent economy; residents have to expect that they do not live in a typical residential neighborhood. The answer is better regulation with better enforcement, not a zone -specific ban that is unfairly discriminatory. STR owners have improved the entire neighborhood of south Palm Desert. It is now beautiful and well - maintained when it was not in 2010-2012 during the recession. As a Short Term Rental owner and operator, I take steps to ensure that my renters abide by the Short Term Rental Rules. In order to correct the problems identified by some of the long term residents in Palm Desert, it would be far more effective to implement these changes; 1. Increase the minimum nightly rental to 4-7 nights. This would eliminate the party people. 2. Disallow outside music after 9pm on weeknights. 10pm on weekends. 3. Limit the total number of persons allowed to stay at a house to a maximum of 2 per bedroom up to a total maximum of 10-12 persons with special allowances for small children. 2 4. Increase fines and penalties for violations of rules. 5. Increase the cost of the permit slightly to allow for more enforcement dollars. 6. Require damage deposits from renters so that they can be fined and those fines can be collected. If this ban goes into effect, I believe these will be the consequences; 1. Vacationers will rent in Palm Springs instead of Palm Desert, taking all their vacation dollars with them. Businesses along El Paseo will suffer. 2. Property values in south Palm Desert will decline significantly. Many owners will have to sell. Disallowing STRs will drive purchasers to other cities where they are allowed. 3. The City will lose tax revenues that could be spent on better enforcement of stricter rules for STRs. This ordinance is contrary to the best interest of all of Palm Desert and I strongly urge the City Council to reject it. I would like to attend the meeting on November 16, 2017 when the second reading is supposed to happen. I wish to speak to the City Council to express my strong opposition to this ban. Please forward this email on to the City Council and please advise as to how I can speak at the meeting. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Name Address Contact Information November 9, 2017 VIA MAIL Christine Stein 121 Brenna Ln Palm Desert, CA 92211 Attention: Christine Stein Dear: Christine Stein Re: Short Term Rental Ban in Palm Desert I am a fellow Short Term Rental Permit holder in Palm Desert. I am writing to inform you that on October 26, 2017, the Palm Desert City Council passed an Ordinance on banning STRs entirely in the R1 and R2 neighborhoods of Palm Desert. There will be no new Short Term Rental permits issued in these neighborhoods and the existing STRs will be no longer permitted as of July 1, 2019. The second reading of the Ordinance is taking place at 4:00pm on Thursday, November 16, 2017 at City Hall. Our goal is to encourage the City Council to reject this ordinance at the second reading. We believe that it is possible as 3 of the 5 council members are supportive of Short Term Rentals; they could be persuaded to support stricter regulations on STRs instead of a total ban in the R1 and R2 neighborhoods. We are trying to mobilize a strong showing of support for the maintenance of Responsible Short Term Rentals in all of Palm Desert with stronger and better regulations to eliminate the "party houses", but to retain the wide -spread benefits of short term rentals. We are encouraging STR permit holders, business owners, property owners and other interested persons throughout Palm Desert to write to the director of planning at the City of Palm Desert at kswartz@citvofpalmdesert.orq or to Mayor Jan Harnik, Gina Nestande and Susan Marie Weber at citvhall@citvofpalmdesert.orq and express their opposition to the STR ban in zones R1 and R2. We also would like to invite you to assist in mobilizing support by going door to door in the neighborhood and finding supporters to write letters and attend the City Council Meeting on the 16th of November 2017 at 4pm at City Hall. Please note that written submissions should be made as soon as possible. We are also greatly concerned that no notice was provided to the public regarding any kind of a ban on STRs in any zone or area of Palm Desert. Council Member Sabby Jonathan (Pro Tem Mayor) inserted an amendment to ban STRs in zones R1 and R2 at the 11th hour during the meeting on October 26, 2017. No proper notice was provided to STR permit holders and to the public at large regarding the existence of the meeting, of the public comment period, or of the terms of the Ordinance that was finally passed on first reading. The City has the addresses of all Short Term Rental permit holders, yet no notice was provided to us regarding an ordinance that would directly impact us. It 2 almost seems as if the City did not want to give us notice! If you did not receive notice of the meeting, Ordinance or public comment period, please express your dissatisfaction with that lack of information to the Palm Desert City Council in your letter. This ban will have a detrimental impact on the local economy of Palm Desert, on property owners in those neighborhoods and on property values. While the City seems to be limiting the ban to the R1 and R2 neighborhoods now, we are concerned that this is a slippery slope to a complete ban on STRs in every area of Palm Desert in the future. We need to stop this encroachment on our right to earn an income from our properties. We need to be respectful of the complaints by the neighbors about noise and increased tourist traffic, while pointing out that good regulations can manage the noise issues and increased tourist traffic is a welcome reality in an area that depends on tourist dollars for its very existence. We are enclosing a letter template for your consideration that you could modify to make your own. Personalized letters are far more impactful than form letters. We all love the City of Palm Desert and want to see it thrive as it has been in recent years, thanks in large part to Short Term Rentals. The last thing we need is a return to the deterioration of the City as we saw in 2010-2012 during the recession. If you would like to help out at all in mobilizing support for this worthy cause, please send us an email as we need your support. We only have until November 16, 2017 to form a strong and united association. We encourage you to take the following steps: • Email the director of planning at the City of Palm Desert at kswartz @ citvofpalmdesert.ora • Email the City of Palm Desert City Council members at citvhall @ citvofpalmdesert.orq • Attend a strategy meeting at our home at 6:30pm on November 13, 2017 at 73305 Pinyon Street, Palm Desert, CA 92260 • Attend the City Council Meeting at 4:00pm on November 16, 2017 at Palm Desert City Hall. Fill out a blue card to speak and make your support of STRs known to the City Council members. We are expecting a large turn -out from the anti-STR lobby at City Hall, so please arrive early, wearing pink! • Wear Pink to the City Council Meeting — it's the colour this movement has been using in other cities. • Encourage other STR permit holders, business owners, property owners and interested persons to write letters, attend the City Council Meeting and to come out and campaign in favour of Short Term Rentals everywhere in Palm Desert. 3 • If everybody brings 10 people to the City Council Meeting wearing pink, we'll outnumber the anti-STR lobby in no time! Please find enclosed a flyer that you could copy and hand out to your friends, neighbors and family members. You can obtain copies at Staples and hand them out! Thank you for your time and effort in support of Responsible Short Term Rentals. We look forward to meeting you and to working with you to overturn this unfairly discriminatory ban. Please come to the meeting at our house: Date: November 13, 2017 Time: 6:30pm Location: 73305 Pinyon Street, Palm Desert, CA 92260 (our home) RSVP: (604) 836-9200 ortracev@dunnawaviackson.com Sincerely, Tracey L. Jackson, B.A., L.L.B., L.L.M. 1205-808 Nelson Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2H2 (604) 836-9200 Encls. Letter to the City of Palm Desert Template Share Palm Desert Flyer How you Can Help: B Thursday, November 9 y Council Write to city CoNovember 1 G On Thursday, City Council meeting • The City Council has voted to BAN short-term vacation rentals in many Palm Desert neighborhoods. • Banning vacation rentals will drive visitors away from Palm Desert, harming our local businesses and workers who depend on a thriving tourist economy. • The City Council made a mistake, but they have a chance to fix it on November 16. Palm Desert residents, homeowners and businesses need to speak up to let the City Council know that short-term vacation rentals are an essential ingredient in our tourism mix! HOW YOU CAN HELP By Thursday, November 9: Write a letter asking the City Council to reverse the ban on short-term vacation rentals and give enforcement a chance. Say you support our tourism economy by writing an email to cityhall@cityofpalmdesert.org. On Thursday, November 16: Show up to the City Council meeting at 4 p.m. at City Hall, 73510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert. Short-term vacation rental supporters will be wearing pink. Fill out a blue speaker card to ask the City Council to give enforcement a chance. Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:17 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rental ordinance From: Bruce Padula[mailto:badula.bruce(acmail.com] Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 4:44 PM To: Marla Malaspina Cc: Stephen M. Rose; CityhallMail; Hugh Vance; ROBERT GRIMM; Mike Ziskind; Jennifer Samuels; Tim Erkins; Brian Yaklich; Rosie Vacano Subject: Re: Short term rental ordinance Excellent!!! On Nov 9, 2017 2:49 PM, "Marla Malaspina" <marla699@yahoo.com> wrote: Wow. This is powerful_ From: Stephen M Rose fsteohenmrose@amail.com> To: citvhall citvotoalmdesert.ory Sent: Thursday, November 9, 2017 1:07 PM Subject: Short term rental ordinance Dear Mayor Harnik, Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan, Councilperson Kelly, My name is Steve Rose, l live in Palm Springs, and I spoke at the October 26 council meeting on the issue of Short-term rentals. I am part of Palm Springs Neighbors for Neighborhoods, (lasn4n.ord) and we are sponsoring a ballot initiative to put this issue up for a vote of the people. You can see the full initiative on our website, but it is actually quite similar to the ordinance that you just passed. am writing to give you my point of view on the industry's mantra, "enforcement, enforcement, and enforcement". Our council ignored its residents and adopted the industry's recommendation. Now Palm Springs has a 9-man `Department of Vacation Rental Compliance', with a yearly budget of 1.7 million dollars. It is a black hole of bureaucratic bloat, tasked with making the incompatible compatible. Their purpose is not to serve the residents, but to facilitate the industry and protect the city's 11.5% cut. Trying to enforce behavior is impossible. It can never work, the weakest link is that enforcement relies upon the resident to make the call and open a complaint. Most people do not like to complain. And where they may feel comfortable speaking up if they are getting bad service at a restaurant, store or hotel, in their home, they are reluctant to pick up the phone and rat out a neighbor, even if the neighbor is running a business. No one knows how many people just shut their windows, put in earplugs and go to sleep upset. Lastly, I would ask you to ponder why this particular business model deserve special treatment? Hotels do not require the city to monitor their operations and the behavior of their guests. There is not a `Department of Retail Store Compliance'. When the Vacation Rental 1 Management companies cry out for you to `enforce your laws', they are just shifting their responsibility and blaming the city. The Realtors, and Vacation Rental Industry are loud, and they are bullies. There has to be someplace for people to live without having to be surrounded by commercial businesses. Every other zone of the city accommodates commerce: only neighborhoods are reserved for residents. R1 and R2 zones must be protected. I know it is heresy to many, but money isn't everything, quality of life is just as important, and in the end, are cities formed to accommodate business, with the resident's mere byproducts? Or are cities formed to create communities that nurture and support people, with industry there to support them. Sincerely, Steve Rose Treasurer psn4n.orq 760 464-1724 2 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:03 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Preston Farmer[mailto:nreston.k.farmer@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:11 AM To: CityhallMail Subject Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Preston Farmer 287 Desert Falls Dr E Palm Desert, CA 92211 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:04 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Ronald Olson[mailto:olsonronalda(ahotmaii.com] Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:09 AM To: CityhallMail Subject Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, 1 was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Ronald Olson 523 Mesquite Hill Palm Desert, CA 92260 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:04 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Gwendolyn Webster fmailto:thenwendolyi-aearthlink.net] Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:08 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals? Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Gwendolyn Webster 43080 Tennessee Ave Palm Desert, CA 92211 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:05 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Olivier chaine imailto:olivier@chaine.net] Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:08 AM To: CityhaiiMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmernbers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Olivier chaine 44829 Cabrillo Ave Palm Desert, CA 92260 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:05 AM To: 5wa rtz, Kevi n Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Audra renkus[maiito:audrarenkusCa7amail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:07 AM To: CityhallMail Subject Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, 1 was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Audra renkus 121 Villa Ct Palm Desert, CA 92211 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:06 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Bruce Sult [mailto:bruce(afalcosult.com] Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:58 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Bruce Sult 287 Vista Royale Cir E Palm Desert, CA 92211 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:07 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Attn: Gina Nestande re: STR Original Message From: John And Marie Strom Imailto:iandmstrom@smail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 7:45 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Attn: Gina Nestande Dear Councilmember Nestande, We would like you to reconsider your dissenting vote on STRs and are asking you to please support the proposed ordinance as it stands. STRs are commercial enterprises and have no business in R-1 and R-2 neighborhoods. Thank you. Marie and John Strom 48125 Anita Cir, Palm Desert 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:07 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Stephen Davis Finailto:sacanada@mac.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:42 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Stephen Davis 73411 Bursera Way Palm Desert, CA 92260 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:08 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Penelope Darling imailto:oenpearl@aol.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:27 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Penelope Darling 120 Pearl Ave Newport Beach, CA 92662 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:08 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Marlene Stark Finailto:Dalmvalleu@aol.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:03 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Marlene Stark San Nicholas Ct Laguna Beach, CA 92651 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:09 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term vacation rentals From: Jim Gaube (mailto:iimciaube@comcast.net1 Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 7:56 PM To: nicole@itrin.net Cc: CityhallMail Subject: Short term vacation rentals Dear Nicole, Lying in bed at 2:00 in the morning because you cannot sleep due to loud noise from neighboring short term tenants, your guest unable to find convenient parking near your home due to all parking in the block being taken by short term rental tenants, beer bottles and other trash littering the yards of homes in a neighborhood from short term rental tenants, young people vomiting in the street due to excessive drinking , homeowners needing to cancel plans to have friends over for a barbeque due to the noise from short term tenants. This is just of short list of the type of activities you are supporting because of your position on short term rentals as stated in your Desert Sun article of today. You propose a 3 night minimum. Are you serious, this will do nothing to prevent short term renters from producing the mayhem they have produced in the past. Most people coming to the desert to party arrive on Thursday evening and depart on Sunday. Most if not all short term rentals are booked over the Internet. This is akin to on-line dating. You really do not know who you are renting to. It could be an ordained minister or a large group coming to the desert to celebrate a bachelor or bachelorette party. How do you know the renters are not sex offenders or members of a biker gang. You just really don't know. The hospitality industry is structured to deal with issues that may arise from unruly tenants. They have staff including trained security to address issues. The average homeowner or property manager does not have a clue. The hospitality industry contributes greatly to our desert. Thousands of people are hired in administration, security, housekeeping and food service. These jobs help to support the economy of the desert. This is a positive thing as compared to the negative impact short term renters produce. This is a quality of life issue. Why does the quality of life of residents in this desert need to be compromised in order for you and a select number of landlords, many of which do not even live in the desert, line your pockets with money. I have been passive on the subject in the past but your article compels me to speak out. I plan to contact the organizers of the movement to do away with short term rentals and offer financial support if needed. Perhaps it is time for you to grow up and become aware that your selfish attitude serves to negatively impact many people in this community. Jim Gaube 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:10 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Mary Lennon Finailto:marvedwards8@hotmail.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:00 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Mary Lennon 72853 Joshua Tree St Palm Desert, CA 92260 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:10 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Tracking Short Term Rentals From: Shalese Evertsen fmailto:shalese.evertsen@strhelper.coml Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 10:56 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Tracking Short Term Rentals Dear Gina, Hi, my name is Shalese Evertsen. I read an article posted on November 11 from Desert Sun regarding the new ordinance on short term rentals. I understand that you are banning short-term rentals but there's a lot of other people that would prefer just stricter regulations. I work with STR Helper, which is a software that takes your city's specific situation and helps to put any new or current regulation into effect and ensures every rental is complying. We can provide you with the number of rentals running from listings on 20+ sites such as Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, and many private platforms and flag which ones are running illegally. We have a permitting system that provides comprehensive short-term rental permitting for the city, managing workflows associated with permit requirements, on-line registration, etc. With this in place, it is easy to see how the system can identify and flag all non -compliant short-term rentals in real time. The system also includes a tax compliance module. I am emailing to see if you guys are interested in seeing a demo of the system and discussing its capabilities. Please let me know if we can show you how the system works or send you a free report that will show you exactly how many short-term rentals are operating. Our website is www.strhelper.com and my phone number is 385-282-3666. Thanks for your time, Shalese Evertsen i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:11 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Reverse the ban on short term rentals Original Message From: Teresa Marillo fmailto:nlDrtPaol.comj Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2017 9:29 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: Reverse the ban on short term rentals Palm Desert can benefit from short term rentals in the short and long run. Visitors generate sales to help local businesses thrive and/ or may invest in property. Sent from my iPhone 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:11 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Original Message From: Lesley Grieve fmailto:leslevgrieve@ icloud.comj Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2017 3:01 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please don't ban short term rentals Thanks, Lesley Grieve 403.975.2408 760.808.3822 1 November I I , 2017 VIA EMAIL (kswartz@citvofoalmdesert.orgj City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Kevin Swartz Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance I write to express my support for Short Term Rentals throughout the City of Palm Desert, in every neighborhood, not just in planned residential communities. STRs have revived the City of Palm Desert and keep the economy going year-round. We have beautiful neighborhoods again when we did not during the recession. If there are problems with noise and parking, then what is required is simply better regulation and better enforcement. I believe that increasing the minimum nights for rent to 4-7 nights from the current 2 nights would solve many of the problems that I understand some residents complain about. The goal is to eliminate the renters who are here to party, not to turn away the great renters who come to Palm Desert because they love our neighborhood. These renters spend their money in our city and sustain local businesses. I am greatly concemed for the property values in the R1 and R2 zones if this ban goes into effect. In the current economic climate, people want the flexibility to be able to rent out their homes for short periods of a week or so to supplement their incomes or to cover their costs. If they do not have this opportunity, they will purchase elsewhere, thereby decreasing property values. Allowing 28-day rentals is not a solution because visitors do not rent for 28 days. Families travel for one to two weeks and do not negatively impact the neighborhood. This ordinance is contrary to the best interest of all of Palm Desert and I strongly urge the City Council to reject it on second reading. I would like to attend the meeting on November 16, 2017 when the second reading is supposed to happen. I wish to speak to the City Council to express my strong opposition to this ban. Please forward this email on to the City Council and please advise as to how I can obtain authorization to speak at the meeting. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, `lops) 5C/NMA Scanned by CamScanner Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:12 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Do Not Ban Short Term Rentals" From: Jacob Higgins fmailto:ihioains(adfra.coml Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2017 10:47 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Do Not Ban Short Term Rentalsum Good Afternoon, I work with Sullivan's Steakhouse here in Palm Desert. I have been here for 1.5 years and have had a chance to see our business grow and flourish here in the Desert. A big portion of our business both in and out of season is from guests coming to visit our beautiful city. Not only are they bringing income for those they rent from but they help all of our businesses in the retail and service industry. Short Term Renters are great for us because they are coming in for a short stay with no thought of cooking for themselves but planning on dining out in one of the many fantastic restaurants we have here in Palm Desert. If I am fortunate enough for them to choose Sullivan's and we are able to exceed their expectations we can possibly get them to come in again before they leave or at the very least they will spread the word of what a fantastic time they had with us to all friends that live here and are going to visit. Banning STR is not healthy for the economy, our business and our employee's livelihoods. These renters will go to the other cities nearby and find other spots to dine at that are closer to them. I support enforcement and not a ban. Let us be able to share Palm Desert to everyone. No matter how long or short they want to stay with us. Cheers, Jacob Higgins General Manager Sullivan's Steakhouse Palm Desert "Celebrating Life in Restaurants" 73-505 El Paseo I Suite 2600 I Palm Desert, Ca 92260 p. 760.341.3560 I f. 760.341.0279 ihiggins@dfrg.com 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:13 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rentals Original Message From: Mark Freeman fmailto:markfree(Wgorge.netj Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 8:40 AM To: CityhallMail; Swartz, Kevin Subject: Short term rentals About 4 years ago, my wife and I discovered Palm Desert and the beautiful Palm Desert Country Club. We were shopping for a future retirement home and we were fortunate to find it on California Dr. on the 5th green of PDCC. We live here part of the year and rent it out through PD Vacation Rentals by Adi Gross. We rely on this income to help pay the mortgage until we fully retire in 4 years. We have had no problems or complaints regarding our guests. Our guests tend to return every year and book well in advance. Banning short term rentals discriminates against us seniors trying to retire here. Compliance is the answer. Please don't let a small group of Paseo seniors push this through! If short term rentals are banned, we would need to sell our dream.... and retire elsewhere. Our Gardener, Pool Technician, and Maintenance People depend on these short term rentals and cannot afford to have their small business impacted. Sincerely, Mark & Shari Freeman The Dalles Oregon, and Palm Desert CA 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:14 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rentals From: Joan Oloff rmailto:kifootcntr©aol.coml Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 6:09 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short term rentals Dear Mayor and City Council, I am a long term owner and part time resident at Ironwood Country Club in Palm Desert. I am reaching out to you in support of maintaining my rights as a home owner to rent my property. We live in a resort community, with a rather narrow window of opportunity for renting. I have tried to offer long term rentals in the past. The market is shifting and the ability to offer short term rentals is an essential way for my family to enjoy home ownership. Thank -you for your time and consideration in maintaining this policy. Sincerely, Joan Oloff, D.P.M.,F.A.C.F.A.S. Icifootcntr@aol.com 408-356-2774 1 November 14, 2017 VIA EMAIL (kswartz@citvofnalmdesert.orgl City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance. We understand that the City of Palm Desert passed a first reading of an ordinance to ban Short Term Rentals in residential zones in Palm Desert as of July 1, 2019, and that there is a second reading of this ordinance on Thursday, November 16, 2017. My family rented a home through VRBO for a vacation in Palm Desert, within walking distance of El Paseo., where we encountered many tourists like ourselves. We had a wonderful vacation and enjoyed hiking, cycling, running, golfing, shopping, and ate out often in local restaurants. Many of the activities were within walking or short driving distance. We intentionally rented a property in a quiet residential neighborhood. Many families, like ours, enjoy this type of accommodation, and in this day and age of the growing "shared economy" it is not only increasingly common, but expected by many travellers. The property we rented was immaculately furnished and maintained, and exceeded our expectations. The neighbours, we met, said that this property had been renovated and improved by the owners specifically for them to rent out and they felt this had increased their own property values. The owners we rented from, screened us, as they, understandably, did not want any problems for their neighbours. Because of our positive experience, we have been looking into purchasing a home in Palm Desert. However, we are only interested in buying if we have the flexibility to rent it out for income to cover costs in between our intended regular personal use. We suggest that some of the economic spinoffs for the community, if we buy, is hiring people to help us manage and clean the property, repair the house, tend the garden, thus increasing employment locally. As well, we would need to purchase items for the home, pay for membership fees in a homeowners group and pay taxes, money that would stay in the community. We are concerned that if this ordinance is passed, there will be no more places to rent close to El Paseo. We would not come back and rent during future vacations or purchase property, and will look to communities where short term rentals are allowed, such as Palm Springs, Indian Wells or Rancho Mirage, or somewhere else all together. As well, we suspect that if homes can't be rented out, many property owners will look to get out of this market, and an overabundance of properties in this area for sale may negatively affect the real estate market. Fewer tourists in Palm Desert means fewer customers for all, especially businesses on El Paseo. We understand you are addressing the concerns of full time residents who have had negative experiences with disrespectful tenants in neigbhouring homes, and balancing this with the rights of the property owners who rent their homes. We hope the majority of your tourists are like us, and we imagine you do not want to drive us away, but this will happen, if there are no short term rental options. Hopefully you can implement bylaws to respond to noise and property standard concerns, and an effective dispute resolution system to deal with complaints in a timely manner. If this is created and funded out of the STR homeowner fees, and not raised from your permanent residents' taxes, this could be acceptable to a majority of the residents. We know you will never find a resolution to please everyone, but hopefully the voices of the people who enjoy coming to your community, and those who have invested significantly in buying homes, and creating a place for people to visit, will prevail. We believe a complete ban of Short Term Rentals will be a detriment overall for your community. We think it will result in fewer tourists (like my family), and reduced economic spending overall as a result of a reduction in purchases of properties, improvements to properties, employment, and tourism spending. We would like to propose that the City implement a minimum of 4-7 nights for Short Term Rentals as a reasonable compromise. This would discourage the weekend party people, but still give enough flexibility for those who respectfully vacation. We will be watching the outcome of this ordinance and plan our next steps re vacation or purchasing a home, following your Council's decision. Thank you for your time and consideration. Would you please kindly forward this letter to the City Council on my behalf. Sincerely, Louise Ferrie-Blecher Dr. Peter Blecher P.0 Box 113, 4773 Lakeshore Rd. Port Hope ON L1A 3V9 Canada Swartz, Kevin From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Hi Rachelle, Hermann, David Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:18 AM Klassen, Rachelle Swartz, Kevin; Stendell, Ryan FW: - City of Palm Desert: Website Contact Us Form Submission We received the communication below today, addressed to the Mayor and City Council, related to short-term rentals. The property owners in questions ask if their letter could be read at the meeting. I am forwarding for inclusion in the Council's packet and have copied Kevin and Ryan on this as well. Thanks very much for any assistance you can provide. David David Hermann Public Information Officer Ph: 760.776,6411 Direct: 760.776.6380 dhermann@cityofpalmdesertorg From: webmaster@cityofpalmdesert.org [mailto:webmaster@cityofpalmdesert.org] Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:41 AM To: Information Mail Subject: [SPAM] - City of Palm Desert: Website Contact Us Form Submission A new entry to a form/survey has been submitted. Form Name: Date & Time: Response #: Submitter ID: IP address: Time to complete: Survey Details Page 1 Contact Us 11/14/2017 9:40 AM 734 5785 47.34.196.120 58 min. , 41 sec. Your Contact Information First Name Email Address Address Susan and Steven sberbowerPaol.com 273 Sandpiper Last Name Phone Number Address 2 Hayles-Berbower and Berbower (5620 857-7445 129 College Park Drive, Seal Beach 1 City Pam Desert State California ZIP Code 92260 I am a: (o) Palm Desert Resident Comments or Concerns: Dear Mayor Members of the Palm Desert City Counsel: We hope you will read this letter in its entirety and not simply count it as one additional piece of correspondence in favor of thirty -day rentals. Were we able to be there, we would read this at the podium at public input. Can someone do that for us? Our letter is written independently. We are not puppets of VRBO or other commercial enterprises intent on making money on someone else's property. Our plea, here, is personal. It is from people who own in and love this desert community. We have been members of it for almost three decades. Twenty-nine years ago my husband and I sat in the living room of his parents' Sandpiper unit, which they'd bought in the 60's. Across the walkway was a terribly neglected condo which we soon decided to "rescue." We purchased it and then invested a great deal of money and years to create a nice little getaway for our family. It was always a financial negative, but it brought us such pleasure and a store of good memories. For years we rented it through Sandpiper Realty for one, two, or three months a year, thereby off -setting at least some of the expenses of ownership. This worked beautifully. Fast forward to today. We are in our early seventies and our desert home, though paid for, has become increasingly a financial negative. The high costs of ownership--$450 a month for HOA dues, annually -increased property taxes and fire and liability insurance, the cost of internet and other utilities --have been a challenge to meet. Too, the unit has grown even older and, thus, requires more on- going maintenance, though this is an upside for the tradespeople we hire to help us. Still, we love this little desert getaway, and with Sandpiper Realty gone, we turned to VRBO, now HomeAway, two years ago. We secured our City of Palm Desert permit, learned and abided by the dictates of local ordinances --which we know to be strict and very appropriately so --and began to earn some income to help us maintain our unit. We make no money on it. We have learned a lot in these past two years. Our greatest discovery is that direct, personal contacts with prospective and returning tenants are essential. People we are allowing into our desert home and into our Sandpiper Circle need to know well our expectations and requirements. Hence, our own tenants have fit seamlessly into our community for the month or more they are here. They are not disruptive, they do not "party." They are good people who have been able to, at a very affordable price, enjoy what we enjoy about the desert --the relaxation, the mountain views, and the opportunity to unwind. And they give back to the community. Back in the 60's when the Sandpiper was the first PUD in the whole of Coachella Valley, the developers saw an opportunity to enable the average wage-earner to visit the beautiful valley at affordable prices and contribute to the economy here. Isn't this what we should still be embracing? There will always be this partying group or that. We had one such situation in our Circle last week. But, given the great number of visitors to Palm Desert, these are the exceptions. Shall we deny altogether the vast majority of good people the opportunity to visit and comfortably stay in homes they have rented --because of the behavior of the occasional misfit? And are those of us who own here to be denied the opportunity to earn the money to be able to better afford our homes? We ask the City Council to reconsider its decision to stop in -home rentals altogether. We don't close malls or schools or music festivals down altogether because of the bad actions of a very selfish, self-serving few. Can we not curtail and stop the disruptive behavior, rather than impose unfair limitations on those who have done nothing wrong? Here in our desert community we should instead be reinforcing the effective ways to hold individuals accountable for any disturbance of the peace of a neighborhood. Immediate tickets and significant fines levied against the abusers (or the owners for the behavior of their tenants) will dampen any party. The City's Good Neighbor policy already gives a phone number to call and allows for the levying of up to $5000 fines in such cases. But such fines cannot be levied if we simply talk about them amongst ourselves and fail to report them at the moment the infractions occurring. 2 We do agree that the "revolving door "of renting for weekends or a week at a time can be disruptive to the sense of neighborhood, though we, ourselves, have not been bothered by it. Instead of doing away with ALL in -home vacation rentals, require a minimum of 1-month (or more) rental periods, and you will find that tenants are principally retirees looking for an affordable respite in a desert home. Why deny them the opportunity --as well as homeowners the financial assistance month- long rentals afford. Not only do we rely on the few months of income to help with the bills, but also we would miss the feeling of playing hosts and helping visitors realize a warm welcome and memorable experience that an expensive hotel does not provide. Thank you for reading and for considering our views, Steven R. Berbower and Susan Hayles-Berbower, Owners 273 Sandpiper, Palm Desert Thank you, City of Palm Desert This is an automated message generated by the Vision Content Management SystemTM. Please do not reply directly to this email. 3 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:19 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rentals Original Message From: Ted Thomasfmailto:teded5oclocksomewhere@vahoo.comj Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2017 10:04 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short term rentals I'm an owner of a short term rental in the PDCC. We keep the appearance of the house it great shape, witch makes the neighborhood look better, you can tell the difference between long term rentals and short term rentals. Banning STR's will probably cause some neighborhoods to decline in curb appeal. The PDCC and cactus club might take a big decline in patrons. Long term renters don't spend money like vacationers do. I have seen this golf course close before and it looks awful. A good property manager and a task force against bad houses would be a good answer. This would prevent the city from losing permit money, might as well get the money because people will probably just go to the " he's my friend from out of state style renting." Sent from spacep 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:19 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: I support our local tourism Original Message From: Jennifer Christenot[mailto:ienniferchristenotPvahoo.comj Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 4:06 PM To: CityhallMail Cc: ienniferchristenotPvahoo.com Subject: I support our local tourism Dear City Council, I'm writing to let you know I support our local tourism economy, and I'm asking you to please reverse the ban and give enforcement a chance. I don't believe it should be city wide, but if particular HOAs want to put a ban on STVR, they can if the homeowners approve it. I am a single mother and have rented my house out during the festivals this year. I never had any problems nor any complaints from any neighbors of which my direct neighbor is a police officer. Being a single mother (not on any government/financial assistance) this extra money 3 weekends a year really helps. I know Airbnb has paid you my occupancy tax directly and I've paid my city dues and I'm sure it all adds up for extra money for our city too. Let's reverse this and find a happy medium! Thank you, Jennifer "Jenny" Christenot Cell: 760-272-0101 Jenniferchristenot@vahoo.com 1 Deirdre McCarvill 30 Whitecap Court Furry Creek, BC VON 3Z1 604-669-2030 dmccarvill0707@hotmail.com Email: kswartz@citvofpalmdesert.org City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Kevin Swartz: Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance I was horrified to hear about the possible banning of short term rentals in the Palm Desert area that is close to El Paseo. My husband and I work full time and as such, we rarely take holidays. In its' place however, we come down to the Desert for long weekends 6 — 8 times a year, and traditionally stay in a home that is in easy walking distance to all the shops. For many of us here in Vancouver, it is a natural place to travel to both because of the ease and relatively inexpensive cost of flights and rentals. I cannot imagine the impact of this ordinance on both those of us that have been coming for years — as well as your own economy. I would be appreciative if this letter could be sent to the City Council. Kind regards, Deirdre McCarvill 6, ‘;3Nksys, ;V(-C,b,x01 Swartz, Kevin From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:25 AM To: Klassen, Rachelle; Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: No STR in R1 or R2 Rachelle and Kevin, Will you please distribute this email message to the members of the City Council in advance of their meeting on Thursday, 16 November 2017? Thank you, Lauri Aylaian City Manager Ph: 760.346.0611 Direct: 760.776.6481 IavlaianPcitvofpalmdesert.org Original Message From: Dave Hoak jmailto:redrock2(sbcgIobal.netj Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:39 AM To: Aylaian, Lauri <lavlaianc citvofpalmdesert.org> Subject: No STR in R1 or R2 Dear Palm Desert officials: As a longtime resident of PD, I hope the language setting aside R1 and R2 zones as STR free will be retained. I feel this is vital to the health and enjoyment of our great residential neighborhoods. Thank you, David Hoak 73465 Feather Trl Palm Desert, CA 92260 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Betty Baxter <drbettybaxter@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 4:16 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: [SPAM] - appreciation and encouragement Betty Baxter, Ed. D. 72-828 Joshua Tree Street Palm Desert, CA 92260 760-773-1980 drbcttvbaxter(Pamail.com November 9, 2017 Kevin Swartz, Associate City Planner, Palm Desert Planning Commission kswartz(a?citvofpalmdesert.org Dear Mr. Swartz: We are writing to thank you for your wisdom and foresight in supporting the phasing out and elimination of short term rentals from neighborhoods R-1 and R-2 by July 1, 2019. Short term rentals have no place in our family residential neighborhoods. Not only do they diminish the value of our property and are obtrusive from the standpoint of noise and traffic, but they are also dangerous from the standpoint of drugs and alcohol being available and openly discarded. (see below, our experience) We have heard the arguments that we should "just give better enforcement a chance." Our experience is an example in which the best enforcement really could do nothing, because the event was over, and proof of responsibility impossible to gather. Others argue, "Well, these things can happen even without STRs." Perhaps, but when a person has no investment in, or personal commitment to, a property, community, or other human beings, there is no loyalty or incentive to being a considerate, responsible human being; hence, the inevitable rise in troublesome incidents. While the city has received 79 documented complaints this year, we residents know that this is not an accurate account of the problems we residents have experienced. Not everyone has reported incidents - trying to be "good neighbors". For those who have reported, many times, we believe the number of complaints has not been documented accurately. Meanwhile, short term rentals continue to pose a significant threat and danger to our neighborhoods and community and must be eliminated. We recognize that there is tremendous pressure from the opposing side. We strongly encourage you to maintain your support for the elimination of this menace in our neighborhoods, and to retain your favorable vote at the second reading on Nov. 16tn Respectfully, Cash Baxter and Betty Baxter, Ed. D. 1 72828 Joshua Tree Street Palm Desert, CA 92260 Our experience with Short Term Rentals in Palm Desert, CA Into our quiet family neighborhood, six large vehicles arrived at the rental house across the street from our home. Others came and went throughout the afternoon and evening. Loud music and shouts from the backyard pool area soon began. Vehicles filled the side and front driveways, and the overflow parked on the street in front of our home and the neighbors'. People wandered in and out of the house, sometimes smoking and drinking. When two cars drove away, one from the driveway across the street, another from the curb in front of our home, they tossed a small sack and several empty cans onto our lawn. My husband saw this happen and yelled at them. They gave him the finger as they roared away. When he picked up the trash they had thrown out, he discovered that there were empty plastic prescription drug bottles inside the sack. Immediately, he called the police, who questioned him, as though he were a suspect, and then reluctantly agreed to come to our home. We gave the policeman the sack and answered his questions. Then the policeman went to the rental house across the street, supposedly to interview the people there. When he returned, the policeman told us that he couldn't do anything about this, because the people in the rental house said they were not responsible; they didn't know the people on the prescription bottles, and there was no proof that we had not put the drug bottles there ourselves. We felt violated, frightened, and helpless. Cash and Betty Baxter 2 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:07 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Stephen Davis Finailto:sacanada(mac.com] Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:42 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Stephen Davis 73411 Bursera Way Palm Desert, CA 92260 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:54 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short Term Rental Ban in Palm Desert From: Sylvia Nolan Finailto:scnolanCatelus.net1 Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:37 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short Term Rental Ban in Palm Desert Sylvia Nolan 2-2311 Watkiss Way Victoria, BC, Canada V9B 6J6 November 14, 2017 Re: Short Term Rental Ban in Palm Desert I have been vacationing in Palm Desert for several years now, along with three close friends. We are all over the age of 60. We love the location and all the attractions the area has to offer. We love the neighbourhood as it is quiet and the yard is secluded, so we can enjoy the pool. We are not party people. We just like to come for a quiet and relaxing vacation. As a frequent visitor to Palm Desert, I was very surprised to read that the City Council decided to vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. We have rented the home (77271 Ohio Circle) for several years. We go to the Casino's and do quite a bit of shopping and eating out at the local restaurants and establishments. By voting to ban vacation rentals, Palm Desert will no longer be an option for us, and we would be forced to vacation at another destination. This is very bad for your economy. Please reconsider removing the ban. Sincerely, Sylvia Nolan 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:54 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rentals investment From: bob tetrault Finailto:Drofhmmat@vahoo.coml Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:25 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short term rentals investment Aprx 150 short term rl and R2 homes, average costs $500000 = $75,000,000 invested after city council voted to allow short term rentals, and now sabby tells them to pack up and take their investments some where else Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:55 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rentals financial estimates on economy From: bob tetrault fmailto:orofhmmat@vahoo.coml Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:21 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short term rentals financial estimates on economy Aprx 1200 permits, maybe 300 more not permitted ; 1500 total, maybe 4 guests per home ; 6000 guests total, maybe 100 days per year occupancy = 600000 total guests stays, maybe $100 daily spending = $ 60,000,000 yearly, city council wants to eliminate this with a foolish ban ? Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:55 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rentals financial estimates on economy From: bob tetrault Finailto:Drofhmmot@vahoo.coml Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:21 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short term rentals financial estimates on economy Aprx 1200 permits, maybe 300 more not permitted ; 1500 total, maybe 4 guests per home ; 6000 guests total, maybe 100 days per year occupancy = 600000 total guests stays, maybe $100 daily spending = $ 60,000,000 yearly, city council wants to eliminate this with a foolish ban ? Sent from Yahoo Mali on Android 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:55 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: proposed ban on rentals From: Scott Thornton fmailto:klareaistrvCatelus.net] Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:45 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: proposed ban on rentals We vacation in Palm Desert annually and are surprised and dismayed to hear that the city may ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. We have been renting a home in Palm Desert for several years and are responsible guests. We do not have parties, make noise or bother the neighbors. Every year we spend a significant amount golfing (particularly at Desert Willow), shopping, going to restaurants etc. I am not interested in hotel stays so would have to look at other areas for my vacations. Thank you for hearing my concerns Scott Thornton KLA Registry Services Ltd. Phone: 250-888-9383 Toll Free: 888-771-4437 (BC Only) Fax: 250-389-1322 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:55 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Margaret Reed Finailto:mireed6931@amail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:24 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Councilmember Susie Marie Weber, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! What are the R1 & R2 zones? Regards, Margaret Reed 42588 Hastings St Palm Desert, CA 92211 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:56 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Scott Bedell fmailto:sbadc3Caaol.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:20 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Councilmember Kathleen Kelly, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Scott Bedell 76420 Violet Cir Palm Desert, CA 92211 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:00 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Noel Johnson Finailto:noel.iohnson70Caamail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:15 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Noel Johnson 540 St Ann's Dr Laguna Beach, CA 92651 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:01 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Neal Johnson Finailto:aooraisedbvneak ffo-us.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:14 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Neal Johnson 144 Desert Falls Cir Palm Desert, CA 92211 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:02 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Philip Jacobs fmailto:perkaship2norway.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:14 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Philip Jacobs 275 Tolosa Cir Palm Desert, CA 92260 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:02 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Darren Berberian[mailto:darrenberberian@vahoo.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:13 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Darren Berberian 121 Villa Ct Palm Desert, CA 92211 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:03 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Neal Johnson fmailto:nealiohnsonll@amail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:12 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Neal Johnson 541 S Tumbleweed Rd Anaheim, CA 92807 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:02 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Darren Berberian(mailto:darrenberberian(@vahoo.comj Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:13 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Darren Berberian 121 Villa Ct Palm Desert, CA 92211 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:03 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Neal Johnson[mailto:nealiohnson11@amail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:12 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Neal Johnson 541 S Tumbleweed Rd Anaheim, CA 92807 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:03 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Preston Farmer fmailto:Dreston.k.farmer@amail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:11 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Preston Farmer 287 Desert Falls Dr E Palm Desert, CA 92211 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:03 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Preston Farmer Finailto:preston.k.farmer(aamail.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:11 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Preston Farmer 287 Desert Falls Dr E Palm Desert, CA 92211 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:04 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Ronald Olson rmailto:olsonronaldq@ hotmail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:09 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Ronald Olson 523 Mesquite Hill Palm Desert, CA 92260 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:04 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Ronald Olson fmailto:olsonronaldoCahotmail.coml, Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:09 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Ronald Olson 523 Mesquite Hill Palm Desert, CA 92260 I. Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:04 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Gwendolyn Webster imailto:theawendolvn@earthlink.netl Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:08 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Gwendolyn Webster 43080 Tennessee Ave Palm Desert, CA 92211 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:05 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Olivier chaine f mailto:olivierCa�chaine.net1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:08 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Olivier chaine 44829 Cabrillo Ave Palm Desert, CA 92260 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:05 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Audra renkus rmailto:audrarenkus©amail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:07 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Audra renkus 121 Villa Ct Palm Desert, CA 92211 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:06 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Bruce Sult fmailto:bruce(falcosult.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:58 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Bruce Sult 287 Vista Royale Cir E Palm Desert, CA 92211 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:07 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Attn: Gina Nestande re: STR Original Message From: John And Marie Strom imailto:iandmstromPemail.comj Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 7:45 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Attn: Gina Nestande Dear Councilmember Nestande, We would like you to reconsider your dissenting vote on STRs and are asking you to please support the proposed ordinance as it stands. STRs are commercial enterprises and have no business in R-1 and R-2 neighborhoods. Thank you. Marie and John Strom 48125 Anita Cir, Palm Desert 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:07 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Stephen Davis f mailto:sacanada@mac.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:42 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Stephen Davis 73411 Bursera Way Palm Desert, CA 92260 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:54 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rentals investment From: bob tetrault rmailto:profhmmat@yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:25 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short term rentals investment Aprx 150 short term rl and R2 homes, average costs $500000 = $75,000,000 invested after city council voted to allow short term rentals, and now sabby tells them to pack up and take their investments some where else Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:55 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rentals financial estimates on economy From: bob tetrault fmailto:profhmmatCavahoo.com1 Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:21 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short term rentals financial estimates on economy Aprx 1200 permits, maybe 300 more not permitted ; 1500 total, maybe 4 guests per home ; 6000 guests total, maybe 100 days per year occupancy = 600000 total guests stays, maybe $100 daily spending = $ 60,000,000 yearly, city council wants to eliminate this with a foolish ban ? Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:55 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: proposed ban on rentals From: Scott Thornton (mailto:klareaistrv©telus.netl Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:45 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: proposed ban on rentals We vacation in Palm Desert annually and are surprised and dismayed to hear that the city may ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. We have been renting a home in Palm Desert for several years and are responsible guests. We do not have parties, make noise or bother the neighbors. Every year we spend a significant amount golfing (particularly at Desert Willow), shopping, going to restaurants etc. I am not interested in hotel stays so would have to look at other areas for my vacations. Thank you for hearing my concerns Scott Thornton KLA Registry Services Ltd. Phone: 250-888-9383 Toll Free: 888-771-4437 (BC Only) Fax: 250-389-1322 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:55 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Margaret Reed fmailto:mireed6931@amail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:24 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Councilmember Susie Marie Weber, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! What are the RI & R2 zones? Regards, Margaret Reed 42588 Hastings St Palm Desert, CA 92211 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:56 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Scott Bedell Finailto:sbadc3Caaol.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:20 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Councilmember Kathleen Kelly, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Scott Bedell 76420 Violet Cir Palm Desert, CA 92211 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:00 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Noel Johnson(mailto:noel.iohnson70Cc�amail.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:15 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, 1 was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Noel Johnson 540 St Ann's Dr Laguna Beach, CA 92651 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:01 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Neal Johnson Finailto:aporaisedbvnealCaffo-us.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:14 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Neal Johnson 144 Desert Falls Cir Palm Desert, CA 92211 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 11:02 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Philip Jacobs fmailto:Dcrashio2norway.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:14 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik and City Councilmembers, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Philip Jacobs 275 Tolosa Cir Palm Desert, CA 92260 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:54 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short Term Rental Ban in Palm Desert From: Sylvia Nolan [mailto:scnolan@telus.netl Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 10:37 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short Term Rental Ban in Palm Desert Sylvia Nolan 2-2311 Watkiss Way Victoria, BC, Canada V9B 6J6 November 14, 2017 Re: Short Term Rental Ban in Palm Desert I have been vacationing in Palm Desert for several years now, along with three close friends. We are all over the age of 60. We love the location and all the attractions the area has to offer. We love the neighbourhood as it is quiet and the yard is secluded, so we can enjoy the pool. We are not party people. We just like to come for a quiet and relaxing vacation. As a frequent visitor to Palm Desert, I was very surprised to read that the City Council decided to vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. We have rented the home (77271 Ohio Circle) for several years. We go to the Casino's and do quite a bit of shopping and eating out at the local restaurants and establishments. By voting to ban vacation rentals, Palm Desert will no longer be an option for us, and we would be forced to vacation at another destination. This is very bad for your economy. Please reconsider removing the ban. Sincerely, Sylvia Nolan I. Swartz, Kevin From: Craig Jacobsen <drcjacobsen@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 9:30 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: [SPAM] - Short -Term Rental Ordinance City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Via Email: kswartz@citvofpalmdesert.org November 9, 2017 Dear Mr. Swartz and Council members Re: Short -Term Rental Ordinance I am a property owner and STR permit holder in the City of Palm Desert. We first came to visit Palm Desert about 12 years ago in August and stayed at a short-term rental for 1 week with our 2 young children. Even though it was a scorching hot August, we fell in love with the desert. We were unable to buy any property at the time, as we were a young family but we constantly kept an eye out for properties in the desert. We were finally a position to buy a home when the Canadian dollar and the housing market was more favourable. We searched all over the desert from La Quinta to Palm Springs but finally decided on Palm Desert within walking distance to El Paseo. We choose this area of Palm Desert as we felt this is the best location to walk to shopping and restaurants and since we have started renting under our STR permit, we have found that visitors love this area as well. I am a medical doctor in Canada and although I am working full-time now, I was planning to wind down over the next 15 years and spend more time in Palm Desert. At this time we make about six short trips of 3-7 days to Palm Desert throughout the year but plan to spend 3-4 months in the desert in the next 10 years. We have been renting out our home as a STR for 5 years with a STR business licence and we have been operating our STR property within all the rules and we have even imposed stricter rules of our own. We rent for a minimum of 4 nights and never rent for 2 nights even when requests are made and we have an opening for 2 nights. We have kept our minimum rental age to 28 years of age unless it is a family with children. As well, we always have our property manager greet the guests on their arrival and inform them of the house rules and the STR rules. As an extra precaution for the no outdoor music between 10PM and 10 AM, we have installed a device to power off the outdoor speakers during those hours. We have always been respectiful to our neighbors and we have ensured that our house has never been a party house. We have provided a beautiful tourist accommodation for guests who have returned year after year to stay at our home. We have rentals ranging from 4 nights to 1 month but the majority of renters stay for 1 week. We have a great property manager who responds to any issues at the property and we are available to him at all times to aid with any urgent matters. We encourage our guests to email or call us immediately if they have any issues at the property. t I am sure the City of Palm Desert and all its residents will be detrimentally affected if a ban on STR in RI and R2 areas were to proceed. The TOT provided to the city is a significant amount but the tourist dollars spent at local shops and restaurants is also significant. One single 4 bedroom house can have a family of 8 all of whom will be pouring dollars into the economy. I am sure the dollars spent per TOT dollar is much higher in a STR than a hotel. We STR permit holders also injected much needed dollars into local jobs by hiring all the trades to maintain a high end product. We spend money to ensure our properties are in tiptop shape for our guests. We employ cleaners, gardeners, property managers, handymen, electricians and plumbers on a regular basis and have provided significant employment even during the economic downturn. Our guests come to have a relaxing holiday and to spend money at the many resturants, golf courses, retail stores and grocers in the area around El Paseo. If a ban were to come into effect, the value of properties would decline significantly as there would be a glut of properties in R 1 and R2 areas as many of us STR owners need the extra income generated from our homes to be able to afford and maintain our homes. But not only would there be a glut of homes on the market but they would not be as competitive as other markets in the desert as anyone wishing or needing to rent their home on a short term basis would not even entertain buying in R1 and R2 areas of Palm Desert and may avoid Palm Desert all together as they may worry the same bans could be extended to all zones in Palm Desert. This would be detrimental to all Palm Desert property owners whether STR owners or not. To ban STRs due to a few poorly behaved guests is not proportional to the good STRs bring to a tourist destination like Palm Desert. The answer is not to ban STR but to embrace the new economy and determine ways to ensure harmony between STRs and other home owners. There are many options some of which were mentioned in previous meetings. Some solutions include increasing the number of nights from 2 nights to 4-7 nights, ensure all homes have a manager to greet guests and ensure they know the rules, proper enforcement of rules including ticketing and fining of guests directly at the time of a significant complaint, fining home owners that make unwarranted complaints, fining STR permit holders that do not follow the STR owners requirements, ensuring future STR permits are given out based on density rules, and possibly having a mobile security/enforcement officer(s) to monitor neighbourhoods and try to mitigate problems before they start. A mobile enforcement officer could drive through neighbourhoods and warn guests of any parking issues or noise issues before it becomes a problem. This mobile enforcement officer could be part of a STR HOA or a city employee. I know the economy of Palm Desert is better off since allowing STR and will continue to thrive if this type of accommodation is available. This is a new era where families enjoy holidaying together in a beautiful large home where they can form lasting memories. The extended family holiday is only possible through vacation rental homes. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. Yours sincerely, Dr. Craig Jacobsen 4060 Cambie Street Vancouver, B.C. Canada, V5Z 2X8 2 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:09 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Party houses & data on Airbnb Hi Kevin, It looks like the City Council received this. Jane From: John Curran [mailto:curranj@gmail.com] Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2017 8:26 AM To: Nestande, Gina; Harnik, Jan; Kelly, Kathleen; Aylaian, Lauri; Jonathan, Sabby; weber; Swartz, Kevin; Stendell, Ryan Subject: Party houses & data on Airbnb I posted this information on NextDoor earlier this morning. I highly recommend you all read the New York Times article, since it describes the exact problem we have in Palm Desert with party houses. Note what Matt Curtis, from Home Away, says about residential use. The company position is that it's not a business to rent one's property & this is clearly legal, protectionist speak. If you need a license for renting the place, if you pay an occupancy tax, and the IRS taxes the money you make as business income, you have a business. I recommend that each of you take a look at AirDNA. It costs $29.95 a month but has a lot of useful information that the city needs to be able to make decisions about this industry. The data on the site shows that 78% of Airbnb rentals in Palm Desert are for the entire house. This does not include the other rental sites like Home Away, etc. The data shows that the position of the group here in South Palm Desert is right: STRs are dominated by investors and not Ted and Carol renting a bedroom to help put money in the college fund. I'm sure that some of the rentals fit that description, but they are not a majority. https://www.airdna.co/market-data/app/us/cali fornia/palm-desert/92260/overview Party Houses The problems we have in Palm Desert with some short term rental units that are used primarily for parties has caught the attention of the New York Times. The link below is to there story on the issue in Austin, TX. Before I get to that I ran across a newspaper article in The Week, a London, England news site. Two points: more than 1/3 of all the Airbnb hosts in London are private property management companies. That number in Palm Desert is higher. Twelve management companies in this city handle 45% of all short term rentals. The other significant number from this article is that one man in London has 881 Airbnb rental units. Last year he made $15 million. The source for this i data is a website called AirDNA. I looked up Palm Desert and found that for Airbnb alone, 78% of their rentals are for the entire home. This does not count Home Away, VRBO, etc. But I think it is indicative. In spite of the people on this board who own one house or are owner -present hosts, the vast majority of rental units in our city are owned by investors. Man of them don't live here. Some of them live in other countries. Then we get to the party houses. If they did not exist, I would not have posted my query on NextDoor last February when one of these houses began to operate 50" from my back yard. The owner lives in Seattle. I don't know the owner. I don't have his phone number. I can't walk over and talk to him about the problem he has created in my life and the life of this neighborhood. There is a picture in the NYT article that shows a bedroom in a party house in Austin. It has one bed and two bunk beds. This is almost identical to the house I saw the other day here in Palm Desert advertised on Airbnb. It's a two bedroom that says they sleep 10. We don't know how many houses cheat on the numbers but it is more than I had realized and more than the city has been able to detect. Link to the piece about Airbnb in London: http://www.theweek.co.uk/89614/Iondon-airbnb-host-with-881-properties-makes-119m-in-one-year Link to the NYT article: https://www.nvtimes.com/2015/10/10/your-monev/new-worry -for-home-buy ers-a-party-house-next- door.html?partner=rss&emc=rss& r=1 New Worry for Home Buyers: A Party House Next Door The proliferation of short-term rentals offered by Airbnb. HomeAwav and other websites has created problems in some aood-time destinations like Austin. Tex. NYTIMES.COM jc John Curran Palm Desert, CA All messages from this address are gluten -free, as required by California law. 2 Swartz, Kevin From: Chris Mullins <kipper151@yahoo.com> Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 8:44 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: STR Dear Mr. Swartz, I am writing to urge you to hinder, eliminate and curtail any consideration you and the City Council may have to reconsider the ban of short term/Airb&b style business activities in our neighborhood of Silver Spur Ranch. My partner and I and his parents have enjoyed our single family dwelling for over 25 years. As regular part time residents we have always enjoyed the familiarity of the neighborhood and the friendship of our full time neighbors. The change of character, extra traffic and the influx of strangers on a transitory basis is disconcerting and cause for distress. We did not settle into a mixed use community and do not approve of the sleight of hand maneuver of allowing businesses to operate in our midst. Please stop this. Thank you for your consideration, Chris Mullins 47937 Sun Corral Trail Palm Desert, Ca 92260 Sent from my iPad i Swartz, Kevin From: John Curran <curranj@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 3:58 PM To: Nestande, Gina; Harnik, Jan; Kelly, Kathleen; Aylaian, Lauri; Jonathan, Sabby; weber; Swartz, Kevin; Stendell, Ryan Subject: My thoughts on enforcement I posted the message below on the NextDoor website a few minutes ago. I have changed my mind about the issue of enforcement of any party houses that are short term rental units. The people who want to keep the STR industry in town at the status quo tell us that the city has done a poor job of enforcing its codes. They say the city needs better enforcement. They are saying you need to spend more taxpayer money to do this. They are wrong. The STR industry caused this to happen and they need to be held accountable. Message begins here: Pamela, l know I can find the owner of a property since it's a public record, but there are 1228 permits in the city database a majority of them are agents. The Riverside County website has contracted out the property owner information and now they want $5.00 for each owner record. I don't need that many records, but I am also not disposed to pay any money for this information. I find it really annoying that the real estate people and the pro-STR people on this board keep pointing at bad code enforcement as the reason we are having this discussion. We are having it because the STR industry has duped the city into a new zoning model where virtually all of Palm Desert is now mixed -use so that commercial activity can happen in R1 zones. We have five years of this new zoning and when people began to complain about party houses, the pro-STR folks blamed the city. I have read a lot of news stories on the Internet in the last six months and I have not seen one that shows Airbnb, VRBO, or hosts say they will police the problem since they created it. Nor have they volunteered to help solve it. Sorry, cities. Sorry, next door neighbors. We have no culpability in the matter since we are simply brokers putting home owners and weary travelers together. Your city - your problem. The motto of the STR industry. I am told to call the Hotline at city hall. Why does the STR industry need a hotline? Bars don't have a hotline. Hotels don't have a hotline. Shopping centers don't have a hotline. When customers in those businesses get out of line, the business makes it stop. People get thrown out of bars and hotels all the time. Many of them are banned from coming back. I used to manage a bar. We had a list of people who could not come in and a list of people whose checks we wouldn't accept. Where have the STR owners been for five years? Why do I have to go look up a party house owner? Why doesn't the STR industry have a Palm Desert STR hotline so we can report a problem & you can address it and pay for the service as the provider, not just of the service but the root cause of the problem? Why should my taxpayer money go to pay for solutions to a problem caused by a single industry? i Industries are fined and pollute our environment to avoid accountability. Posted on NextDoor on jc John Curran 73110 Somera Road Palm Desert, CA taxed when they pollute the environment. That is as it should be. Party houses but the STR industry tells us to ignore the man behind the curtain. The man who wants I want the curtain to be opened wide. 11/12/17 at 4:43 PM 2 November 14, 2017 VIA EMAIL (kswartz@citvofpalmdesert.ora) City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Kevin Swartz Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance Dear Mr. Swartz, have just learned that the City of Palm Desert passed a first reading of an ordinance on October 26, 2017 to ban Short Term Rentals in residential zones in Palm Desert as of July 1, 2019. Apparently there is a second reading of this ordinance on Thursday, November 16, 2017 at City Hall. If this was to be passed there will be no more places to stay close to El Paseo which will be detrimental to all! I am writing you to express my opposition to ban the perspective of a repeat renter of Short Term Rental properties in the residential areas of Palm Desert close to El Paseo. Short Term Rentals in every area of the City of Palm Desert are positive for the community and the economy of Palm Desert. When my wife and I vacation in Palm Desert we not only rent in Palm Desert we also buy groceries, shop on El Paseo, shop at the Westfield Mall and eat at local restaraunts. If Palm Desert proceeds with this ban, will choose to rent properties in Palm Springs instead and Palm Desert will lose my vacation dollars. I would like to propose that the City implement a minimum of 4-7 nights for Short Term Rentals as a reasonable compromise. Thank you for your time and consideration. Please forward this letter to the City Council on my behalf. Sincerely, Kevin Cicansky 10 Royal Oak Cres NW Calgary, AB T3G4X8 (403)831-9097 November 14, 2017 VIA EMAIL (kswartz@citvofoalmdesertora) City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Kevin Swartz Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance Dear Mr. Swartz, I have just learned that the City of Palm Desert passed a first reading of an ordinance on October 26, 2017 to ban Short Term Rentals in residential zones in Palm Desert as of July 1, 2019. Apparently there is a second reading of this ordinance on Thursday, November 16, 2017 at City Hall. If this was to be passed there will be no more places to stay close to El Paseo which will be detrimental to all! I am writing you to express my opposition to ban the perspective of a repeat renter of Short Term Rental properties in the residential areas of Palm Desert close to El Paseo. Short Term Rentals in every area of the City of Palm Desert are positive for the community and the economy of Palm Desert. When my wife and I vacation in Palm Desert we not only rent in Palm Desert we also buy groceries, shop on El Paseo, shop at the Westfield Mall and eat at local restaurants. If Palm Desert proceeds with this ban, will choose to rent properties in Palm Springs instead and Palm Desert will lose my vacation dollars. I would like to propose that the City implement a minimum of 4-7 nights for Short Term Rentals as a reasonable compromise. Thank you for your time and consideration. Please forward this letter to the City Council on my behalf. Sincerely, Tracey Thisdelle 20 Royal Oak Plaza NW, Apt 428 Calgary, AB T3G 0E6 (403)685-9584 Swartz, Kevin From: Stendell, Ryan Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:30 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: STR Ryan Stendell Director of Community Development Ph: 760.346.0611 Direct: 760.776.6386 rstendell@cityofpalmdesert.org • From: bewflanCa�aol.com [mailto:bewflanCaaol.com] Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 2:47 PM To: iharnic(aCitvofPalmDesert.ora; Weber, Susan Marie Cc: Jonathan, Sabby; Kelly, Kathleen; LAviaian(a citvofpamdesert.ora; Stendell, Ryan Subject: STR Dear City Council Members of Palm Desert, First I would like to thank you for taking the time to really listen to the concerns of the residence of this city. As one of them for 44 years living in Silver Spur Ranch I also am concerned about the changes taking place in our very unique area of the city. We in Silver Spur Ranch know our neighbors and care about them and they care about us. We feel very fortunate to live here. Thank you again for helping us preserve the wonderful residential areas of our city.. Sincerely, Barbara Flanagan 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stendell, Ryan Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:35 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Anti STRs Ryan Stendell Director of Community Development Ph: 760.346.0611 Direct: 760.776.6386 rstendell@cityofpalmdesert,org From: John and Marie Strom fmailto:sixtvfourgoat@msn.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 7:37 AM To: Stendell, Ryan Subject: Anti STRs Dear Mr. Stendell, We'll keep this short and simple. Thank you so very much for your thoughtful research on the continuation of STRs in Palm Desert. We believe the proposed ban on STRs in R-1 and R-2 neighborhoods is correct, since STRs are commercial enterprises and don't belong in residential neighborhoods. Thank you. Marie and John Strom 48125 Anita Cir. Palm Desert i Swartz, Kevin From: Stendell, Ryan Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:36 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: STR Ryan Stendell Director of Community Development Ph: 760.346.0611 Direct: 760.776.6386 rstendell@cityofpalmdesert.org From: Chris Mullins Finailto:kinoer151Cavahoo.com] Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 8:43 PM To: Stendell, Ryan Subject: STR Dear Mr. Stengel, I am writing to urge you to hinder, eliminate and curtail any consideration you and the City Council may have to reconsider the ban of short term/Airb&b style business activities in our neighborhood of Silver Spur Ranch. My partner and I and his parents have enjoyed our single family dwelling for over 25 years. As regular part time residents we have always enjoyed the familiarity of the neighborhood and the friendship of our full time neighbors. The change of character, extra traffic and the influx of strangers on a transitory basis is disconcerting and cause for distress. We did not settle into a mixed use community and do not approve of the sleight of hand maneuver of allowing businesses to operate in our midst. Please stop this. Thank you for your consideration, Chris Mullins 47937 Sun Corral Trail Palm Desert, Ca 92260 Sent from my iPad 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 5:57 PM To: Klassen, Rachelle; Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: STR NOTE: THIS EMAIL MESSAGE HAS BEEN COPIED TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL SO AS TO PREVENT INADVERTENT VIOLATION OF THE BROWN ACT. Rachelle and Kevin, This email message appears to have been sent only to me, despite the fact that it was addressed to all members of the City Council. I am forwarding it so that it may be included as part of the public record before the City Council meeting scheduled for this Thursday, 16 November 2017. Sincerely, Lauri Aylaian City Manager City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 760.346.0611 (office) From: Kerry Roach [roach.kerry@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 3:23 PM To: Aylaian, Lauri Cc: Mc Culloch Nancy Subject: STR Dear City Council members and Associates, We, the citizens of Palm Desert have been suffering the abuses of commercial businesses in our residential neighborhoods since STRs were allowed to proliferate. Knowing there is an end in sight, and the ordinance being put in place to address the problems that exist, gives us something to look forward to. Thank you for giving us this light at the end of the tunnel! We are very grateful for your insight, when you declared a moratorium, to study the problems Short Term Rentals cause. We appreciate all the hard work that has gone into finding a solution. We are happy to compromise the allowance of owner occupied STRs, and STRs in the city's planned, designated areas. We do not begrudge commerce, or our neighbors supplementing their incomes. We too want what is in Palm Desert's best interest. As impossible as it is to please everyone involved, we believe your solution to keep commercial businesses in the correctly zoned areas of our city is appropriate, and just. We appreciate visitors of Palm Desert, and will continue as we always have, to welcome them to our hotels, our 30 day rentals, and our owner occupied short term rentals, knowing most of us were once visitors ourselves. We are most grateful that you are not caving into the special interests of outside investors, that care only for their immediate needs, and are not thinking as you are, of the long term effects; STRs destroy neighborhoods, and eventually the cities that once supported them. Thank you for affirming that neighborhoods are for neighbors! We appreciate the care and concern you have shown your constituents. It will not be forgotten! 1 Thank you Kerry Roach CaIBRE: 01993352 roach.kerrv@email.com<mailto:roach.kerrv@gmail.com> 1.760.902.6563 1.760.660.6445 F Windermere Homes & Estates 73-725 El Paseo Palm Desert CA 92260 2 Swartz, Kevin From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 6:02 PM To: Klassen, Rachelle; Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short Term Rentals NOTE: THIS EMAIL MESSAGE IS BEING BLIND COPIED TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL SO AS TO PREVENT INADVERTENT VIOLATIONS OF THE BROWN ACT. Rachelle and Kevin, This email message was addressed to me, although it seems to be intended for the full City Council. Will you please make certain that it is included as part of the public record in advance of Thursday's City Council meeting? Lauri A. Lauri Aylaian City Manager City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 760.346.0611 (office) From: Susie Anderson [humbirdhvn@gmail.com] Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2017 9:45 AM To: Aylaian, Lauri Subject: Short Term Rentals Dear Ms. Aylaian, I have lived in the Coachella Valley for over 36 years and, when my husband and I moved to Silver Spur Ranch 11 years ago, I was happy that we would be part of an eclectic enclave of homes tucked away in a quiet area of Palm Desert. We have wonderful neighbors and a true sense of community here where we look out for each other's well-being. Unfortunately for us, things have radically changed and what we once considered our sanctuary has become a nightmare at times. Specifically, I have been horrified to look out my window at 10:00 on a Sunday morning to see four shirtless young men in the driveway across the street of a STR with beer bottles in their hands. It was reminiscent of my college days and made me feel like I live across the street from a frat house. I have watched other young men during "Coachella" spray painting vehicles in the driveway of another STR next door. Of course, I could go on and on about the increased noise levels and late night partying. I have been awakened by music and screaming on more occasions than I can recall. One time, at about midnight, there were people jumping from the roof into the pool of a STR across the street. I have called the police multiple times at all hours of the night to report code violations. We currently have three STRs next to our property. They have negatively impacted our quality of life in our previously idyllic neighborhood and have caused us mental distress. We actually considered moving, but the desert is our home and where would we go? We know that STRs cause depreciation in the value of our home, which is another factor that deterred us from putting our house on the market. We also know that we have the legal right to "the quiet enjoyment of our property", a right that has been seriously compromised by the abundance of STRs in our neighborhood. Essentially, we want to know who our neighbors are and we never want to feel like we are living across the street from or next door to a hotel. 1 We are grateful to you for all of your efforts to ban STRs in R-1 zones in Palm Desert. It is our sincere hope that you will move forward with the ban on STRs in Palm Desert by 2019. We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting on November 16th. Susie Anderson 47963 Sun Corral Trail Palm Desert 2 Swartz, Kevin From: Brad Sherman <bradmix2000@gmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2017 5:24 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Short -Term Rentals in Palm Desert To Whom It May Concern - My name is Brad Sherman I have a three bedroom home in the residential section of Palm Desert on Shadow Mountain Drive. I bought the house two years ago so I could in the future retire there. I could never have bought the house without being able to rent it out until my retirement. Of course I prefer long-term rentals but many times I'm renting from 1 to 3 weeks especially in the off-season. I myself like coming out in the off-season as well. I enjoy the vibrancy which these vacation rentals bring to the community. I have a property manager who vets my guests and we have to this date had no problems. For the most part my guests are older folks that sometimes invite their families to join them. They don't want to spend their time in a hotel even for the short term. Cutting off short term rental say 3 to 4 night minimum would hurt me financially I'm not sure if I would be able to keep the house. Of course I prefer long-term rental more but for the off-season and those odd months the short term fills in the gaps. I also think short term rentals offer a lot to the economy of Palm Desert restaurants, shops etc. I agree that if noise is an issue action should be taken; there are laws against that and I approve of them. Let's enforce the laws on the books rather than trying to gut the vibrancy and economy of Palm Desert. Thank You, Brad Sherman 73200 Shadow Mountain Dr. Palm Desert, CA. 92260 Sent from my iPhone i Swartz, Kevin From: Joe Batok <jebatok@hotmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2017 7:57 PM To: Aylaian, Lauri; jharnick@cityofpalmdesert.org; Jonathan, Sabby; Kelly, Kathleen; Weber, Susan Marie; Stendell, Ryan; Swartz, Kevin Subject: STR issue Many thanks to the PD City Council for voting to restrict STRs. It is a very positive step toward preserving the quality of life in our beautiful city. However, we feel that they did not actually go far enough. The new wording leaves 80% of Palm Desert STRs in operation, while protecting only a small segment of the population who happen to live in the R1 and R2 zones. The Desert Sun editorial on Sunday claims this is a good compromise. Really? While R1 and R2 neighborhoods are guaranteed eventual relief from STRs, they represent only a small portion of the city. The vast majority of Palm Desert homeowners live in areas zoned as PR (Planned Residential.) These neighborhoods are left to fend for themselves; forced to deal with the nuisance of STRs indefinitely. Within HOA communities, there is some measure of protection. But what about those neighborhoods without HOA's? Why should the city protect the quality of life only for certain residents, but not for others? A neighborhood is a neighborhood - no matter what color the land happens to be on a zoning map. We strongly suggest that the newly adopted ordinance be amended to include protection not just for those small areas zoned R1 and R2, but for ALL Palm Desert neighborhoods - including PR zoned - that exist without the protection of an HOA. Cordially, Joe and Mary Batok 73500 Woodward Dr Palm Desert, CA 92211 760-610-3564 i November 8, 2017 VIA EMAIL (kswartzacitvofpalmdesert.ora) City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Kevin Swartz Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance I write to express my support for short term rentals throughout the City of Palm Desert, in every neighborhood, not just in planned residential communities. My family has been vacationing in Paim Desert for nearly a decade. When we come to Palm Desert, we always rent a house because it allows all of us to stay together as a family. Our family is large, and we live many miles apart from one another. Sometimes, between everyone's conflicting schedules and busy lives, a week away together is all the time we have. I strongly believe that implementing a 28-night minimum rental would negatively impact the local tourism market, homeowners, business owners and the City of Palm Desert. Palm Desert is one my favorite places to vacation, not only because it is beautiful; but because it is quiet. I do not believe that the families renting houses for a week or two are the short term renters causing the bulk of the issues with noise and/or parking. While this ordinance may eliminate some of these problems, it will also unfairly impact families like mine who have been coming to Palm Desert for a very long time and treat the City like our second home. I feel that increasing the minimum nights for rent to 4-7 nights from the current 2 nights would solve many of these issues. This would help to eliminate renters who come to Palm Desert to party, while also allowing families to continue to rent on a short term basis. The short term rental industry in Palm Desert benefits the local economy immensely. Better bylaw regulation and better enforcement is what is needed so that residents and short term renters can both continue to enjoy this wonderful city. This ordinance is contrary to the best interest of all of Paim Desert and I strongly urge the City Council to reject it on second reading. I would like to ensure that City Council is aware of my strong opposition to this ban. I kindly ask that you please forward this email on to the City Council. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Amanda Bollinger a.bollinaer(a7hotmail.com Swartz, Kevin From: Kurt Davis <kdld@dc.rr.com> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 4:55 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: THANK YOU Kevin - I'm aware of all that you have been thru and want to say THANK YOU. You have spent a lot of time to find a good solution for the short term rentals. I'm so happy about the recent city council meeting with their decision. Kevin, THANK YOU SO MUCH. Kurt Davis 72814 Arboleda PD 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 7:21 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: The ban vote (STR) Blind copied to the City Council From: bob tetrault fmailto:Drofhmmat@yahoo.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2017 10:11 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: The ban vote Mayor Harnik, your ban short term rental vote is bad for the fourth district, so many people will be effected from the loss of jobs, the city councils lack of enforcement the past few years has caused this chaos, i am a local business man involved in long term rentals / building / flipping homes / and owner of vacation rentals, I can't believe the anger from the many fourth district voters I have talked to about your recent horrible vote, the pro short term vacation rental group is starting a petition , and our signatures will not only be from palm desert residents , but from all over the fourth district , i understand the other side has aprx 2000 signatures , from my contacts in the fourth district alone i will collect at least that many myself, my many employees and contractors who will feel this financial loss from a ban vote have already offered to assist me in collecting signatures , if this ban is voted in we will never forget this terrible decision in the future, bob tetrault Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android i RECEIV ED cIP�ERofA EALMDSEC 2011NOV 13 PM 4:44 Palm Desert City Council Dear City Council members and Associates, We, the citizens of Palm Desert have been suffering the abuses of commercial businesses in our residential neighborhoods since STRs were allowed to proliferate. Knowing there Is an end in sight, and the ordinance being put in place to address the problems that exist, gives us something to look forward to. Thank you for giving us this light at the end of the tunnel! We are very grateful for your insight, when you declared a moratorium, to study the problems Short Term Rentals cause. We appreciate all the hard work that has gone into finding a solution. We are happy to compromise the allowance of owner occupied STRs, and STRs in the city's planned, designated areas. We do not begrudge commerce, or our neighbors supplementing their incomes. We too want what is in Palm Desert's best interest. As Impossible as it is to please everyone involved, we believe your solution to keep commercial businesses in the correctly zoned areas of our city is appropriate, and just. We appreciate visitors of Palm Desert, and will continue as we always have, to welcome them to our hotels, our 30 day rentals, and our owner occupied short term rentals, knowing most of us were once visitors ourselves. We are most grateful that you are not caving into the special interests of outside investors, that care only for their immediate needs, and are not thinking as you are, of the long term effects; STRs destroy neighborhoods, and eventually the cities that once supported them. Thank you for affirming that neighborhoods are for neighbors! We appreciate the care and concem you have shown your constituents. It will not be forgotten! Sincerely, Edward Robert Hesse Sidney Lee Hesse 73162 Willow St. Palm Desert, CA 92260 bob&nolie cat iirnail.com Ae,"4,,„ Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:54 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Denver has taken strong action on STRs From: John Curran fmailto:curraniCaamail.coml Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:06 AM To: Nestande, Gina; Harnik, Jan; Kelly, Kathleen; Aylaian, Lauri; Jonathan, Sabby; weber; Swartz, Kevin; Stendell, Ryan Subject: Denver has taken strong action on STRs I ran across an article yesterday about the problems the city of Denver has had with the short term rental industry and they enacted strong measures which go into effect on Jan. 1, 2018. They have called the bluff of the STR people who use a license as an investment tool. Airbnb claims it is about home sharing. Denver is now saying, share your home, but you can't share 40 homes. han://www.denvereov.org/content/denvemov/en/denver-business-licensing-center/business-licenses/short-tern-rentals.html_ • You must be legal residents of the United States. • The property must be your Primary Residence in a Residential Zone. • Written permission must be obtained from Landlords, Owners, and HOAs. • Verify that your rental is insured. Many platforms offer insurance that fulfills this requirement. • Your STR must have an operable smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector and fire extinguisher. • Obtain your Lodger's Tax ID; Hosts are responsible for collecting the 10.75% Lodger's Tax. • Obtain your Business License and post the Business File Number (BFN) in all online listings. • Adhere to the Zoning text amendment rules Looking to rent a 2nd property or commercial -zoned unit? Apply for a Lodging Facility License. jc John Curran Palm Desert, CA All messages from this address are gluten -free, as required by California law. 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:55 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: STR - FW: Thank You! From: Denise Burns fmailto:burnsdartistCa�aol.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 2:00 PM To: weber Subject: Thank You! Dear its. 'We6er First Z would like to thank you for Listening and "really hearing" those speakers that chose to speak a against SCRs at the Oct 2 64' meeting. We appreciate your time, understanding and most of all, your vote to regulate STRs in residential (Ri and 2)areas. We lived on Catalina for 48 years, It was our Paradise, before STRs became a plague. T'hat s spread through the city and one ended up next door to us. We were not in an area for STRs but zoning had gone 6y the wayside. Dru nken parties spilled out to an overhead deck. Swearing at the top of young adult lungs, a n new norm! We sold our custom Home for less than it was worth —SCRs do that to your value! We left a bit of our hearts and ran to our vacation home of 18years in Palm Desert Our retreat ?fOT'an STR! Shortly after moving in We discovered that there was a SCR behind us! Trow 3 years later, on our 2 block street there are 6! 'hey are Motels without a manager on site! A Commercial Business in a residential zone! We have put a lot of time and money in our house here and are now afraid to go 1 forwardwith the rest of the plans untilwe know that our investment is safe! WO OBIS 1NRTl`TS TO BUY R TiOUSE 1IEx7' TO R S'I'R! Please protect our investment and our peace of mind Vote to protect the VOTERS that LIVE here. Please hear our pleas! Thank you, Bob and denise Burns 7357o 3uniyer St. Palm Desert, Ca.9226o 2 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:56 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Tracking Short Term Rentals From: Shalese Evertsen Finailto:shalese.evertsen@strhelaer.coml Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 10:55 AM To: weber Subject: Tracking Short Term Rentals Dear Susan, Hi, my name is Shalese Evertsen. I read an article posted on November 11 from Desert Sun regarding the new ordinance on short term rentals. I understand that you are banning short-term rentals but there's a lot of other people that would prefer just stricter regulations. I work with STR Helper, which is a software that takes your city's specific situation and helps to put any new or current regulation into effect and ensures every rental is complying. We can provide you with the number of rentals running from listings on 20+ sites such as Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, and many private platforms and flag which ones are running illegally. We have a permitting system that provides comprehensive short-term rental permitting for the city, managing workflows associated with permit requirements, on-line registration, etc. With this in place, it is easy to see how the system can identify and flag all non -compliant short-term rentals in real time. The system also includes a tax compliance module. I am emailing to see if you guys are interested in seeing a demo of the system and discussing its capabilities. Please let me know if we can show you how the system works or send you a free report that will show you exactly how many short-term rentals are operating. Our website is www.strhether.com and my phone number is 385-282-3666. Thanks for your time, Shalese Evertsen i November 14, 2017 VIA EMAIL (kswartz@citvofoalmdesert.org) City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance We understand that the City of Palm Desert passed a first reading of an ordinance to ban Short Term Rentals in residential zones in Palm Desert as of July 1, 2019, and that there is a second reading of this ordinance on Thursday, November 16, 2017. My family rented a home through VRBO for a vacation in Palm Desert, within walking distance of El Paseo., where we encountered many tourists like ourselves. We had a wonderful vacation and enjoyed hiking, cycling, running, golfing, shopping, and ate out often in local restaurants. Many of the activities were within walking or short driving distance. We intentionally rented a property in a quiet residential neighborhood. Many families, like ours, enjoy this type of accommodation, and in this day and age of the growing "shared economy" it is not only increasingly common, but expected by many travellers. The property we rented was immaculately furnished and maintained, and exceeded our expectations. The neighbours, we met, said that this property had been renovated and improved by the owners specifically for them to rent out and they felt this had increased their own property values. The owners we rented from, screened us, as they, understandably, did not want any problems for their neighbours. Because of our positive experience, we have been looking into purchasing a home in Palm Desert. However, we are only interested in buying if we have the flexibility to rent it out for income to cover costs in between our intended regular personal use. We suggest that some of the economic spinoffs for the community, if we buy, is hiring people to help us manage and clean the property, repair the house, tend the garden, thus increasing employment locally. As well, we would need to purchase items for the home, pay for membership fees in a homeowners group and pay taxes, money that would stay in the community. We are concerned that if this ordinance is passed, there will be no more places to rent close to El Paseo. We would not come back and rent during future vacations or purchase property, and will look to communities where short term rentals are allowed, such as Palm Springs, Indian Wells or Rancho Mirage, or somewhere else all together. As well, we suspect that if homes can't be rented out, many property owners will look to get out of this market, and an overabundance of properties in this area for sale may negatively affect the real estate market. Fewer tourists in Palm Desert means fewer customers for all, especially businesses on El Paseo. We understand you are addressing the concerns of full time residents who have had negative experiences with disrespectful tenants in neigbhouring homes, and balancing this with the rights of the property owners who rent their homes. We hope the majority of your tourists are like us, and we imagine you do not want to drive us away, but this will happen, if there are no short term rental options. Hopefully you can implement bylaws to respond to noise and property standard concerns, and an effective dispute resolution system to deal with complaints in a timely manner. If this is created and funded out of the STR homeowner fees, and not raised from your permanent residents' taxes, this could be acceptable to a majority of the residents. We know you will never find a resolution to please everyone, but hopefully the voices of the people who enjoy coming to your community, and those who have invested significantly in buying homes, and creating a place for people to visit, will prevail. We believe a complete ban of Short Term Rentals will be a detriment overall for your community. We think it will result in fewer tourists (like my family), and reduced economic spending overall as a result of a reduction in purchases of properties, improvements to properties, employment, and tourism spending. We would like to propose that the City implement a minimum of 4-7 nights for Short Term Rentals as a reasonable compromise. This would discourage the weekend party people, but still give enough flexibility for those who respectfully vacation. We will be watching the outcome of this ordinance and plan our next steps re vacation or purchasing a home, following your Council's decision. Thank you for your time and consideration. Would you please kindly forward this letter to the City Council on my behalf. Sincerely, Louise Ferrie-Blecher Dr. Peter Blecher P.0 Box 113, 4773 Lakeshore Rd. Port Hope ON L1A 3V9 Canada Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:57 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rentals From: Rob & Kerry Romaniuk Finailto:rkromaniuk(ashaw.ca1 Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 7:59 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short term rentals As a Palm Desert vacationer, I am shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. We have been renting a home in Palm Desert for several years and are responsible guests. We do not make noise or in any way annoy the neighbours. Without the ability to rent this home (77271 Ohio Circle) we would find it much more expensive to vacation in your city and would likely opt to go elsewhere. We love Palm Desert but you would force us to choose another destination. Please consider removing the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Sincerely, Rob & Kerry Romaniuk New Westminster, BC, Canada Sent from my iPad 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:57 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Palm Desert Short Term Vacation Rental Ordinance From: Link Baker [mailto:linkbaker@hotmail.com] Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 10:43 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: Palm Desert Short Term Vacation Rental Ordinance November 13, 2017 City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Dear Honorable Mayor Harnik and Palm Desert City Council Members: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance Please accept this letter in regards to the Palm Desert STVR ordinance currently being discussed in lieu of my presence at the meeting on November 16th, 2017. I wish I could be there in person however, I did not receive notice that there was such an important meeting taking place in time to make suitable arrangements. I write to express my full support of STVRs throughout the City of Palm Desert. I own a home which I have permitted for short term vacation rental located at 76574 Florida Ave. Palm Desert, 92211. I purchased my home in 2011 in the Palm Desert Country Club when many homes and even the PDCC Golf Course had been in foreclosure. The PDCC looked like a ghost town and yet we saw opportunity to improve the community. We took a chance when we purchased our home and we have come to love our neighborhood. In the PDCC all of these foreclosed homes have since been purchased by responsible full time residents and responsible investors. A large majority of these buyers have put in thousands of dollars of improvements to these properties. We, ourselves, have put in over $100,000 of improvements into both the interior and exterior of our home. The PDCC has never looked better in our time here. Our intention was to make this our `forever' home but as careers take their turns, we have to be out of town (Palm Desert) for longer periods of time. We hope to return to our lovely home on a full-time 1 basis one day in the future. In the meantime, in order for us to be able to keep our home, we have been renting it on a Short -Term Rental Basis when we are not there. Prior to making this decision, we went to each of our immediate neighbors to seek their support, which they all provided to us. We went to the City of Palm Desert to find out the by-laws and restrictions. We ensure that all of our guests are aware of the by-laws and we also have them listed in our house manual. Each guest must sign a contract stating that they will abide by the city bylaws before being allowed to rent our home. Additionally, we hired a management company who greets our guests upon arrival and who is able to respond very quickly to any issues that may arise. In the two years that we have rented our property, we have never had any incidents or neighbor complaints. In fact, our neighbors have since stated that they are very pleased telling us that the guests are lovely people. We do a lot of vetting before letting people rent out our home, which also happens to be our largest investment. Trust me when I say we care about our home more than anyone else does. We would not allow irresponsible guests to stay there and put that investment at risk. If we are unable to rent our home on a short-term rental basis, we will be unable to keep it and we will be forced to sell. This would have a detrimental negative impact on our family as myself, my husband and our two young children would not have a home to return to when the time comes. We sincerely hope that the council can take the time to consider the impact that this would have on families like ourselves and the impact on the community at large. Here are some other factors we hope that you will consider: -The city of PD will lose thousands of dollars in tax payer money. If people cannot find suitable accommodations, they will find other resort communities to vacation in. Local hotels simply don't offer pricing and room sizes that our guests require. Most of our guests are families who don't fit in a single hotel room and they cannot afford to rent two or three rooms at a hotel. They will vacation elsewhere where vacation rentals are allowed. The incredible rise of Airbnb, VRBO and the like testifies to this preferred alternative vacation option for families. -Our guests have paid thousands of dollars in TOT taxes collected by AIRBNB and by us and we have paid these taxes to the city each month. If a permitted STVR home causes repeated disturbances, they should be dealt with accordingly, as measures are already in place. -Our management company employs housekeeping, concierge and maintenance staff all of whom would be laid off or out of work as a large percentage of the homes that they manage are in Palm Desert. Perhaps permit holders should be required to employ a local management/concierge service to assist with greeting/screening and dealing with guests who may not be abiding by the PD bylaws. -Our guests spend thousands of dollars on local restaurants, grocery stores, shopping, entertainment and events. We regularly provide our guests with great entertainment/restaurant recommendations and they often report back to us how much they enjoy our recommendations. -The value of the homes would reduce drastically —many people will be forced to or choose to sell their homes to buy elsewhere and no one wants to see neighborhoods like PDCC go through an influx of foreclosures again. I empathize with neighbors who have been negatively affected by unruly guests, however, I urge city council to exercise fairness in this resolution and consider some reasonable compromises. My suggestion is to allow responsible home owners to continue operating, do not penalize them for the irresponsible actions of others. Enforce all by-laws with fines and raise permit prices. Continue dialoguing with neighbors and homeowners to come up with a compromise. Surely some new 2 effective and less drastic measures can be put into place that will benefit everyone who has a stake in this. I believe that if many of the PD residents who currently oppose STVR's by simply signing a petition, etc. were to carefully weigh all the benefits that STVR's bring to the local economy they would see that it is a vital part of maintaining the high quality of life that Palm Desert residents currently enjoy. Banning all STR's in R1 and R2 is very aggressive and harsh and impacts our family in a profound way. We sincerely hope that you will consider responsible homeowners such as us while you make this decision. Sincerely, Lincoln Baker 3 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:57 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Ban short term rentals From: Cesar's Pool Service fmailto:cesarsnoolservice(ahotmail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 10:05 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: Ban short term rentals I run a pool service in Palm Desert and am shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. Our business provides service to many of these homes and it will impact our livelihood if this ban proceeds. Please reconsider so that we may keep our business healthy. Sincerely, Cesar's Pool Service Christian Rios 7604696924 J. Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:58 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short Term Rental ban in Palm Desert From: Marie Mitchell [mailto:mitchsrock(ashaw.ca1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:12 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short Term Rental ban in Palm Desert November 13, 2017 Myself and three other friends have been travelling to this area on a continuous basis for several years and love the area and all what is has to offer, and hope to continue to go on an annual basis. As a Palm Desert vacationer, I am sorry to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. We have been renting a home in Palm Desert for several years and assure you we are responsible guests. We do not make noise or in any way annoy the neighbours and go out of our way to respect the neighbours and also the owners who have advised us regarding noise bylaws. Without the ability to rent this home (77271 Ohio Circle) we would find it much more expensive to vacation in your city and would likely opt to go elsewhere. We enjoy so much the tourist attractions, shopping, restaurants and feel we contribute to your economy each year. We love Palm Desert but you would force us to choose another destination. Please do not think all vacationers who rent houses in Palm Desert are party people, I think that is just the opposite, most people are older and go there to relax. Please consider removing the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Thank you, Marie Mitchell 4491 Densmore Ave Victoria BC V9E 2B9 Email: mitchsrockc shaw.ca Sent from Mail for Windows 10 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:58 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rental ban Original Message From: Veronica valadez fmailto:emilvshousekeepingPlive.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:02 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short term rental ban I run a maid service in Palm Desert and am shocked to see the city Council vote to ban all short term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. Our business is based on providing maid services to these homes and we will likely go out of business if this ban proceeds. Please reconsider so that we may keep our business. Sincerely, Emily's Housekeeping Sent from my iPhone 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:58 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term vacation rentals! From: EVELYN DOHAN Finailto:evied52(shaw.ca1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:00 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short term vacation rentals! Evie Dohan 930 Edge Place Victoria BC Canada email: evied52@shaw.ca Re: Short Term Rental ban in Palm Desert I and three other friends and relatives have been travelling to this area on a continuous basis for several years and love the area and all what is has to offer, and hope to continue to go on an annual basis. As a Palm Desert vacationer, I am shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. We have been renting a home in Palm Desert for several years and assure you we are responsible guests. We do not make noise or in any way annoy the neighbours and go out of our way to respect the neighbours and also the owners who have advised us regarding noise bylaws. Without the ability to rent this home (77271 Ohio Circle) we would find it much more expensive to vacation in your city and would likely opt to go elsewhere. We enjoy so much the tourist attractions, shopping, restaurants and feel we contribute to your economy each year. We love Palm Desert but you would force us to choose another destination. Please do not think all vacationers who rent houses in Palm Desert are party people, I think that is just the opposite, most people are older and go there to relax. Please consider removing the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. otherwise we will be forced to vacation in another state. Palm Springs and surrounding areas are full of Canadians. I'm sure that would be quite a loss of revenue for your beautiful city! Thank you, Evie Dohan 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:58 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: STR Ban From: joe lepre rmailto:ioeleore(thotmail.com] Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 6:39 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: STR Ban To Whom it may concern, As a Palm Desert vacationer, I am shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. We have been renting a home in Palm Desert for several years and are responsible guests. We do not make noise or in any way annoy the neighbours. Without the ability to rent this home (77271 Ohio Circle) we would find it much more expensive to vacation in your city and would likely opt to go elsewhere. We love Palm Desert but you would force us to choose another destination. Please consider removing the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Thank you for your time Joe 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:59 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short Term Rental ban in Palm Desert From: Cherilyn Clark fmailto:dubbie56Cashaw.ca1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 5:43 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short Term Rental ban in Palm Desert Cherilyn Clark 105-1014 Rockland Ave., Victoria, BC, Canada V8V 3H5 Email: dubbie56@shaw.ca November 13, 2017 Re: Short Term Rental ban in Palm Desert I and three other friends and relatives have been travelling to this area on a continuous basis for several years and love the area and all what is has to offer, and hope to continue to go on an annual basis. As a Palm Desert vacationer, I am shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. We have been renting a home in Palm Desert for several years and assure you we are responsible guests. We do not make noise or in any way annoy the neighbours and go out of our way to respect the neighbours and also the owners who have advised us regarding noise bylaws. Without the ability to rent this home (77271 Ohio Circle) we would find it much more expensive to vacation in your city and would likely opt to go elsewhere. We enjoy so much the tourist attractions, shopping, restaurants and feel we contribute to your economy each year. We love Palm Desert but you would force us to choose another destination. Please do not think all vacationers who rent houses in Palm Desert are party people, I think that is just the opposite, most people are older and go there to relax. Please consider removing the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Thank you, Cherilyn Clark 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:59 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Palm Desert Vacationer Concern From: Craig and Beverly Ruecker rmailto:ruecker2Caamail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 1:03 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: Palm Desert Vacationer Concern As a Palm Desert vacationer, I am shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. We have been renting a home in Palm Desert for several years and are responsible guests. We are in our late 60's. We do not make noise or in any way annoy the neighbors. We buy a Platinum Card for golf at Desert Willow. We come for four to five weeks each year. We spend thousands of dollars playing golf, eating out, going to movies, and just enjoying your beautiful area in January and February instead of being in Portland, Oregon in the cold and rain. Without the ability to rent this home (77271 Ohio Circle) we would find it much more expensive to vacation in your city and would likely opt to go elsewhere. We love Palm Desert but you would force us to choose another destination. Please consider removing the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Respectfully, Craig and Beverly Ruecker 14998 SW Augusta Terrace Portland, Oregon 97224 Phone 503-598-7030 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:59 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rental From: Jacques Morin Finailto:iln.morin1948Cc�amail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 12:05 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short term rental To whom this may concern: As a Palm Desert vacationer, I am shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. We have been renting a home in Palm Desert for several years and are responsible guests. We do not make noise or in any way annoy the neighbours. Without the ability to rent this home (77271 Ohio Circle) we would find it much more expensive to vacation in your city and would likely opt to go elsewhere. We love Palm Desert but you would force us to choose another destination. Please consider removing the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Jacques Morin 250-1005 Grande-A11ee 0 Quebec Qc Canada G1R2H4 Envoye de mon iPhone 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:00 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Gordon Edlund [mailto:edlundmediac shaw.cal Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:35 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Pro Tem Sabby Jonathan, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I am deeply concerned over the proposal to ban all short term rentals, which would affect me. My wife and I have always followed the rules, in fact we were the first people to apply and receive the 'New' licensing when council required applicants to meet with city council for a private hearing in order to obtain a short term rental permit (this procedure was changed shortly thereafter and owners did not have to go through the entire process). We are very responsible owners who are using the revenue to help us pay for our future retirement home in Palm Desert. Without this ability we will not be able to make the house payments, will be forced to sell. This will make us losers as well as the City because snowbirds will no longer have options that they do now and tourism will drop drastically. As an example, Desert Willow golf course has told me that 75% of golfers in high season are Canadians. Eliminating STRs will greatly affect their ability to be able to afford to visit Palm Desert and businesses like Desert Willow will see the impact - revenue and job losses. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Gordon Edlund 77271 Ohio Ct Palm Desert, CA 92211 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:01 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Dorothy Stanley fmailto:dottieaartistCa4mail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:34 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Councilmember Gina Nestande, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Dorothy Stanley 6073 Avenida Chamnez San Diego, CA 92037 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:02 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: chuck bennett Finailto:chuckabennett(aamail.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:31 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Councilmember Kathleen Kelly, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. Although I do not rent less than 30 days, it is not good for the property values. I just cant for the life of me understand WHY the cities just don't enforce and have very strict laws, such as a VERY simple regulation that states if you rent short term, you are allowed 3 strikes, (even 1 strike is better than a ban) and if your property is flagged then you lose the permit, and the city can put a fine on it and not issue another license for 2 years. This will keep owners more conscientious on who they rent to. Many people have created their livelihood doing this, and to have it stopped or banned due to the small percentage of morons who rent and don't care is just plain stupid and more importantly not fair. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, chuck bennett 27 Florence Ln Palm Desert, CA 92211 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:04 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Jeff Kufeldt fmailto:kufeldtitelus.neti Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:31 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Jan Harnik, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Jeff Kufeldt 74638 Peppertree Dr Palm Desert, CA 92260 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:05 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Deborah Flavin fmailto:dflavin@flavinco.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:30 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Councilmember Susie Marie Weber, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Deborah Flavin 74682 Peppertree Dr Palm Desert, CA 92260 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:06 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Karen Eddington [mailto:eddinatonkr(a vahoo.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:27 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Pro Tem Sabby Jonathan, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Karen Eddington 134 5th St Seal Beach, CA 90740 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:07 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Mariah Smith rmailto:msmith(arovalevacationrentals.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:26 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Councilmember Susie Marie Weber, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Mariah Smith 43346 Heitz Ct Palm Desert, CA 92260 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:08 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Robert Gough [mailto:rmaouah3Caaol.coml Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:25 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Pro Tem Sabby Jonathan, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Robert Gough 134 5th St Seal Beach, CA 90740 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:10 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Scott marks fmailto:smarksit@sbcalobal.neti Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:25 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Councilmember Kathleen Kelly, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Scott marks 1170 Historic US 6 Iowa City, IA 52240 i Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:11 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Robert Gough imailto:aouahorooertiesCavahoo.com1 Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:24 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Councilmember Kathleen Kelly, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! Regards, Robert Gough 134 5th St Seal Beach, CA 90740 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 9:13 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! From: Margaret Reed {mailto:mireed6931Ca�amail.comi Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:24 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Please Remove Ban on Short-term Rentals! Dear Mayor Pro Tem Sabby Jonathan, As a Palm Desert homeowner, I was shocked to see the City Council vote to ban all short-term vacation rentals in R-1 and R-2 zones. The city's thriving tourism economy depends on the visitors who stay in these homes. Responsible homeowners who meet the city's high standards should be allowed to continue operating. Please remove the ban and give enforcement a chance to work. Homeowners like myself and countless small businesses in our community depend on these vacation rentals to stay afloat. Banning short-term rentals outright in R-1 and R-2 zones will deprive residents of their property rights and eliminate an important source of revenue for local businesses. Please reconsider this harmful ban and give enforcement a chance! What are the R1 & R2 zones? Regards, Margaret Reed 42588 Hastings St Palm Desert, CA 92211 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 8:48 AM To: Swartz, Kevin; Klassen, Rachelle Subject: FW: Short term rentals shall be banned in PD neighborhoods Rachelle and Kevin, This is for distribution to the members of the City Council (in case you haven't already received and distributed this). Thank you, Lauri A. Lauri Aylaian City Manager Ph: 760.346.0611 Direct: 760.776.6481 lavlaianftcitvofpalmdesert.org Original Message From: ChuPam fmailto:chupam@verizon.netl Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 3:05 PM To: Aylaian, Lauri <lavlaianPcitvofpalmdesert.org> Subject: Short term rentals shall be banned in PD neighborhoods It was with great relief that my husband and I agreed with the councils last vote on Palm Desert Short Term Rentals. Our neighborhood of Silver Spur Ranch has coalesced into a supportive, involved, and intelligent expression of Palm Desert Council's last vote concerning short term rentals. Thank you for keeping big business out of our living spaces, our quiet and family oriented neighborhood. We will remember your support in our future. Respectfully, Pam and Chuck Reeter Sent from my iPad 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Marleen Portante <marleen.portante@yahoo.com> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:44 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Short -Term Rentals in Palm Desert Hi, please DO NOT discontinue short term vacation in Palm Desert. I come out each summer and love it there. Please keep allowing short term rentals. Thank you! Sent from my iPhone 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Athena Mills <athenamilis@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 11:40 AM To: Swartz, Kevin; Weber, Susan Marie; Harnik, Jan; Nestande, Gina; kkelley@cityofpalmdesert.org; Jonathan, Sabby Subject: STR Casita Rentals Please consider casita rentals and homesharing differently than large home rentals when you create the new ordinance. The people who rent rooms and casitas for the weekend are usually couples here for weddings or single people here for a conference. They are not here for 7 nights. These people are very well behaved and are not here for parties. Also, the casita and room rentals are benefiting actual Palm Desert residents and families. They are not the problem and both sides agree on that, so if you do plan on lengthening the STR stay, please consider casita rentals/homesharing differently. They have never been the problem. Please, I beg you, do not hurt the small families who want to make a little extra income to support their families, please. Sincerely, Athena Martinez i Swartz, Kevin From: Stan Harvey <stan.harvey@sbcglobal.net> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 12:27 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Please Ban Short Term Rentals in Palm Desert Dear Mr. Swartz: I have been a homeowner in the Silver Spur Ranch neighborhood of Palm Desert for over 25 years. My parents and I bought our home in 1992 as a weekend and holiday getaway for us to enjoy as a family. In 1996, my parents moved into our home full time after my Dad retired. They enjoyed the home for many years making friends with many of the neighbors and visiting with everyone they met while taking their daily walks. My parents enjoyed seeing familiar faces each day and feeling safe in the neighborhood because they knew that everyone looked out for one another. Recently, my partner and I spent over 2 years and invested a significant amount of money to design and remodel the home and re -landscaped both the front and back yards. We are planning to eventually retire to Palm Desert and will be enjoying the home for holidays and long weekends in the meantime. I'm very concerned that our once quiet and safe neighborhood is being negatively impacted by the increasing number of homes that are being put into the Short Term Rental ("STR") pool. We chose to purchase and settle into Silver Spur Ranch because it was a neighborhood of single family homes without any nearby apartment buildings or condo developments. We value the commitment and sense of community that single family resident owners and/or long-term rental occupants create in a neighborhood. We certainly did not expect Silver Spur Ranch to become a commercial zone with "hotel -like" businesses and/or time-share type activities taking place in our special little residential neighborhood. STR's undermine the sense of community and shared values by introducing transient occupants into the neighborhood who are only concerned about their short term "selfish" interests while those of us with a longer term perspective and investment in the neighborhood suffer unfairly. Additionally, I'm not sure how it was ever rationalized by the city to allow commercial businesses to operate within an area zoned residential (R-1) like Silver Spur Ranch. STR's are definitely businesses because they require a business permit to legally operate, routinely advertise for customers, and collect transient occupancy taxes just like a hotel. These are clearly not activities of a "resident" but rather the activities of a commercial business. Please consider my plea and vote to permanently ban STR's in all areas of our city that are zoned residential (R- 1). By doing so, you will be protecting the needs and desires of the resident homeowners who have a longer - term commitment to the community and are an important part of the fabric that helps to make our Palm Desert neighborhoods so desirable and special. Thank you in advance for doing the right thing and voting to ban Short Term Rentals. Sincerely, Stan Harvey 47-937 Sun Corral Trail Palm Desert, CA 92260 1 November 13, 2017 VIA EMAIL (kswartz@cityofpalmdesert.org) City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Kevin Swartz Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance Dear Mr. Swartz, Wow is it true that the City of Palm Desert passed a first reading of an ordinance on October 26, 2017 to ban Short Term Rentals in residential zones in Palm Desert as of July 1, 2019. Apparently there is a second reading of this ordinance on Thursday, November 16, 2017 at City Hall. I stay in hotels for all my travel with the exception of the Desert Cities. Hotels and gated communities are just not the way I like to experience the desert. As a repeat renter of Short Term Rental properties in the residential areas of Palm Desert close to El Paseo I find this unfathomable Short Term Rentals in every area of the City of Palm Desert are positive for the community and the economy of Palm Desert. II used to rent in Palm Springs instead but found Palm Desert to have the amenities I prefer. I don't like to drive to dinner etc, so if I go back to PS I will not be using the amenities of Palm Desert. I would like to propose that the City implement a minimum of 5 - 7 nights for Short Term Rentals as a reasonable compromise. Thank you for your time and consideration. Please forward this letter to the City Council on my behalf. Sincerely, Edgar Sandulo 1535 Nelson Street Vancouver BC 604 618 5425 Swartz, Kevin From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 2:31 PM To: Swartz, Kevin; Klassen, Rachelle Subject: FW: Short term rentals Kevin and Rachelle, I cannot determine whether or not this message was sent to the members of the City Council, but I believe that they are the intended recipients. Will you please make certain that it is distributed to them and included as part of the public record on the proposed short term rental ordinance? Thank you, Lauri A. Lauri Aylaian City Manager Ph: 760.346.0611 Direct: 760.776.6481 lavlaian@citvothalmdesert.org Original Message From: Linda Cameron fmailto:lindacameron1@gmail.comj Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 6:49 PM To: Aylaian, Lauri <lavlaian@citvofoalmdesert.org> Subject: Short term rentals Hello Ms. Aylaian, Please note and add to your record that we adamantly support the continuation of enforcing the residential ordinances in south palm desert and elsewhere in our larger community against short term rentals. We are appalled to realize that after such a great effort on yours and our part to understand the issues and consequences that some high pressured legal and organized team would come in to influence your previous decision. Please represent the well being of all property owners who value the safety, quality of care and neighborliness of our community by opposing short term rentals and/or subleasing arrangements. Thank you for your continued interest and support. Ron and Linda Cameron 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 2:33 PM To: Klassen, Rachelle; Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short Term Rentals Kevin and Rachelle, I cannot determine whether or not this message was sent to the members of the City Council, but I believe that they are the intended recipients. WiII you please make certain that it is distributed to them and included as part of the public record on the proposed short term rental ordinance? Thank you, Lauri A. Lauri Aylaian City Manager Ph: 760.346.0611 Direct: 760.776.6481 laylaian@cityofpalmdesert.org From: Luke Leuschner fmailto:Ileuschner6@gmail.com1 Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 4:10 PM To: Aylaian, Lauri <lavlaian@citvofpalmdesert.org> Subject: Short Term Rentals Dear City Manager Aylaian, I've lived on the same street, in the same neighborhood, my entire life (at least for the short time I've been alive). I have seen people move in, people move out, houses sell for too much, houses sell for not enough, but thats just the regular in Silver Spur Ranch. What's not all that regular, is the abundance of STRs in our simple neighborhood. I'm not here to tell you the STR horror stories, about my neighbors losing sleep over them, or any of the usual stuff. I'm here to tell you what all of this is like from the viewpoint of someone young. It's no secret that Palm Desert is vacation central, as it always has been. But when STRs are popping up everywhere, it makes me wonder exactly what this town is about: its people, or its tourists. As someone who has to make the decision in the upcoming years as to where I will live, Palm Desert is making its way down to the bottom of the list. Younger residents are what will keep this city sustained in the long term, not young tourists. So, as more and more STR houses pop up everywhere, where will I want to move? The quiet and intimate neighborhood in some other city? or a neighborhood of houses with no permanent residents, just a bachelorette party every weekend? This dispute isn't yes vs no for short -term -rentals, it's young vs. old, and will determine the path that Palm Desert moulds for itself. Thank you for your time, Luke Leuschner 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Hector Ayala <hectorayala2007@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 2:55 PM To: Harnik, Jan; Weber, Susan Marie; Swartz, Kevin; Stendell, Ryan Subject: Email from Neighbors to their own group Attachments: claudios car 1.JPG; claudios car 2.JPG; claudios car 3.JPG Mayor Jan Harnik and Council Susan Weber. Thank you very much for giving your time to Claudio and I this morning. Below is the email neighbors are sending to each other. Something important from this email below is where they should help until an STRectomy has been performed!". Its obvious that if there is a nine month trial they will be co issues that don't exist. We are in favor on a compromise to co -exist, however they aren't and now our entire organ being suddenly vandalized after the news report. Find pictures of the car attached. Nothing was stolen or taken evf belongings inside. Check the title of the email "full figured lady had laryngitis" . This lady has had breast cancer am she was crying all day from the emails they were sending her because she was pro vacation rentals and appeared it neighbors complain calls are now towards the people who talks in the meetings and give away their addresses. Thank you. Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 1:31 PM Subject: Full Figured Lady Had Laryngitis Dear Neighbors, If you didn't see this on the news, prepare to be outraged! Shame on KESQ News Channel 3 / CBS Local 2 for not he Desert residents represented fairly. This is the battle we NEIGHBORS (not big business) began, for our quality of life, greed and indifference to others. * http://www.kesa. com/news/short-term-vacation-rental-advocatesrall vtopether-in-palm-desert/653795121 E____ Short-term vacation rental advocates rally toaether in www.kesct.com People in support of short-term vacation rental properties in Palm Desert are a City Council meetina where council members will once aaain be revisitina r It is more important than ever that you do the following: 1 1) Attend the NEW 1st! reading Thursday, November 16th at 4:00 wearing BLUE! Chang€ ordinance that was voted on October 26th, so this is NOW the 1st draft! 2) Keep your signs up! Neighbors returning need to know that we've been fighting for their quality of lit 3) Report abuses! We can't give the opposing side credence to their view that STRs aren't a problem! Tin help until an STRectomy has been performed! Here is the link to report a code violation: http://www.citvofnalmdesert.oraidepartments/planning/code-compliance-/report-a-code-violation How to Report a Code Violation www.citvofpalmdesert.ora City of Palm Desert. You can file a complaint one of four convenient ways: Use Palm Desert In Touch to report a problem; Call the Code Hotlir to5p.m.on... 4) WRITE OUR CITY COUNCIL to secure their support! If you can't put into words what you'd like to sa3 own to these: Dear City Council members and Associates, We, the citizens of Palm Desert have been suffering the abuses of commercial businesses in our residential ne allowed to proliferate. Knowing there is an end in sight, and the ordinance being put in place to address the pi something to look forward to. Thank you for giving us this light at the end of the tunnel! We are very grateful for your insight, when you declared a moratorium, to study the problems Short Term Re the hard work that has gone into finding a solution. We are happy to compromise the allowance of owner occi city's planned, designated areas. We do not begrudge commerce, or our neighbors supplementing their incom Palm Desert's best interest. As impossible as it is to please everyone involved, we believe your solution to keep commercial businesses in our city is appropriate, and just. We appreciate visitors of Palm Desert, and will continue as we always have, t our 30 day rentals, and our owner occupied short term rentals, knowing most of us were once visitors ourseh We are most grateful that you are not caving into the special interests of outside investors, that care only for t are not thinking as you are, of the long term effects; STRs destroy neighborhoods, and eventually the cities the them. Thank you for affirming that neighborhoods are for neighbors! We appreciate the care and concern yot constituents. It will not be forgotten! The city manager Lauri Aylaian; LAvlaian u CitvofPalmDesert.org, The mayor Jan Harnik; iharnik@cityofnalmdesert.org cityoftaahndesert.org The mayor pro-tem Sabby Jonathan; sionathan a citvofpalmdesert.or 2 City Council member Kathleen Kelly; kkelly@ citvofpalmdesert.org Council member Susan Marie Weber; SWeber@citvofpalmdesert.org citvofpalmdesert.org City Planner Ryan Stendell; rstendell@cityofpalmdesert.org City Associate Planner Kevin Swartz; kswartz@citvofvalmdesert.org citvofnalmdesert.org * If you have done all you can to support Neighborhoods are for Neighbors, and are still willing, or NEED to do news station that promoted, without equal representation, the Short Term Rental investors - please see attacl We can't do this without you; thank you for your support! Protect Palm Desert Neighborhoods 3 Swartz, Kevin From: Hector Ayala <hectorayala2007@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 3:20 PM To: Harnik, Jan; Weber, Susan Marie; Swartz, Kevin; Stendell, Ryan Subject: 72791 willow post meeting Monday Morning Mayor Harnik and Council Weber. Please see below. I know for a fact they will attempt against our home, here is proof of our monthly rentals, and other people that has been THERE FOR FREE SPECIALLY IF THEY HAVE CANCER. If you notice it says also no parties and no noise and music with small devices. i 4E1 Vacation Rentals. Homes. Ex I Dashboard - Airbnb Airbnb Travel Itinerary, r CJ at j Airbnb. Inc. [US1 airbnb.com Itinerary for your guest, William Reservation code- HIvF32S2T2ri5. Make a change to the reservation. Check In Listing Payout House Rules Wed, Nov 08 Flexible Check Out Fri, Dec 08 Flexible check out time Resort Dream Vacation Cancellation Policy Long T... Entire home/apt 30 nights total S468.75 x 30 nights Cleaning Fees Airbnb Service Fee Total Payout No parties or events Check in time is flexible $14062,50 $200.00 ($427.88) $13834.62 No parties at the house, no noise after 9pm in the patio. During the day music with small devices that can't disturb neighbors. Ask me about pets, some exceptions depending on size. Only one pet per stay with my approval. Need help? Visit the Help Center, r MN I!'IEg 4.4 a 2 dJ 0 Conversation X Dashboard - Airbnb Conversation with Mike - Ai M Email from Neighbors to th+ Drn • U a VRBO vrbo.com • • Nadia s Nadia IiL"-tiymike umbixKd1 i�1��ild�t.►.N=iis►■it Ya gi di stet afiVriailki4 ul■mxur.�irtiYi�i.� i.►aK•��iva• ri.0il-110"lilfiffitrlx:i:iame lei: uk 11/11.7L7r4/1ILl114: ,I ai ru►LSIiIIititIIIihuuivaa.iusis 1I1111l1��.►:sa:t.i u Dear Nadia Vela, I have confirmed your reservation at property 75257 As a reminder, your payment has been processed al I will be in contact with you prior to your arrival with Please let me know if you have any questions regan Sincerely, Hector Ayala Hi Hector, My name is Nadia Vela, I am turning 36 this Sunday and I are taking as many short trips as possible. We • ' was a • reat choi • fs T , s • h • r cou' If � �. 41, 3 P Conversation Dashboard - Airbnb Conversation with Mike - Ai M Leukemia and Lymphon ?[ + v 0 tn� Go gle Gmail - COMPOSE google.com ail ui3/xsearthileukemia+I15ctcdfeaf5cf4b5?compose-5fh'371 h8f t3? leukemia ti Click here to enable desktop notific d 0 1 Move to Inbox more :41.4:•1!lil lei ‘AJJJ 91lt*JrlIai4*Ili:lfi*l ire • • Inbox 93,629) Dedra Lyden <dedra lyden@gmail corn- Starred Important Hector - So nice speaking with you today I have attached the form for the donation that you can complete Once you send me all the Sent Mail You can email this form back to me for submission as well Drafts (1941 Here is the fink to the main charity page for your reference as well hltps I.!v vw lis Gig Junk Personal Looking forward to working with you and this great cause Travel Thanks. Dedra More labels - ® FYf 7 Auction Do... , Dedra Lydell <dedra iyden@igmail comp tome - Hector - If your company would like a free quarter page add in the program for your donation at this great event I can do so as well All I need is either a marketing piece you already have created or a logo and my graphic team and work something up Ideally with your rental Ids so that they can be easily looked up by attendee's Regards Hector Ayala <hecdorayala2007@gntail com> Claudio Dadra - Dear Dedra Pleasure speaking with you and I am attaching Claudio Bravo to this email . who is the owner of the house and president of E I will be filling the paperwork and sending you all the information about the house and available dates Looking forward to help for this great cause Hector and Claudio Sent from my iPhone am 0 Type here to search I❑t i a 4 Q Conversation 1 % Dashboard - Airbnb 0 a 1 Airbnb, Inc. [US] airbnb.com hosting Conversation with Mike X M Leukemia and Lymphoma S + v Inbox© Calendar Listings Slats Help Reservation details Resort Dream Vacation MEI 2 heck o I X More details about who's coming Guests will now let you know if they're bringing children and infants. Learn more HM2MYDZ4NY Potential earnings Subtotal Service fee $25043.75 -$751.32 You earn S24292.43 Send special offer Alwave rnmmiirnicate thrnerah Confirrr Be sure to Chan! Use a Save Want trip guests to Set up quw r i- 41. a .... 11,94 5 �5 I 0 Conversation Dashboard - Airhnb < CD Conversation with Mike - Ai M (no subject) - hectoraya x + war mom . •••. .r r . ■ ■ • • • +..ram.. . _ How has the experien Has it been helpfu? can't even express how thankful It has been so helpful 6 Swartz, Kevin From: Tammie Baker <tbaker@eckharttolle.com> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 9:04 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Banning STR in R1 R2 ZONES: IMPORTANT November 13, 2017 City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Dear Mr. Kevin Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance I write to express my full support of STRs throughout the City of Palm Desert, in every neighborhood, not just in planned residential communities. I own a vacation rental located at 76574 Florida Ave. Palm Desert, 92211. I purchased my home in 2011 in the Palm Desert Country Club when many homes and even the PDCC Golf Course had been in foreclosure. The PDCC looked like a ghost town and yet we saw opportunity to improve the community. We took a chance when we purchased our home and we have come to love our neighborhood. In the PDCC all of these foreclosed homes have since been purchased by responsible full time residents and responsible investors. A large majority of these buyers have put in thousands of dollars of improvements to these properties. We, ourselves, have put in over $100,000 of improvements into both the interior and exterior of our home. The PDCC has never looked better. Our intention was to make this our `forever' home but as careers take their turns, we have to be out of town (Palm Desert) for longer periods of time. We hope to return to our lovely home on a full-time basis one day in the future. In the meantime, in order for us to be able to keep our home, we have been renting it on a Short -Term Rental Basis when we are not there. Prior to making this decision, we went to each neighbor to seek their support, which they all provided to us. We went to the City of Palm Desert to find out the by-laws and restrictions. We ensured that all of our guests were aware of I. the by-laws and we also have them listed in our house manual. Each guest must sign a contract stating that they will abide by the city bylaws before being allowed to rent our home. Additionally, we hired a management company who greets our guests upon arrival and who is able to respond very quickly to any issues that may arise. In the two years that we have rented our property, we have never had any incidents or neighbor complaints. In fact, our neighbors have since stated that they are very pleased telling us that the guests are lovely people. We do a lot of vetting before letting people rent out our home, which also happens to be our largest investment. Trust me when I say we care about our home more than anyone else does. We would not allow irresponsible guests to stay there and put that investment at risk. If we are unable to rent our home on a short-term rental basis, we will be unable to keep it and we will be forced to sell. This would have a detrimental negative impact on our family as myself, my husband and our two young children would not have a home to return to when the time comes. We sincerely hope that the council can take the time to consider the impact that this would have on families like ourselves and the impact on the community at large. Here are some other factors we hope that you will consider: -The city of PD will lose thousands of dollars in tax payer money. If people cannot find suitable accommodations, they will find other resort communities to vacation in. Local hotels simply don't offer pricing and room sizes that our guests require. Most of our guests are families who don't fit in a single hotel room and they cannot afford to rent two rooms at a hotel. They will vacation elsewhere. -Our guests have paid thousands of dollars in TOT taxes collected by AIRBNB and by us and we have paid these taxes to the city each month. -Our management company employs housekeeping, concierge and maintenance staff all of whom would be laid off or out of work as a large percentage of the homes that they manage are in Palm Desert. -Our guests spend thousands of dollars at local restaurants and venues. We regularly provide our guests with great entertainment/restaurant recommendations and they often report back to us how much they enjoy our recommendations. -The value of the homes would reduce drastically —many people will be forced to sell their homes and no one wants to see neighborhoods like PDCC go through an influx of foreclosures again. 2 I empathize with neighbors who have been negatively affected by unruly guests However, I urge city council to exercise fairness in this resolution and consider some reasonable compromises. My suggestion is to allow responsible home owners to continue operating, do not penalize them for the irresponsible actions of others. Enforce all by laws with fines and raise permit prices. Continue dialoguing with neighbors and homeowners to come up with a compromise. Surely some new effective and less drastic measures can be put into place that will benefit everyone who has a stake in this. I have seen other suggestions which seem to have been given little to no consideration. Banning all STR's in R1 and R2 is very aggressive and harsh and impacts our family in a profound way. We sincerely hope that you will consider responsible homeowners such as us while you make this decision. Tammie Baker Executive Assistant to Eckhart T olle tbaker@eckharttolle.com https://www.eckharttolle.com/ cell: 604-440-4707 3 Swartz, Kevin From: Link Baker <Iinkbaker@hotmail.com> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 10:26 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Palm Desert Short Term Vacation Rental Ordinance November 13, 2017 City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Dear Mr. Kevin Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance I write to express my full support of STRs throughout the City of Palm Desert, in every neighborhood, not just in planned residential communities. I own a vacation rental located at 76574 Florida Ave. Palm Desert, 92211. purchased my home in 2011 in the Palm Desert Country Club when many homes and even the PDCC Golf Course had been in foreclosure. The PDCC looked like a ghost town and yet we saw opportunity to improve the community. We took a chance when we purchased our home and we have come to love our neighborhood. In the PDCC all of these foreclosed homes have since been purchased by responsible full time residents and responsible investors. A large majority of these buyers have put in thousands of dollars of improvements to these properties. We, ourselves, have put in over $100,000 of improvements into both the interior and exterior of our home. The PDCC has never looked better. Our intention was to make this our `forever' home but as careers take their turns, we have to be out of town (Palm Desert) for longer periods of time. We hope to return to our lovely home on a full-time basis one day in the future. In the meantime, in order for us to be able to keep our home, we have been renting it on a Short -Term Rental Basis when we are not there. Prior to making this decision, we went to each neighbor to seek their support, which they all provided to us. We went to the City of Palm Desert to find out the by-laws and restrictions. We ensured that all of our guests were aware of the by-laws and we also have them listed in our house manual. Each guest must sign a contract stating that they will abide by the city bylaws before being allowed to rent our home. Additionally, we hired a management company who greets our guests upon arrival and who is able to respond very quickly to any issues that may arise. In the two years that we have rented our property, we have never had any incidents or neighbor complaints. In fact, our neighbors have since stated that they are very pleased telling us that the guests are lovely people. We do a lot of vetting before letting people i rent out our home, which also happens to be our largest investment. Trust me when I say we care about our home more than anyone else does. We would not allow irresponsible guests to stay there and put that investment at risk. If we are unable to rent our home on a short-term rental basis, we will be unable to keep it and we will be forced to sell. This would have a detrimental negative impact on our family as myself, my husband and our two young children would not have a home to return to when the time comes. We sincerely hope that the council can take the time to consider the impact that this would have on families like ourselves and the impact on the community at large. Here are some other factors we hope that you will consider: -The city of PD will lose thousands of dollars in tax payer money. If people cannot find suitable accommodations, they will find other resort communities to vacation in. Local hotels simply don't offer pricing and room sizes that our guests require. Most of our guests are families who don't fit in a single hotel room and they cannot afford to rent two or three rooms at a hotel. They will vacation elsewhere where vacation rentals are allowed. The incredible rise of Airbnb, VRBO and the like testifies to this preferred alternative vacation option for families. -Our guests have paid thousands of dollars in TOT taxes collected by AIRBNB and by us and we have paid these taxes to the city each month. If a permitted STVR home causes repeated disturbances, they should be dealt with accordingly, as measures are already in place. -Our management company employs housekeeping, concierge and maintenance staff all of whom would be laid off or out of work as a large percentage of the homes that they manage are in Palm Desert. Perhaps permit holders should be required to employ a local management/concierge service to assist with greeting/screening and dealing with guests who may not be abiding by the PD bylaws. -Our guests spend thousands of dollars on local restaurants, grocery stores, shopping, entertainment and events. We regularly provide our guests with great entertainment/restaurant recommendations and they often report back to us how much they enjoy our recommendations. -The value of the homes would reduce drastically —many people will be forced to sell their homes and no one wants to see neighborhoods like PDCC go through an influx of foreclosures again. I empathize with neighbors who have been negatively affected by unruly guests, however, I urge city council to exercise fairness in this resolution and consider some reasonable compromises. I believe Palm Desert will continue to benefit greatly from Short Term Vacation Rentals. My suggestion is to allow responsible home owners to continue operating, do not penalize them for the irresponsible actions of others. Enforce all by-laws with fines and raise permit prices. Continue dialoguing with neighbors and homeowners to come up with a compromise. Surely some new effective and less drastic measures can be put into place that will benefit everyone who has a stake in this. I believe that if many of the PD residents who currently oppose STVR's were to weigh all the benefits that STVR's bring to the local economy they would see that it is a vital part of maintaining the high quality of life that Palm Desert residents currently enjoy. Banning all STR's in R1 and R2 is very aggressive and harsh and impacts our family in a profound way. We sincerely hope that you will consider responsible homeowners such as us while you make this decision. Sincerely, Lincoln Baker 2 3 Swartz, Kevin From: Sienna Sangra <siennas96@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 10:28 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Short Term Rental Ordinance November 13th, 2017 City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Kevin Swartz Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance Dear Mr. Swartz I am writing because I believe that short-term rentals should continue to be allowed in Palm Desert. I have been to Palm Desert at least 10 times in the last several years and would be greatly saddened if I could no longer visit. 1 have been fortunate enough to have a close friend whose family owns several houses in Palm Desert so I have had the opportunity to visit often and have enjoyed my time there so much. However, since I live in Canada and am a full time student, I am not able to visit for long periods of time. My usual visitation time at one of their rental houses is for 4-6 days. Therefore, the continued allowance of short term rentals is necessary for me being able to visit. I have very fond memories from all of my time spent in Palm Desert. Some of my favourite activities include eating out at restaurants such as Mastros, shopping on El Paseo, relaxing by the pool, hiking the mountain, and staying in to watch movies and enjoy time with my friends. The main purpose of my trips to Palm Desert has always been to relax with close friends and take a break from school. We always keep in mind that we are guests to your town when visiting and are very respectful and courteous towards the residents in all regards. Palm Desert is an ideal sunny and relaxing get -a -away spot for us Canadians and it would be very disappointing if I could no longer visit simply because I am not able to come for long periods of time. I hope that you will consider this in your decision. Thank you, Sienna Sangra 3570 Rue Durocher, 1 Montreal, QC Canada H2X 2E5 2 Swartz, Kevin From: Hermann, David Sent: Monday, November 13, 2017 8:48 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Cc: Stendell, Ryan Subject: FW: Tracking Short Term Rentals Good morning Kevin, We received the communication below over the weekend regarding short-term rentals. I am forwarding for your information. David David Hermann Public Information Officer Ph: 760.776.6411 Direct: 760.776.6380 dhermann@cityofpalmdesert.org From: Shalese Evertsen(mailto:shalese.evertsen(Tstrheioer.coml Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 10:53 AM To: Information Mail Subject: Tracking Short Term Rentals Hi, my name is Shalese Evertsen. I read an article posted on November 1t from Desert Sun regarding the new ordinance on short term rentals. I understand that you are banning short-term rentals but there's a lot of other people that would prefer just stricter regulations. I work with STR Helper, which is a software that takes your city's specific situation and helps to put any new or current regulation into effect and ensures every rental is complying. We can provide you with the number of rentals running from listings on 20+ sites such as Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway, and many private platforms and flag which ones are running illegally. We have a permitting system that provides comprehensive short-term rental permitting for the city, managing workflows associated with permit requirements, on-line registration, etc. With this in place, it is easy to see how the system can identify and flag all non -compliant short-term rentals in real time. The system also includes a tax compliance module. I am emailing to see if you guys are interested in seeing a demo of the system and discussing its capabilities. Please let me know if we can show you how the system works or send you a free report that will show you exactly how many short-term rentals are operating. Our website is www.strhelper.com and my phone number is 385-282-3666. Thanks for your time, Shalese Evertsen i Swartz, Kevin From: Helene Sollett <hsollett@yahoo.com> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 8:03 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Short -Term Rentals in Palm Desert I was disappointed to hear that Palm Desert is considering banning short term rentals. My family has rented short term in Palm Desert to celebrate holidays and had a lovely time. Short term rentals is an affordable way to get away together as a family. It allowed us to share a common place to eat, celebrate, open presents, etc in a home setting that you can't get at a hotel. As for me and my family, we would not have gone to Palm Dessert if it hadn't been for the short term home rental. I urge you to think carefully about this issue. I realize short term rentals can bring in some people who just want to party and may cause issues for the people of Palm Desert but there are also many families who just want to vacation together in a homey setting and frequent the many shops and restaurants in Palm Desert. Thanks for your consideration, Helene Sollett Camarillo, CA Sent from my iPad I. Swartz, Kevin From: Jones, Tena <TenaJones@Ltic.com> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 11:10 AM To: Aylaian, Lauri; Jonathan, Sabby; Harnik, Jan; Kelly, Kathleen; Weber, Susan Marie; Stendell, Ryan; Swartz, Kevin Subject: STR 2nd reading 11/16 Good morning, We would like to take the opportunity to thank each of you for your time and diligent efforts in confirming what we all know to be the best course regarding the STR issue in Palm Desert, and that is to place strict limits on where the STR "businesses" are allowed to operate. We appreciate how difficult your jobs must be in that you represent all of us and it's impossible to please everyone. Your enactment of the moratorium and then months of investigation and patience in hearing from all sides of the issue clearly indicates each of you put a lot of thought and consideration of what your voters are asking you for. We agree the correct vote was decided in the last meeting and the permanent, permanent part time, long term "renters" and our businesses appreciate that decision you all made. This keeps Palm Desert one of, if not the best, cities in the Coachella Valley. We will be there for the 2nd reading and look forward to the final confirmation of the vote already taken. Thank you all for your public service to us. Al and Tena Jones Silver Spur Ranch (permanent residents) NOTICE: The information contained in this message is proprietary and/or confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient of this communication, you are hereby notified to: (i) delete the message and all copies; (ii) do not disclose, distribute or use the message in any manner; and (iii) notify the sender immediately. i Swartz, Kevin From: Mark Freeman <markfree@gorge.net> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 8:40 AM To: CityhallMail; Swartz, Kevin Subject: Short term rentals About 4 years ago, my wife and I discovered Palm Desert and the beautiful Palm Desert Country Club. We were shopping for a future retirement home and we were fortunate to find it on California Dr. on the 5th green of PDCC. We live here part of the year and rent it out through PD Vacation Rentals by Adi Gross. We rely on this income to help pay the mortgage until we fully retire in 4 years. We have had no problems or complaints regarding our guests. Our guests tend to return every year and book well in advance. Banning short term rentals discriminates against us seniors trying to retire here. Compliance is the answer. Please don't let a small group of Paseo seniors push this through! If short term rentals are banned, we would need to sell our dream.... and retire elsewhere. Our Gardener, Pool Technician, and Maintenance People depend on these short term rentals and cannot afford to have their small business impacted. Sincerely, Mark & Shari Freeman The Dalles Oregon, and Palm Desert CA 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Dana Wilson <dmwilson404@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 11:32 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Short -Term Rentals in Palm Desert To whom it may concern, I am writing this letter in response and position to Option B, the ban on short-term rentals in Palm Desert. For years now, my family has been visiting Palm Desert and utilizing short-term rentals. Due to the size of our family, we rent a home with ability to accommodate 10 people with a private pool. This is an affordable option for us that allows us to spend time together without being secluded in separate hotel rooms. In the past, we have never considered staying in a hotel and will not consider it in the future because it does not meet our needs. The short-term rental business model is far superior to the resort -style vacation, that is why hotels are fighting for bans such as this one. Short-term rentals allow for your local residents and home owners to keep money in their pockets and out of the greedy hands of hospitality corporations. This option is a way to earn extra income, potentially determining whether residents can stay in their homes. Vacationers that stay at resorts typically spend most of their time and money at the resort. Vacationers at short- term rentals utilize local grocery stores, shops, restaurants, and entertainment options. Without short-term rentals, the small business economy would lose out significantly. It is unfortunate, but if this ban goes into effect, my family and I will be forced to go elsewhere and therefor, spend our money elsewhere. I hope that you will consider over -turning this ban so that we can keep our family tradition going. Thank you for your consideration. Best, Dana Wilson 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Chuck M <chuckmcbridel@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 11:46 AM To: Aylaian, Lauri; Harnik, Jan; Jonathan, Sabby; Kelly, Kathleen; Weber, Susan Marie; Stendell, Ryan; Swartz, Kevin Subject: STR's Dear City Council members and Associates, We, the citizens of Palm Desert have been suffering the abuses of commercial businesses in our residential neighborhoods since STRs were allowed to proliferate. Knowing there is an end in sight, and the ordinance being put in place to address the problems that exist, gives us something to look forward to. Thank you for giving us this light at the end of the tunnel! We are very grateful for your insight, when you declared a moratorium, to study the problems Short Term Rentals cause. We appreciate all the hard work that has gone into finding a solution. We are happy to compromise the allowance of owner occupied STRs, and STRs in the city's planned, designated areas. We do not begrudge commerce, or our neighbors supplementing their incomes. We too want what is in Palm Desert's best interest. As impossible as it is to please everyone involved, we believe your solution to keep commercial businesses in the correctly zoned areas of our city is appropriate, and just. We appreciate visitors of Palm Desert, and will continue as we always have, to welcome them to our hotels, our 30 day rentals, and our owner occupied short term rentals, knowing most of us were once visitors ourselves. We are most grateful that you are not caving into the special interests of outside investors, that care only for their immediate needs, and are not thinking as you are, of the long term effects; STRs destroy neighborhoods, and eventually the cities that once supported them. Thank you for affirming that neighborhoods are for neighbors! We appreciate the care and concern you have shown your constituents. It will not be forgotten! Chuck McBride 73015 Bursera Way Palm Desert 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Janice Monette-Wilson <jmonettel@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 7:40 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Cc: jmonettel@gmail.com Subject: Short -Term Rentals in Palm Desert Dear City Officials, I am writing in protest of the city wide ban on short term vacation rentals. I feel this practice is unfair and will be a detriment to the city at large. My sisters and our daughters gather every year in your city for a family reunion. We rent a house and are very responsible and respectful of our neighbors. We are all dedicated shoppers and spend a large amount of money in your shops, restaurants, grocery stores and entertainment venues. A hotel environment would not work in any way shape or form for our needs as we need space to cook and spread out and want the privacy of a home with a pool. If this ban is allowed to stay in place we will of course take our business elsewhere and your city will loose out on our business and tax dollars along with that of many many others like us. I have no doubt the fiscal effects on your city coffers would be staggering, not to mention the effect on your local businesses. I am quite sure that the greed of the hotel chains is one of the driving forces behind this ban and while it would certainly benefit the hotel chains the effect on your city would be unfavorable. Another aspect to consider is the effect on property values should this ban continue. Property owners who have these vacation rentals would be forced to sell them and you will have a glut of properties on the market thereby lowering property values. This is a lose lose proposition for everyone but the hotel chains. I strongly urge you to reconsider this ban. Sincerely, Janice Monette-Wilson Sent from my iPad i November 11 , 2017 VIA EMAIL (kswartz©citvofoalmdesert.orq) City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Kevin Swartz Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance 1 write to express my support for Short Term Rentals throughout the City of Palm Desert, in every neighborhood, not just in planned residential communities. STRs have revived the City of Palm Desert and keep the economy going year-round. We have beautiful neighborhoods again when we did not during the recession. If there are problems with noise and parking, then what is required is simply better regulation and better enforcement. I believe that increasing the minimum nights for rent to 4-7 nights from the current 2 nights would solve many of the problems that I understand some residents complain about. The goal is to eliminate the renters who are here to party, not to turn away the great renters who come to Palm Desert because they love our neighborhood. These renters spend their money in our city and sustain local businesses. I am greatly concemed for the property values in the R1 and R2 zones if this ban goes into effect. In the current economic climate, people want the flexibility to be able to rent out their homes for short periods of a week or so to supplement their incomes or to cover their costs. If they do not have this opportunity, they will purchase elsewhere, thereby decreasing property values. Allowing 28-day rentals is not a solution because visitors do not rent for 28 days. Families travel for one to two weeks and do not negatively impact the neighborhood. This ordinance is contrary to the best interest of all of Palm Desert and I strongly urge the City Council to reject it on second reading. I would like to attend the meeting on November 16, 2017 when the second reading is supposed to happen. I wish to speak to the City Council to express my strong opposition to this ban. Please forward this email on to the City Council and please advise as to how I can obtain authorization to speak at the meeting. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely ,c2c- Scanned by CamScanner November 14, 2017 VIA EMAIL (kswartz@citvofDalmdesert.orq) City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Kevin Swartz Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance My husband and I own and operate a Short Term Rental in the City of Palm Desert with a permit. We are responsible owners of a Short Term Rental and are very opposed to the recent ban on Short Term Rentals in the R1 and R2 zones in South Palm Desert that was passed on first reading by the City Council. We are very concerned about this ordinance and the impact that it will have on the Palm Desert community, the economy of Palm Desert, the city revenues and the property values in our neighborhood, and to our own financial health. We purchased this property and have undergone substantial renovation while we are still employed so we can afford to come and live in Palm Desert full time when we retire in 5 years. Without the support of the current rental income, we will likely be forced to sell it. It is far too extreme a measure to correct the identified problems of noise and the party houses in the residential areas. It is also very unfair that just the R1 and R2 neighborhoods have been singled out, but that STRs are still allowed in the planned residential communities. This arbitrary distinction does not solve the problems that the City Council stated it was trying to correct: noise, different neighbors all the time, excessive parking. Palm Desert is a tourist dependent economy; residents have to expect that they do not live in a typical residential neighborhood. The answer is better regulation, not a zone -specific ban that is unfairly discriminatory. STR owners have improved the entire neighborhood of south Palm Desert. It is now beautiful and well -maintained when it was not in 2010-2012 during the recession. As a Short Term Rental owner and operator, I take steps to ensure that my renters abide by the Short Term Rental Rules. In order to correct the problems identified by some of the long term residents in Palm Desert, it would be far more effective to implement these changes; 1. Increase the minimum nightly rental to 4-7 nights. This would eliminate the party houses. The people coming to party want to rent for 2 nights, not longer. 2. Disallow outside music after 9pm on weeknights. 10pm on weekends. 2 3. Limit the total number of persons allowed to stay at a house to a maximum of 2 per bedroom up to a total maximum of 10-12 persons with special allowances for small children. 4. Maintain the increased fines and penalties for violations of rules. 5. Increase the cost of the permit to allow for more enforcement dollars. 6. Require damage deposits from renters so that they can be fined and those fines can be collected. 7. Limit the total number of STR permits in each area so as to avoid large concentrations in one area. Grandfather existing STRs permits and allow attrition to take effect and over time, reach the desired numbers. If this ban goes into effect, I believe these will be the consequences; 1. Vacationers will rent in Palm Springs instead of Palm Desert, taking all their vacation dollars with them. Businesses along El Paseo will suffer. 2. Property values in south Palm Desert will decline significantly. Many owners will have to sell. Disallowing STRs will drive purchasers to other areas where they are allowed. 3. The City will lose tax revenues that could be spent on better enforcement of stricter rules for STRs. This ordinance is contrary to the best interest of all of Palm Desert and I strongly urge the City Council to reject it on second reading. would like to attend the meeting on November 16, 2017 when the second reading is supposed to happen. I wish to speak to the City Council to express my strong opposition to this ban. Please forward this email on to the City Council and please advise as to how I can obtain authorization to speak at the meeting. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Corrine James & Kenneth Humes 73940 Flagstone Lane Palm Desert, CA 92260 206-4984209 Swartz, Kevin From: Mary Suarez <maryesuarez@yahoo.com> Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2017 3:47 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: STR November 11, 2017 To: City Council Palm Desert, CA From: Mary Suarez — Resident of Palm Desert Dear City Council Member, PLEASE, allow short-term vacation rentals to operate in Palm Desert. I appreciate all the hard work you have done over the past 10 months, but I urge you to TRY ENFORCEMENT and NOT a ban! We've been coming to this beautiful desert for over 30 years.... And a few years ago, decided to buy here and make it our home. We got our permit and we rent our house out when we're not here..... Or we would NOT be able to afford it. My husband and I are extremely respectful of our neighborhood and all our guests have been amazing, respectful, appreciative and so happy to have a single-family residence with a private pool to rent. If we can implement FINES, from owners AND FROM THE TENANTS themselves, I think you'll see a MAJOR IMPROVEMENT on the 'FEW PARTY HOUSES', that seem to create all the problems. It's not about banning permits, it's about GETTING THE CURRENT PROBLEM (the party houses) OUT OF THE PICTURE! I think I speak for all the other STR owners, we do NOT want party houses either... and we completely feel for the people who live by the 'bad apples', but to cut the tree's down and allow no more 'good apples' to grow and produce, is cutting Palm Desert in heart! Business relies on STR's, our entire community relies on them! PLEASE, LET'S ENFORECE THE RULES..... AND SEE WHERE WE'RE AT IN A YEAR! Thank you for your time, Sincerely, Mary Suarez Palm Desert Resident and STR permit holder 1 November II, 2017 VIA EMAIL (kswartz@ citvofaalmdesert.or?) City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Kevin Swartz Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance I write to express my support for Short Term Rentals throughout the City of Palm Desert, in every neighborhood, not just in planned residential communities. STRs have revived the City of Palm Desert and keep the economy going year-round. We have beautiful neighborhoods again when we did not during the recession. If there are problems with noise and parking, then what is required is simply better regulation and better enforcement. I believe that increasing the minimum nights for rent to 4-7 nights from the current 2 nights would solve many of the problems that 1 understand some residents complain about. The goal is to eliminate the renters who are here to party, not to turn away the great renters who come to Palm Desert because they love our neighborhood. These renters spend their money in our city and sustain local businesses. I am greatly concerned for the property values in the R1 and R2 zones if this ban goes into effect. In the current economic climate, people want the flexibility to be able to rent out their homes for short periods of a week or so to supplement their incomes or to cover their costs. If they do not have this opportunity, they will purchase elsewhere, thereby decreasing property values. Allowing 28-day rentals is not a solution because visitors do not rent for 28 days. Families travel for one to two weeks and do not negatively impact the neighborhood. This ordinance is contrary to the best interest of all of Palm Desert and 1 strongly urge the City Council to reject it on second reading. I would like to attend the meeting on November 16, 2017 when the second reading is supposed to happen. I wish to speak to the City Council to express my strong opposition to this ban. Please forward this email on to the City Council and please advise as to how I can obtain authorization to speak at the meeting. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Scanned by CamScanner Swartz, Kevin From: Patricia Riley-Oppel <butterflyoppel@yahoo.com> Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 6:18 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Short -Term Rentals in Palm Desert Attachments: image001 jpg; image002 jpg; image003.jpg; image004.png; image005.png; image006.png; image007.png; image008.png; image009.gif Every year we go to Palm Desert and rent a private house with a pool. We have a dog....my husband has health issues so a kitchen is necessary. We are over 65 and quiet tenants. We spend money shopping, at restaurants and a lot at Jensen's. If we cannot rent a house, we will go someplace else . Please keep short term residential rentals. Patti Riley-Oppel Swartz, Kevin From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 3:54 PM To: Klassen, Rachelle; Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Thanks to the Council for its vote on Short Term Rentals! This was sent to me and to Mayor Harnik. Will you please make certain that it is distributed to the rest of the City Council? Thanks, Lauri A. Lauri Aylaian City Manager City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 760.346.0611 (office) From: Rhone Lane [rhonelane9965@gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 10:13 AM To: Aylaian, Lauri; iharnik@citvorpalmdesert.org Subject: Thanks to the Council for its vote on Short Term Rentals! My name is Diane Hair and I live in the Sommerset community in south Palm Desert. I'd like to thank the City Council for its vote to ban Short Term Rentals from R-1 and R-2 neighborhoods, and I want to commend their strength in representing the will of the residents instead of the money and threats of the Short Term Rental industry. I'm especially proud of our mayor's leadership. Way to go, Jan. Keep it up, Palm Desert! Diane Hair 72395 Ridgecrest Lane Palm Desert 92260 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 4:11 PM To: Klassen, Rachelle; Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: STR Will you please make certain that this email message is distributed to the members of the City Council before the Council meeting on Thursday? Thank you, Lauri A. Lauri Aylaian City Manager City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 760.346.0611 (office) From: Mary Suarez [maryesuarez@yahoo.com] Sent: Saturday, November 11, 2017 3:35 PM To: Aylaian, Lauri Subject: STR November 11, 2017 To: City Council Palm Desert, CA From: Mary Suarez Resident of Palm Desert Dear City Council, PLEASE, allow short-term vacation rentals to operate in Palm Desert. I appreciate all the hard work you have done over the past 10 months, but I urge you to TRY ENFORCEMENT and NOT a ban! We've been coming to this beautiful desert for over 30 years.... And a few years ago, decided to buy here and make it our home. We got our permit and we rent our house out when we're not here Or we would NOT be able to afford it. My husband and I are extremely respectful of our neighborhood and all our guests have been amazing, respectful, appreciative and so happy to have a single-family residence with a private pool to rent. If we can implement FINES, from owners AND FROM THE TENANTS themselves, I think you'll see a MAJOR IMPROVEMENT on the 'FEW PARTY HOUSES', that seem to create all the problems. It's not about banning permits, it's about GETTING THE CURRENT PROBLEM (the party houses) OUT OF THE PICTURE! I think I speak for all the other STR owners, we do NOT want party houses either... and we completely feel for the people who live by the 'bad apples', but to cut the tree's down and allow no more 'good apples' to grow and produce, is cutting Palm Desert in heart! Business relies on STR's, our entire community relies on them! PLEASE, LET'S ENFORECE THE RULES AND SEE WHERE WE'RE AT IN A YEAR! 1 Thank you for your time, Sincerely, Mary Suarez Palm Desert Resident and STR permit holder 2 Swartz, Kevin From: Aylaian, Lauri Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2017 5:57 PM To: Klassen, Rachelle; Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: STR NOTE: THIS EMAIL MESSAGE HAS BEEN COPIED TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL SO AS TO PREVENT INADVERTENT VIOLATION OF THE BROWN ACT. Rachelle and Kevin, This email message appears to have been sent only to me, despite the fact that it was addressed to all members of the City Council. I am forwarding it so that it may be included as part of the public record before the City Council meeting scheduled for this Thursday, 16 November 2017. Sincerely, Lauri Aylaian City Manager City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 760.346.0611 (office) From: Kerry Roach [roach.kerry@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 3:23 PM To: Aylaian, Lauri Cc: Mc Culloch Nancy Subject: STR Dear City Council members and Associates, We, the citizens of Palm Desert have been suffering the abuses of commercial businesses in our residential neighborhoods since STRs were allowed to proliferate. Knowing there is an end in sight, and the ordinance being put in place to address the problems that exist, gives us something to look forward to. Thank you for giving us this light at the end of the tunnel! We are very grateful for your insight, when you declared a moratorium, to study the problems Short Term Rentals cause. We appreciate all the hard work that has gone into finding a solution. We are happy to compromise the allowance of owner occupied STRs, and STRs in the city's planned, designated areas. We do not begrudge commerce, or our neighbors supplementing their incomes. We too want what is in Palm Desert's best interest. As impossible as it is to please everyone involved, we believe your solution to keep commercial businesses in the correctly zoned areas of our city is appropriate, and just. We appreciate visitors of Palm Desert, and will continue as we always have, to welcome them to our hotels, our 30 day rentals, and our owner occupied short term rentals, knowing most of us were once visitors ourselves. We are most grateful that you are not caving into the special interests of outside investors, that care only for their immediate needs, and are not thinking as you are, of the long term effects; STRs destroy neighborhoods, and eventually the cities that once supported them. Thank you for affirming that neighborhoods are for neighbors! We appreciate the care and concern you have shown your constituents. It will not be forgotten! 1 Thank you Kerry Roach CaIBRE: 01993352 roach.kerrv@email,com<mailto:roach.kerrv@gmail.com> 1.760.902.6563 1.760.660.6445 F Windermere Homes & Estates 73-725 El Paseo Palm Desert CA 92260 2 November 14, 2017 VIA EMAIL (kswartz@ citvofoalmdesert.org) City of Palm Desert 73-510 Fred Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Dear Mr. Swartz: Re: Short Term Rental Ordinance We understand that the City of Palm Desert passed a first reading of an ordinance to ban Short Term Rentals in residential zones in Palm Desert as of July 1, 2019, and that there is a second reading of this ordinance on Thursday, November 16, 2017. My family rented a home through VRBO for a vacation in Palm Desert, within walking distance of El Paseo., where we encountered many tourists like ourselves. We had a wonderful vacation and enjoyed hiking, cycling, running, golfing, shopping, and ate out often in local restaurants. Many of the activities were within walking or short driving distance. We intentionally rented a property in a quiet residential neighborhood. Many families, like ours, enjoy this type of accommodation, and in this day and age of the growing "shared economy" it is not only increasingly common, but expected by many travellers. The property we rented was immaculately furnished and maintained, and exceeded our expectations. The neighbours, we met, said that this property had been renovated and improved by the owners specifically for them to rent out and they felt this had increased their own property values. The owners we rented from, screened us, as they, understandably, did not want any problems for their neighbours. Because of our positive experience, we have been looking into purchasing a home in Palm Desert. However, we are only interested in buying if we have the flexibility to rent it out for income to cover costs in between our intended regular personal use. We suggest that some of the economic spinoffs for the community, if we buy, is hiring people to help us manage and clean the property, repair the house, tend the garden, thus increasing employment locally. As well, we would need to purchase items for the home, pay for membership fees in a homeowners group and pay taxes, money that would stay in the community. We are concerned that if this ordinance is passed, there will be no more places to rent close to El Paseo. We would not come back and rent during future vacations or purchase property, and will look to communities where short term rentals are allowed, such as Palm Springs, Indian Wells or Rancho Mirage, or somewhere else all together. As well, we suspect that if homes can't be rented out, many property owners will look to get out of this market, and an overabundance of properties in this area for sale may negatively affect the real estate market. Fewer tourists in Palm Desert means fewer customers for all, especially businesses on El Paseo. We understand you are addressing the concerns of full time residents who have had negative experiences with disrespectful tenants in neigbhouring homes, and balancing this with the rights of the property owners who rent their homes. We hope the majority of your tourists are like us, and we imagine you do not want to drive us away, but this will happen, if there are no short term rental options. Hopefully you can implement bylaws to respond to noise and property standard concerns, and an effective dispute resolution system to deal with complaints in a timely manner. If this is created and funded out of the STR homeowner fees, and not raised from your permanent residents' taxes, this could be acceptable to a majority of the residents. We know you will never find a resolution to please everyone, but hopefully the voices of the people who enjoy coming to your community, and those who have invested significantly in buying homes, and creating a place for people to visit, will prevail. We believe a complete ban of Short Term Rentals will be a detriment overall for your community. We think it will result in fewer tourists (like my family), and reduced economic spending overall as a result of a reduction in purchases of properties, improvements to properties, employment, and tourism spending. We would like to propose that the City implement a minimum of 4-7 nights for Short Term Rentals as a reasonable compromise. This would discourage the weekend party people, but still give enough flexibility for those who respectfully vacation. We will be watching the outcome of this ordinance and plan our next steps re vacation or purchasing a home, following your Council's decision. Thank you for your time and consideration. Would you please kindly forward this letter to the City Council on my behalf. Sincerely, Louise Ferrie-Blecher Dr. Peter Blecher P.0 Box 113, 4773 Lakeshore Rd. Port Hope ON L1A 3V9 Canada Swartz, Kevin From: Stendell, Ryan Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 4:30 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Fwd: Short term rentals. In case you didn't get this one. Ryan Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: barbarapdcc <barbarapdcc@2mail.com> Date: November 9, 2017 at 3:49:28 PM PST To: "Stendell, Ryan"<rstendell@citvofpalmdesert.org> Cc: "barbarapdcc @ amail.com" <barbarapdcc @ gmail.com> Subject: Short term rentals. Please do not change the language of no more short term rentals in R1. There are now 3 homes for sale that people have been looking at to buy if short term rentals are allowed, plus an other neighbor told me if things change he was going to apply for short term permit. That would make about 7 on our street These realtors should have to live next to one of these party houses for a 1 and 1/2 years. Then they would find out how stressful it is . With only 5 feet between our property lines, you get the noise, the pot smoking, the screaming and partying from morning to well into the night. ..and what happens if the 69 Condos Are allowed, they will great their own noise even if they become a party house For those of us that picked PD to retire in it will become ONE BIG NIGHTMARE. THE CITY SHOULD CARE ABOUT THEIR RESIDENTS AND NOT GREED BY A SMALL GROUP OF REALTORS AND HOMEOWERS. Thanks, Barb Powers 76918 KEntucky. i Sent from my \''CIi/On, Samsung Gala'(y sniartphone 2 Swartz, Kevin From: Stendell, Ryan Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 4:30 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Fwd: STR Sunset Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: William Choplin <wchoplin@icloud.com> Date: November 9, 2017 at 3:39:56 PM PST To: "Stendell, Ryan" <rstendell@citvofpalmdesert.o__ rg,> Subject: STR Sunset Ryan, Thank you for all your efforts resulting in the October 26th approval to ban STRs in R-1 & R-2 residential zones. My neighbors and I appreciate your efforts to remove the STR disruption from ourneighborhoods. Even if STR rules could be enforced, STRs do not meet the definition of R-1 & R-2 zones. STRs don't meet the expectations of most property owners looking to be part of a neighborhood fabric. Thanks again for your fine work! William Choplin 40669 Diamondback Dr 801.597.9764 i Swartz, Kevin From: Joe Nolan <dreamjoe12@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 3:35 PM To: Aylaian, Lauri; Harnik, Jan; Jonathan, Sabby; Kelly, Kathleen; Weber, Susan Marie; Stendell, Ryan; Swartz, Kevin Cc: donna@lkmeint.com Subject: Short Term Rental Ordinance City of Palm Desert Council Members and Staff; I would like to compliment the Council Members and Staff for listening to the citizens of Palm Desert and their concerns rather than those of the special interests. Joe Nolan 72330 Canyon Lane Palm Desert, CA 92260 (760) 963-6820 Fax (760) 406-9751 dreamioe12@amail.com i Swartz, Kevin From: Isaac Jacobsen <isaac jacobsen.1992@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 11:51 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: URGENT - Stop the Short Term Rental Ban! Dear Mr. Swartz: I was recently informed that short term rentals are being banned in Palm Desert. I could not believe my ears! I go down regularly with friends and family to golf, eat, shop, and take in the sun. We Canadians need the opportunity to take quick trips to get out of our igloos! With this ban, Palm Desert will no longer be our go -to vacation spot. Those in favour of the ban are struggling to grasp the reality of the change happening around the world. Short term rentals are becoming ever more important, as renters are the ones sustaining global economies. These same renters are the people that will support local businesses and restaurants in Palm Desert going forward. I know that a major concern of the people in favour of the ban is noise. Now, I am a 25-year old male, in the peak of my years. If I wanted to go somewhere to make a lot of noise, would I choose Palm Desert? No! I would choose Vegas, Austin, San Francisco, LA — you get it, the list goes on. When I go to Palm Desert, I go to relax, escape reality, and most importantly, golf. I ask you to please consider lifting this ban on short term rentals. As a property owner for student housing in London, Canada, I would be devastated if the city revoked my renting privileges. Of course, London understands that such drastic action would only serve to have a severe negative impact, and so they would never do such a thing. So, I ask you to weigh the pros and cons of such a change. If this ban goes ahead, and the economy is affected severely, there is almost no way to reverse the change. People will not risk investing again due to the risk of another ban. However, if you instead increase the minimum length of a short term rental to say 4 nights, then you will appease everybody, will not risk ruining the long term financial stability of Palm Desert, and will be able to avoid hundreds of nasty emails daily. Thank you for your consideration. Regards, Isaac Jacobsen 1222 Richmond Street, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A3M2 604-779-4279 isaac.iacobsen.1992@gmail.com 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Greg Branaugh <greg@dgconcrete.com> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 5:06 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Short -Term Rentals in Palm Desert This letter is in reference to your ban on short term rentals. I live in the upper Midwest in South Dakota and as you know we have subzero temperatures during the winter season. For twenty years, I have taken my family, which includes children, grandchildren, sisters and brothers, to warmer climates including the Caribbean Islands, Cruises and Mexico along with the continental US states of Florida, Arizona and Palm Desert. For the last 6 years, we settled on Palm Desert as our destination of choice with its great weather, golf courses and the many events to enjoy. The first years we stayed at the 5 star motels which we really enjoyed, however expensive when including our extended family. The last few years we rented a house with the amenities of a 5 star hotel but allowing our grandchildren and family members to enjoy our 2-3 week vacations in a private, uninterrupted small group setting with a much less cost. Since we are not retired and our grandchildren are in school, it is not possible to extend our vacations beyond the 2-3 week threshold. Please reconsider the short term ban. We do not want to change our winter destination to other warm weather areas of the country. Thank you for the memories! Greg Branaugh Sioux Falls, SD 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Pam Silver <pamag@dc.rr.com> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 1:53 PM To: Harnik, Jan; Jonathan, Sabby; Kelly, Kathleen; Weber, Susan Marie; Stendell, Ryan; Swartz, Kevin; Aylaian, Lauri Subject: Thank You Letter Sent to Desert Sun I am very appreciative of the City Council's decision to prohibit short term rentals (STRs) from areas zoned R-1 and R-2 in the city of Palm Desert. I am a year-round resident, wholly invested in my home in South Palm Desert with plans to spend my golden years in the neighborhood that I love. The proliferation of short term rentals has made my neighborhood feel less secure and predictable, which may be acceptable for risk takers in the real estate and hospitality industry. But for families like mine, who own one property and are on a fixed income, risk is not something that we welcome to our neighborhoods. I attended the study sessions, the Planning Commission Meeting and City Council meetings and was very encouraged by the effort made to find some middle ground for all Palm Desert constituents. But in the end, the loss of some financial gain for STR owners could not outweigh the possible erosion of something so important to our residents — our neighborhoods. Thank you Palm Desert for keeping your promise to R-1 and R-2 neighborhoods. The residents of Palm Desert are counting on the City Council to retain their favorable vote at the 2nd reading November 16th. Please protect our neighborhoods! Sincerely, Pam Silver Pam Silver (760) 861-0687 cell (760) 773-0216 home i Swartz, Kevin From: bl peters <blwenj@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 2:01 PM To: jharnik@cityofplamdesert.org; Jonathan, Sabby; Kelly, Kathleen; Weber, Susan Marie; Stendell, Ryan; Swartz, Kevin Subject: Appreciation for Protecting Our Palm Desert Homes As full-time PD home owners having the misfortune of living next door to a SIR, your recent vote to phase out these type of rentals in residential areas, was a very welcome relief. The many sleepness nights and mornings hopefully coming to an end will be gratefully appreciated. As will the lack of parking and trash issues we have put up with over the years. Hopefully no more loud drunks and swearing to be put up with - Yipee! Thank you for taking care of and considering the full-time residents of Palm Desert. Lynn & Bob Peters 1 Swartz, Kevin From: William Choplin <wchoplin@icloud.com> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 3:40 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: STR Sunset Kevin, Thank you for all your efforts resulting in the October 26th approval to ban STRs in R-1 & R-2 residential zones. My neighbors and I appreciate your efforts to remove the STR disruption from ourneighborhoods. Even if STR rules could be enforced, STRs do not meet the definition of R-1 & R-2 zones. STRs don't meet the expectations of most property owners looking to be part of a neighborhood fabric. Thanks again for your fine work! William Choplin 40669 Diamondback Dr 801.597.9764 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Ann Mason <amason3@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 3:42 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Short -Term Rentals in Palm Desert Dear Sir or Madam, I was very distressed to hear about the city of Palm Desert's decision to ban short-term rentals. I have vacationed in the desert since the 1960's - first as a child and then as an adult with my own family and friends. On many, many occasions, we rented house for a weekend, a week or a couple of weeks and enjoyed all the pleasures of a desert vacation. We would not take such a trip if a hotel stay was the only option. As someone who loves visiting the desert, I hope you reconsider this action. Sincerely, Ann Mason 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 1:12 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Short term rental ordinance Blind copied to the City Council From: Stephen M Rose fmailto:steehenmrose(&amail.coml Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 1:08 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: Short term rental ordinance Dear Mayor Harnik, Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan, Councilperson Kelly, My name is Steve Rose, I live in Palm Springs, and I spoke at the October 26 council meeting on the issue of Short-term rentals. I am part of Palm Springs Neighbors for Neighborhoods, (psn4n.org) and we are sponsoring a ballot initiative to put this issue up for a vote of the people. You can see the full initiative on our website, but it is actually quite similar to the ordinance that you just passed. I am writing to give you my point of view on the industry's mantra, "enforcement, enforcement, and enforcement". Our council ignored its residents and adopted the industry's recommendation. Now Palm Springs has a 9-man `Department of Vacation Rental Compliance', with a yearly budget of 1.7 million dollars. It is a black hole of bureaucratic bloat, tasked with making the incompatible compatible. Their purpose is not to serve the residents, but to facilitate the industry and protect the city's 11.5% cut. Trying to enforce behavior is impossible. It can never work, the weakest link is that enforcement relies upon the resident to make the call and open a complaint. Most people do not like to complain. And where they may feel comfortable speaking up if they are getting bad service at a restaurant, store or hotel, in their home, they are reluctant to pick up the phone and rat out a neighbor, even if the neighbor is running a business. No one knows how many people just shut their windows, put in earplugs and go to sleep upset. Lastly, I would ask you to ponder why this particular business model deserve special treatment? Hotels do not require the city to monitor their operations and the behavior of their guests. There is not a `Department of Retail Store Compliance'. When the Vacation Rental Management companies cry out for you to `enforce your laws', they are just shifting their responsibility and blaming the city. The Realtors, and Vacation Rental Industry are loud, and they are bullies. There has to be someplace for people to live without having to be surrounded by commercial businesses. Every other zone of the city accommodates commerce: only neighborhoods are reserved for residents. R1 and R2 zones must be protected. I know it is heresy to many, but money isn't everything, quality of life is just as important, and in the end, are cities formed to accommodate business, with the resident's mere byproducts? Or are cities formed to create communities that nurture and support people, with industry there to support them. Sincerely, Steve Rose 1 Treasurer psn4n.org 760 464-1724 2 Swartz, Kevin From: Lawson, Brianne Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 12:29 PM To: Swartz, Kevin; Klassen, Rachelle Cc: Hermann, David Subject: FW: [SPAM] - Fwd: Claudio Bravo Good Afternoon, We received the following message regarding short term rentals through the City's informational e-mail. Thank You! Brianne Lawson Clerical Assistant Ph: 760.346.0611 Direct: 760.776.6309 blawson@cityofpalmdesert.org From: lororr@amail.com [mailto:lororr@gmaiLcom] Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 11:03 AM To: Information Mail Subject: [SPAM] - Fwd: Claudio Bravo * * * * Lor Orr Begin forwarded message: From: lororr@gmail.com Date: November 9, 2017 at 10:30:55 AM PST To: ioseph.galli@kesq.com Subject: Claudio Bravo Hello, I watched your story on the vacation rentals in Palm Desert last night and I just want you to know that Claudio Bravo is not the poor home owner that he portrayed himself to be. He owns a company called Bravo Properties located in Desert Hot Springs and owns dozens of homes of which he rents to section 8 people and he does not care what kind of criminals that he rents to. I was burglarized by his tenants and they also burglarized another neighbor, I know this because I have cameras. He bought foreclosed homes on my street and the tenants were free to do their drugs and park their cars halfway in the driveway and they would come out to the car several times a day and night. They even tagged my street. To the credit Desert Hot Springs police they were able to see the tagging and did not report me for reporting it. My house was up on the hill in a nice neighborhood with neighbors that have been there over 20 years I had lived there for 30 years and became a window a few months before he bought the i foreclosures. I was alone and terrified to be in my own home, thanks to Claudio. He would buy the properties and remove all the landscaping, that was a sign he was the owner. If he is allowed to have a vacation rental he will not check any of his tenants backgrounds he won't care he just wants the money and he has a crew to fix any damage they do. This guy is a businessman not a poor home owner. I would suspect he is worth millions and I believe he lives in Brazil. Laura Arellano is the realtor he uses. I am giving you this information anonymously, he still owns properties in my neighborhood. It's up to you if you want to use it. 2 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 1:03 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: message re: STR Blind copied to the City Council From: Shannon Bowman fmailto:shannonsbowman@gmail.coml Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 12:42 PM To: CityhallMail Subject: Good Afternoon, I work with Sullivan's Steakhouse here in Palm Desert. I have been here for 2 years and have had a chance to see our business grow and flourish here in the Desert. A big portion of our business both in and out of season is from guests coming to visit our beautiful city. Not only are they bringing income for those they rent from but they help all of our businesses in the retail and service industry. Short Term Renters are great for us because they are coming in for a short stay with no thought of cooking for themselves but planning on dining out in one of the many fantastic restaurants we have here in Palm Desert. If I am fortunate enough for them to choose Sullivan's and we are able to exceed their expectations we can possibly get them to come in again before they leave or at the very least they will spread the word of what a fantastic time they had with us to all friends that live here and are going to visit. Banning STR is not healthy for the economy, our business and our employee's livelihoods. These renters will go to the other cities nearby and find other spots to dine at that are closer to them. I support enforcement and not a ban. Let us be able to share Palm Desert to everyone. No matter how long or short they want to stay with us. Thank you, Shannon Bowman i Swartz, Kevin From: Anna Deliganis <anna@thestratfordcompany.com> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 11:19 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Moratorium Hello, I am a property owner in Palm Desert who has abided by the rules and regulations and had a permit and paid taxes when we rent our property out as a short term rental. I was distressed and angered to see that not only did the city counsel propose a short term moratorium on short term rentals, but then in the final ordinance it appears to ban them altogether after July 2019. Not only will this directly affect property owners (essentially a taking of income and value) but also the property managers and handy people (all residents of palm desert) who will be out of work. This is short sighted and will directly hurt the residents of palm desert. I am strongly against the proposed ordinance. I would like to know why (and how) the change was made in the final version, resulting in an outright ban. I would also like to know if there are any other ways to appeal this action and if so, what the process would be. Thank you for your help and time, Anna Deliganis 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 11:35 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: NO BAN ON STR Blind copied to the City Council From: Jackie Nugen fmailto:iacavio© omail.comj Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 11:31 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: NO BAN ON STR Good Afternoon, I work with Sullivan's Steakhouse here in Palm Desert. I have been here for 22 years and have had a chance to see our business grow and flourish here in the Desert. A big portion of our business both in and out of season is from guests coming to visit our beautiful city. Not only are they bringing income for those they rent from but they help all of our businesses in the retail and service industry. Short Term Renters are great for us because they are coming in for a short stay with no thought of cooking for themselves but planning on dining out in one of the many fantastic restaurants we have here in Palm Desert. If I am fortunate enough for them to choose Sullivan's and we are able to exceed their expectations we can possibly get them to come in again before they leave or at the very least they will spread the word of what a fantastic time they had with us to all friends that live here and are going to visit. Banning STR is not healthy for the economy, our business and our employee's livelihoods. These renters will go to the other cities nearby and find other spots to dine at that are closer to them. I support enforcement and not a ban. Let us be able to share Palm Desert to everyone. No matter how long or short they want to stay with us. Thank you! Jackie Nugen Swartz, Kevin From: Stanley, Jane Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 11:36 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: FW: Palm Desert STR Ban Blind copied to the City Council From: Erin Russell fmailto:erinrussell08@omaiLcoml Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 11:25 AM To: CityhallMail Subject: Palm Desert To Whom It May Concern: I work with Sullivan's Steakhouse here in Palm Desert. I have been here for 9 months and have had a chance to see our business grow and flourish here in the Desert. A big portion of our business both in and out of season is from guests coming to visit our beautiful city. Not only are they bringing income for those they rent from but they help all of our businesses in the retail and service industry. Short Term Renters are great for us because they are coming in for a short stay with no thought of cooking for themselves but planning on dining out in one of the many fantastic restaurants we have here in Palm Desert. If 1 am fortunate enough for them to choose Sullivan's and we are able to exceed their expectations we can possibly get them to come in again before they leave or at the very least they will spread the word of what a fantastic time they had with us to all friends that live here and are going to visit. Banning STR is not healthy for the economy, our business and our employee's livelihoods. These renters will go to the other cities nearby and find other spots to dine at that are closer to them. I support enforcement and not a ban. Let us be able to share Palm Desert to everyone. No matter how long or short they want to stay with us. Thank you! 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Athena Milis <athenamilis@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 11:40 AM To: Weber, Susan Marie; Nestande, Gina; Swartz, Kevin; Harnik, Jan; Jonathan, Sabby Subject: In Support of Short Term Rentals and Enforcement Hello, I am in favor of enforcement for short term rentals in Palm Desert and not a ban. I put together the video that is showcased in this news segment from last night on KESQ and that I sent to you a few days ago. httn://www.kesu.com/news/short-term-vacation-rental-advocatesrallvtoethcr-in-Halm-dcsert/653795121 Residents, workers, homeowners, retirees, and parents keep sharing their stories with me. The video is currently 8 minutes long but is growing. I would like to differ my time speaking at the November 16th 1st reading to play this video. I can have several others differ their reading in order to play all the voices in their entirety. I will make sure that only the people who can't speak at the meeting are in the video for fairness, so no one gets double time. This video shows how the ban will impact Palm Desert residents personally and it is a testament to just how much short term rentals help our residents and local economy. Also, I would like to propose, (since no one on either side of the issue is in opposition to this idea) lifting the moratorium on casita and room rentals in which the owner is present and occupying the home. This would not require new legislation. It would be a lifting of a moratorium that many, in good faith, were told would have been lifted a few months ago. Please consider extending this olive branch at the November 16th meeting. On a final note, at the share Palm Desert meeting last night, one homeowner investor told us that he just put his six homes on the market and let go of all of his staff, gardeners, housekeepers, and poolman because of the recent vote by the city. These investors have been in limbo for months being told, in good faith, that a ban was not being considered; now they are pulling up stakes and moving out. For those workers, that is their livelihood, that is food on their table, materials for school for their kids, college tuition, their next medical bill. Just that one story compels me to move forward in giving those people a voice. Please let me give them a voice by allowing me to share this video at the November 16th meeting. Most sincerely, Athena Martinez 1 Swartz, Kevin From: Athena Milis <athenamilis@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 11:58 AM To: Swartz, Kevin Subject: Can you forward this e-mail to the planning commission Hello, I am in favor of enforcement for short term rentals in Palm Desert and not a ban. I put together the video that is showcased in this news segment from last night on KESQ. httn://www.kesu.com/news/short-term-vacation-rental-advocatesrallvtogether-in-palm-desert/653795121 Residents, workers, homeowners, retirees, and parents keep sharing their stories with me. The video is currently 8 minutes long but is growing. I would like to differ my time speaking at the November 16th 1st reading to play this video. I can have several others differ their reading in order to play all the voices in their entirety. I will make sure that only the people who can't speak at the meeting are in the video for fairness, so no one gets double time. This video shows how the ban will impact Palm Desert residents personally and it is a testament to just how much short term rentals help our residents and local economy. Also, I would like to propose, (since no one on either side of the issue is in opposition to this idea) lifting the moratorium on casita and room rentals in which the owner is present and occupying the home. This would not require new legislation. It would be a lifting of a moratorium that many, in good faith, were told would have been lifted a few months ago. Please consider extending this olive branch at the November 16th meeting. On a final note, at the share Palm Desert meeting last night, one homeowner investor told us that he just put his six homes on the market and let go of all of his staff, gardeners, housekeepers, and poolman because of the recent vote by the city. These investors have been in limbo for months being told, in good faith, that a ban was not being considered; now they are pulling up stakes and moving out. For those workers, that is their livelihood, that is food on their table, materials for school for their kids, college tuition, their next medical bill. Just that one story compels me to move forward in giving those people a voice. Please let me give them a voice by allowing me to share this video at the November 16th meeting. Most sincerely, Athena Martinez 1 DUNNAWAY, JACKSON, OUELLET & ASSOCIATES AES TRIPLEX November 9, 2017 VIA Courier City of Palm Desert Office of the Mayor 73-510 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, CA, 92260 Attention: Mayor Harnik Dear Mayor Harnik: Re: Short Term Rental Ban in Palm Desert I am an STR permit holder in Palm Desert and I am very concerned about this ordinance and the impact that it will have on the Palm Desert community, the economy of Palm Desert, the city revenues and the property values. Below, I have divided my concerns into categories. I appreciate you taking the time to read this letter and to consider my concerns. Inadequate Notice I have been inundated with calls and emails regarding the lack of sufficient notice given to the STR permit holders regarding this proposed ordinance. Many homeowners who hold STR permits have informed me that had they known of the actual terms of the proposed ordinance, had they known that there was any possibility that STRs might be banned in any form, they would have written and/or attended at the October 26, 2017 meeting. I have written at length about this issue in a letter to the City Attorney that is attached as Exhibit A to this letter. October 26, 2017 Meeting I have reviewed the documentation that was before the City Council as well as viewed the entire video recording of the 6'/2 hour City Council Meeting. I am concerned about the process that resulted in the passing of the motion. MARNIE DUNNAWAY (RETIRED). TRACEY JACKSON*. ALISON OUELLET* & ASSOCIATES BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS 1205-808 Nelson Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 2H2 Telephone: (604) 682-0007 Facsimile: (604) 682-8711 (*denotes personal law corporation) Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 2 Without proper notice to all interested persons of the actual terms of the proposed ordinance, submissions by the public were unfocussed and often times irrelevant. Because the proposed ban on existing STRs in zones RI and R2 was not in the Staff Report, the public did not make focused and meaningful submissions on this particular issue. The motion was proposed very late in the day after over 6 hours of meeting time when all members of the City Council were visibly (and admittedly) fatigued. Mayor Harnik expressed concern that the Council had insufficient information and that she did not feel comfortable doing anything on that day. Other members of the Council expressed a desire to give the new penalties and enforcement tools an opportunity to work before taking further action. • The Council engaged in no discussion of the benefits of ensuring that the City of Palm Desert adopts policies that are in line with other desert communities so as to ensure even similar regulation of STRs across all desert communities to avoid pockets where different rules apply. • The Council engaged in no discussion of the inevitable negative consequences of this Ordinance on the price of housing in the RI and R2 zones of Palm Desert. • The Council engaged in no discussion of the discriminatory nature of the Ordinance against homeowners in just these two zones. • The proposed motion by Council Member Sabby Jonathan, Mayor Pro-Tem was put to a vote very late into the evening without full discussion of the various options that could have been enacted to produce a more measured response. As a result of the lack of proper notice, responsible STR permit holders of Palm Desert were not properly represented at the City Council meeting on October 26, 2017 and were deprived of the proper opportunity to make our perspectives heard by the Council. Proposed Solutions What follows is a series of proposed solutions to the complaints raised by members of the Palm Desert community who are opposed to Short Term Rentals. Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 3 A) Key complaints about STRs are easily resolved by proportionate measures: 1. Eliminate the "party house" by: a) Increasing the minimum stay to 5-7 nights would significantly reduce, if not eliminate the party house. Most STR Owners are compliant and do not want partiers and we know from experience that requiring a longer stay of 7 nights will solve this problem. When renters stay for a week, they are not there to party. When they stay for 2 nights, that is their sole purpose. b) Decreasing the number of extra daytime guests to 2-4 instead of 6. c) Decrease the number of total persons permitted per house to 2 persons per bedroom to a maximum of 12 regardless of the size of the house (eg. Even if it is a 7 or 8 bedroom house, the maximum number is 12) d) Maintaining the higher penalties set out in the Ordinance. e) Disallowing outdoor music after 9pm for all neighbors on weekdays and 10pm on weekends; this cannot only apply to STRs. We disable our outdoor speakers at 1 Opm so that renters cannot play outdoor music after lOpm. We could change the time to 9pm or 8pm on weeknights if that provision were modified. All STR owners could do this. 2. Improve enforcement of the by-laws by: a) Requiring the STR permit holders to belong to a Homeowners' Association (the current STR permit holders in the R1 and R2 zones in Palm Desert will form an HOA) in order to obtain a permit. b) The HOA will be required to provide security to supervise the neighborhoods to ensure compliance with City By-laws. c) The R1 and R2 Palm Desert residents will have to establish their own HOA which HOA will provide security during the evenings and on weekends and holidays to improve enforcement and to act as a first responder to complaints. This will reduce the pressure on the City to Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 4 increase the enforcement officer staffing. This will also improve the response time to any complaints. 3. Improve by-law compliance by the Renter: a) Require STR permit holders to obtain a refundable By -Law Enforcement Deposit of $1000-$1500 [hereinafter the "Deposit" ] for each reservation. This way the Renter will be held responsible for violations, will be more accountable and the fines will be easily enforced. The Renter will be notified in advance that this By-law Deposit will be drawn from to cover any fines levied during that reservation. The Renter will receive a refund of the Deposit if no fines have been issued within 7 days of the departure. b) Require STR permit holders to evict guests who breach the Rental Rules. Anecdotally, we evicted one renter who breached our rental rule by having 20 persons total during the day during Coachella in a house that permitted 12 (although this is allowed by the City By-law, we do not allow extra guests). This renter admitted to having 15 persons sleep at the property. Upon receipt of that information, we immediately instructed our property manager to evict the renter on Saturday morning. We no longer rent during Coachella due to that single incident. That was the one and only complaint we ever received at that property. 4. Maintain the residential neighborhood in a tourist community: a) No neighborhood in any desert city can be property characterized as "residential" because the whole of the desert is a tourist destination with renters permitted everywhere. b) With month -long rentals permitted everywhere, the residential neighborhood feeling is compromised in any event in favour of attracting tourists. Provided that short term renters are well-behaved, there is no difference to the overall neighborhood feeling from a short term or renter or a 28-day renter. The permanent residents of Palm Desert are harkening back to the days when visitors came to the desert for the season of October to April. Those days are virtually non- existent as times have changed. Air travel is less expensive now and people travel more frequently to a variety of places around the world instead of spending the warm season in one location. Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 5 c) If the total number of Short Term Rentals in each neighborhood is capped, this will solve the problem of particular neighborhoods becoming inundated with STRs. This "cap" is what has been adopted on the island of Maui in Hawaii. The Island has not singled out one or two zones and refused to permit STRs, which has a discriminatory effect. Rather, with a limitation on the total number of STRs in each neighborhood, the City can ensure that no one particular area becomes an unintended `tourist rental zone". According to the Study Session, there are 5870 housing units in zones R1 and R2, but only 276 STR permits. This means that under 5% of these zones is taken up by STRs. Maintaining under 10% (total = 587) of these zones as STRs, along with improved regulations and better enforcement would achieve an appropriate balance within the community so as to respect the rights of all residents in zones R1 and R2. This solution is far more equitable than the complete ban as set out in the Ordinance. B) The proposed Ordinance does not achieve its intended results: 5. Different neighbors all the time: a) Banning STRs in zones R1 and R2 does not solve the problem identified by the permanent residents that they do not want "different neighbors" all the time. This proposed draft ordinance allows 28 day rentals which does not satisfy the residents' desire for consistent neighbors. With 28-day rentals that are not governed by the STR rules [hereinafter the "Month -long Renter", the Month -long renter could have different friends or family staying each week. Therefore, the Anti-STR lobby will still experience different neighbors all the time. 6. Restore neighborhoods to the way they were: a) Neighborhoods in Palm Desert will never return to the way they were before the economic crash of 2008-10 [the "Crash"]. During the Crash, neighborhoods such as south Palm Desert were largely abandoned, poorly maintained and empty. In 2010 and the years following, investors revived Palm Desert by purchasing homes in foreclosure or in short sales. These investors then spent hundreds of thousands of dollars improving these homes. In order to attract and retain investors, the desert has to offer investment income as capital gains are virtually non-existent given the flat property values. These investors have improved Palm Desert's housing and business community by bringing much -needed investment dollars to the City. They purchased houses, renovated them, and maintain them at high Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 6 standards to rent them out. Investors have created jobs in construction, materials, paint, pool construction, landscaping, plumbing, electrical, and other trades. These investors then rent out these homes to tourists who bring their vacation dollars to Palm Desert, further injecting money into the economy. The investments made in Short Term Rentals in Palm Desert have benefitted the entire community of Palm Desert, not just the short term property owners. Many property owners in Palm Desert are not "making money" from their investments, but are able to continue with the investment because of the income earned from Short Term Rentals. b) There may be no more "neighborhood" in zones R1 and R2 if this ordinance passes as STR homeowners in zones R1 and R2 will sell their properties. Permitting only month -long rentals provides inadequate income to most homeowners of second homes to cover the costs of ownership. Accordingly, there will be an onslaught of homes for sale with insufficient demand as the investors who wish to purchase will not do so in the desert where they cannot earn an income. House prices in R1 and R2 will fall which will negatively impact all residents in those same zones. Tourist dollars will disappear, having moved to other communities where the benefits of Short Term Rentals are understood by the residents. Instead of a Short Term Rental, the permanent residents of Palm Desert will have empty houses next to them, no tourists and eventually, a depressed El Paseo with few shops and restaurants. c) Many neighborhoods within the R1 and R2 zones do not have a "residential", or "neighborly" feel in any event as they are in close proximity to El Paseo, to R3 high -density residential, to hospitals or other commercial services. The residents in many parts of the R1 and R2 zones could not expect a purely residential experience given the tourist, and commercial nature of Palm Desert and its economy. 7. Zones R1 and R2 are designed for Residential use: a) The proposed Ordinance does not restrict homeowners in zones R1 and R2 to "Residential Use": • 28-day rentals are permitted from which homeowners are permitted to earn additional income from their residences; Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 7 • 2-night rentals are permitted within a home for every night of the year and for every bedroom in a home except the owners' bedroom, thereby allowing homeowners earn additional income from their residences; If zones R1 and R2 were truly restricted to residential use and if that is the rationale for the ban on STRs in those zones, then allowing the above -noted income -earning mechanisms is entirely inconsistent with this rationale. 8. Party House: Banning STRS in zones R1 and R2 as this ordinance proposes does nothing to eliminate the "party house". All planned residential communities will continue to have STRs. Party houses are eliminated by increase fines for noise violations and by-law infractions, by increasing the minimum rental period to 4-7 nights, by increasing the minimum age for all renters to 28 years (except children), by prohibiting outside music after 9pm on weeknights, and by increasing enforcement of these regulations. In Indian Wells, when the 7-day minimum rental period was enacted, it was successful in stopping party houses. C} The proposed Ordinance does not address the problem of the "nuisance complaint": We have received unreasonable complaints by neighbors who have made it very clear that they do not like STRs. One neighbor complained because she could hear children playing in the pool during the day. Another complained because of noisy (brand new) pool equipment that was specifically permitted by the City. We are of the view that unnecessary and irrational complaints should also be fined so that they are discouraged. Palm Desert is a resort city and tourists keep its economy going. Permanent residents have elected to reside in a resort community. All persons residing in a community must adopt a level of tolerance for the normal noise that arises from the reasonable enjoyment of a home and property. For those who do not wish to tolerate normal usage, there are remote areas in which they can reside that are secluded from other persons and properties. We all have to have a respect for the day to day lives of other people. In Rancho Mirage, nuisance complainants are fined; the same policy should be adopted in Palm Desert. ' Community Development Director David Gassaway, City of Indian Wells, as quoted in "With `party houses' under control, Indian Wells removes pending ban against vacation rentals", by Sherry Barkas, The Desert Sun. Sept. 22, 2017 Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 8 D) The Ordinance will have unintended negative conseauences for the whole City of Palm Desert and its residents. 10. Decrease in property values in South Palm Desert. a) All of the STR permit holders who I have spoken to since this Ordinance passed first reading have informed me that they will have no option but to sell their residences. This will mean that over the next 18 months, south Palm Desert will experience a significantly increased number of houses on the market. Such an influx of inventory will have a negative effect on the value of all properties in the South Palm Desert residential area. The very people who are complaining about the STRs will experience a decrease in the value of their properties. In my submission it is the obligation of the City Council to recognize the inevitability of this negative consequence and to reject any Ordinance that will cause a decrease in the property values. The desert has just recovered from the mortgage crisis of 2008 and should not suffer another economic downturn. b) The ability to obtain an STR permit is a selling feature for a property - owner. Property purchasers in a tourist area such as all the desert cities wish to have the flexibility to be able to rent out their properties to supplement their incomes and to cover their costs. With the prohibition on short term rentals, purchasers will choose other areas on the desert over South Palm Desert so that they can exercise a full range of rental options and so that they will maintain their resale value of their homes. They will buy in Rancho Mirage or Palm Springs, where they can be close to commercial amenities while enabling them to rent their properties for 1-2 weeks at a time in between their personal use. Ultimately, this Ordinance will result in a decrease in property values just in the R1 and R2 zones. c) In essence, South Palm Desert will become an enclave of undesirable properties. I am confident that the residents who are now complaining about the STRs would much prefer to have well -regulated STRs operated by responsible homeowners rather than to have empty houses next door and to suffer a significant and enduring decline in their property value. 11. Decrease to business revenue in South Palm Desert: a) Vacation renters who wish to stay in homes close to shops and restaurants will stay in other desert cities such as Palm Springs and spend their money there. The businesses along El Paseo will suffer economic losses and many may close down as a result. In the last recession, El Paseo had innumerable Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 9 retail vacancies. It looked undesirable. It was salvaged by the injection of capital into the region by new homeowners who purchased second homes to enjoy and to rent out. Those same residents of Palm Desert who are complaining about STRs do not see the benefits that STRs brought to the entire community of Palm Desert. Without the STRs, purchasers would have gone elsewhere to buy (as they now will) and El Paseo would have suffered. Without the STRs in zones R1 and R2, there is no question that the businesses along El Paseo will suffer losses. All the residents of Palm Desert will suffer in turn as a result. b) STRs bring summertime revenue to businesses. We rent our properties throughout the year and for approximately 8 weeks on average during the summer months. The renters are families coming to stay in South Palm Desert for their summer vacation. They shop along El Paseo and provide much -needed revenues to the businesses in the off-season while the permanent residents have left town. These renters will take their business to Palm Springs with this Ordinance in place. 12. Unfair Discriminatory impact of the Ordinance in 2 zones: a) While City Council member Sabbv Jonathan. Mayor Pro Tem, was content with the proposed ban in zones R1 and R2 as "80% of the STRs" in Palm Desert were maintained, the fact is that the proposed Ordinance unfairly discriminates against homeowners in R1 and R2 zones. If these zones are the location of the majority of the complaints, then the solution is to take steps to eliminate the cause of those complaints with regulations and enforcement instead of unfairly discriminating against the homeowners in zones 1 and 2 by completely disallowing STRs. The Ordinance is a disproportionate and discriminatory action taken in an effort to appease permanent residents who refused to accept the many practical solutions that have been proffered. Noise problems and party houses can be virtually eliminated by other means set out above (4-7 night minimums, improved security, renter deposits, and density limits on total number of STR permits per neighborhood). These solutions are proportionate and remove the unfair discrimination in this ordinance. The City needs consistent application of its laws throughout to avoid challenges on discrimination grounds. 13. Loss of employment to Palm Desert workers: a) We have made significant improvements to our properties in south Palm Desert, and we maintain them in exceptionally beautiful condition as do most STR owners. There is no question that our financial contribution to the Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 10 community of Palm Desert has been positive and significant; we have increased the value of the homes in our areas by improving our property. The whole community benefits from this. We employ several desert residents such as gardeners, pool maintenance workers, electricians, plumbers, painters, handymen, craftsmen, tilers and the like to keep our properties well - maintained. If this Ordinance were to be passed, many of these workers will be unemployed. This will also be the case for all workers at the 276 STR homes in zones R1 and R2. E) We are Responsible Short Term Rental Owners: Having operated STR houses for the past 5 years in South Palm Desert, we have gained valuable experience in how to avoid problematic renters and neighbor complaints. Here are a few of the policies that we have adopted that we strongly believe are responsible for our problem -free rentals, our 300 5-star ratings, our repeat customers and our lack of neighbor complaints: a) We have a property manager who has worked with us for 5 years who personally greets every single renter and shows them around the property. He has a list of who is staying, the number of persons and the ages so that he can ensure the group matches the contract. b) Our property manager resides in Palm Desert and is available at all times to address any concerns. He calls us if there is a problem and we are responsive immediately. c) Our property manager checks on the property immediately upon the departure of the guest. d) We have a 7-night minimum rental period for most of the year. When we have days left in between reservations, we permit shorter rentals of 4 nights. On the rare occasion, we will permit 3 nights, but only to a family. e) We require a completed and signed rental contract from each renter that sets out the full names and ages of all persons staying at the property. This enables us to deal with any misrepresentations about the number of guests or their ages right from the outset. f) We have a minimum age for the renter and all persons in the rental party to be at least 28 years of age unless they are children travelling with parents. Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 11 g) We specifically state on our listings and our contract that "this is not a party house". We specifically inform the renter that they can be evicted for breaches of the rental rules. h) We attach stringent rental rules to our contract. They are stricter than the Palm Desert Short Term Rental Rules. (no extra guests without written permission) i) We disallow special events of any kind. 1) We disable the outside speakers at 10pm and we inform the renter of this prior to entering into the rental contract. k) We specifically state in our rental contract, on our listings and inside the house with signs that there is to be No outside noise after 10pm. I) We send every renter a copy of the Good Neighbor Policy. m) We post a copy of the Good Neighbor Policy at the property on a bulletin board. n) We specifically state in our rental contract that our property manager is permitted to attend at the property for inspection purposes. o) We specify the noise by-laws and the parking by-laws in our Rental Rules that are attached to every rental contract. F) We are Respectful of the Permanent Residents of Palm Desert: I am a homeowner and a resident in Vancouver, BC, Canada. I also own a rental home in Whistler, BC. I know what it's like to have good neighbors and bad neighbors. I have been a homeowner since 1996 and I appreciate the concerns that the permanent residents raised regarding problem neighbors and unwanted changes to their neighborhood. a) I have had my fair share of problem neighbors over the years, but they were long-term renters or homeowners themselves, not short term renters. If you are living next door to a problem neighbor who rents on a full-time basis, it is virtually impossible to remove that renter due to protections from residential tenancy acts. If you are living next door to an incorrigible neighbor who has parties all the time, or who smokes on the porch, or who does not maintain their house and garden nicely, or who has bad taste, you have to tolerate Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 12 them! However, the benefit of short term renters is that if they are problematic, they are there for a short time and your annoyance will be over soon enough. b) We all experience changes to our neighborhoods about which we may not be particularly enthusiastic. However, as humans, we have to understand and appreciate that change occurs and that we cannot remain stagnant. We need to learn to understand the changes that are occurring, learn from them and decipher ways to best accommodate and even benefit from that change. In Vancouver, we too have experienced significant change in our communities. I own a home in a very established, traditional residential neighborhood in Vancouver with old beautiful character homes. In the last decade, virtually every new resident to our area is of Chinese descent. The inundation of the Chinese buyers in my neighborhood has dramatically changed its character. These new buyers have torn down many of the old beautiful homes and built unattractive large homes that do not suit the neighborhood. In addition, the Chinese culture is very different from the culture that had existed in this neighborhood for decades previously which is a change for us. Instead of opposing the influx of the Chinese people and culture in our neighborhood, we have tried to be open-minded. We have learned from them, tried to understand their cultural practices and opened our minds to them. Moreover, we have understood that we must be grateful to these newcomers as they have invested millions of dollars into our community which benefits all of us. While we liked our traditional neighborhood before, we understand and appreciate the benefits that change brings. c) The shared economy is here to stay. Every other city in the desert is passing by-laws to regulate the STRs in recognition of this reality. This Ordinance will create an undesirable enclave in south Palm Desert, in zones RI and R2 where homeowners will not share the same benefits of flexibility to supplement their incomes as do their neighbors in planned residential communities. No other city has made the mistake of creating such an enclave that will become undesirable because of the prohibition on STRs. G) City Council must infringe on the rights of homeowners to the minimum extent possible: a) The permanent residents of Palm Desert who are opposed to STRs are considering their own interests rather than the interests of all residents, homeowners, business owners in Palm Desert. In a tourist -based economy that has seen serious economic downturns, it is imperative that City Council consider the economic interests of the City as a whole and not heed only the interests of Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 13 one group of discontent residents. While the City Council must respect the concerns raised by these residents to the extent that they are real and accurate, it is the responsibility of the City Council to implement measures to rectify problems that infringe on the rights of homeowners to the minimum extent possible. This ordinance is disproportionate to the problems identified. b) The problems arising from short-term rentals are not as serious as long-term residents might suggest. In fact, in 2016, only 72 complaints were received in all of Palm Desert which had 1208 registered STRs. Here is the breakdown:2 Complaint Number Noise during Coachella & Desert Trip 28 Parking violations 9 Trash left in public view 2 Over -occupancy 12 Failure to pay TOT 114 Lack of Permit 14 Unfounded 113 The table above demonstrates that the "problems" associated with short term rentals are minor and easily solved with improved regulations and better enforcement. To ban short term rentals in zones R1 and R2 in the face of the minimal number of complaints, is entirely disproportionate. The City Council ought not to infringe on the rights of all homeowners throughout the City of Palm Desert any more than is absolutely necessary to achieve the desired objective. In the case of regulating STRs, the desired objective of minimizing the potential disruption on neighbors can be achieved by improved regulations and enhanced enforcement. In summary, I am very concerned about the economic impact of the proposed Ordinance on the City of Palm Desert and its residents. Some of the City Council members expressed an interest in giving the improved enforcement tools an opportunity to work over a period of time before taking the drastic step of disallowing STRs in the City of Palm Desert zones R1 and R1. 2 Code Compliance Supervisor for the City of Palm Desert, Pedro Rodriguez, as quoted in "Palm Desert extends moratorium on new vacation rentals", by Sherry Barkas, The Desert Sun, Feb. 24, 2017. Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 14 Rather than taking such an extreme measure that is unfairly discriminatory and a disproportionate punitive step that was admittedly made in a rush and without the benefit of full information, I wish to urge the City Council to move slowly and cautiously. I will be urging the Council to reject this ordinance and to enact better enforcement and regulations to manage the Short Term Rentals that benefit all of Palm Desert. I thank you for taking the time to read my lengthy submissions. Yours truly, Tracey L. Jackson B.A., LL.B., LL.M. Encl. Swartz, Kevin From: Kerry Roach <roach.kerry@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, November 10, 2017 3:26 PM To: Swartz, Kevin Cc: Mc Culloch Nancy Subject: STR Dear City Council members and Associates, We, the citizens of Palm Desert have been suffering the abuses of commercial businesses in our residential neighborhoods since STRs were allowed to proliferate. Knowing there is an end in sight, and the ordinance being put in place to address the problems that exist, gives us something to look forward to. Thank you for giving us this light at the end of the tunnel! We are very grateful for your insight, when you declared a moratorium, to study the problems Short Term Rentals cause. We appreciate all the hard work that has gone into finding a solution. We are happy to compromise the allowance of owner occupied STRs, and STRs in the city's planned, designated areas. We do not begrudge commerce, or our neighbors supplementing their incomes. We too want what is in Palm Desert's best interest. As impossible as it is to please everyone involved, we believe your solution to keep commercial businesses in the correctly zoned areas of our city is appropriate, and just. We appreciate visitors of Palm Desert, and will continue as we always have, to welcome them to our hotels, our 30 day rentals, and our owner occupied short term rentals, knowing most of us were once visitors ourselves. We are most grateful that you are not caving into the special interests of outside investors, that care only for their immediate needs, and are not thinking as you are, of the long term effects; STRs destroy neighborhoods, and eventually the cities that once supported them. Thank you for affirming that neighborhoods are for neighbors! We appreciate the care and concern you have shown your constituents. It will not be forgotten! Thank youususususus Kerry Roach Ca1BRE: 01993352 roach.kerrv@gmail.com 1.760.902.6563 1.760.660.6445 F Windermere Homes & Estates 73-725 El Paseo Palm Desert CA 92260 i 41 44 4/ DUNNAWAY, JACKSON, OUELLET & ASSOCIATES AES TRIPLEX November 9, 2017 VIA email and courier City of Palm Desert 73-510 Waring Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260 Attention: Citv Attorney Dear Mr. Robert Hargreaves: Re: Citv Council Ordinance No. 1332 I write to express my concern regarding the lack of effective notice provided to the public regarding the above -noted Ordinance. I am a Short Term Rental Permit holder in Palm Desert. I have been checking the Palm Desert City website [hereinafter the "City Website"] somewhat regularly for updates regarding the regulation of Short Term Rental Permits in Palm Desert. On the Short Term Rental page of the City Website, until a few days after October 26, 2017, the only draft ordinance that was uploaded was the Ad Hoc Committee Recommendation [hereinafter the "Ad Hoc Draft"] that proposed a buffer zone in between Short Term Rentals. • At no time before the October 26, 2017 City Council Meeting [hereinafter the "October Meeting"] was "Version Two" of the draft Ordinance (Staff -Amended Recommended Alternative) [hereinafter "Version Two"] ever uploaded to the STR page of the City Website. • At no time before the October Meeting was the "Sunset Clause" banning existing STRs in zones R1 and R2 ever uploaded to the City Website. • At no time before the October Meeting was any legal notice posted on the City Website providing the public with notice of the draft proposals that would be considered for approval by the City Council. As a result of the foregoing lack of current and complete information on the City Website, and despite regularly checking it, I had no knowledge that either Version Two or the Sunset Clause proposals were even in contemplation. In mid -October, I checked the Short Term Rental page and saw that no new proposed ordinances were uploaded. I therefore concluded that there was no need for me to attend at the public hearing on October 26, 2017 as the proposed ordinance MARNIE DUNNAWAY*. TRACEY JACKSON*. ALISON OUELLET* & ASSOCIATES BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS 1205-808 Nelson Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 2H2 Telephone: (604) 682-0007 Facsimile: (604) 682-8711 (*denotes personal law corporation) Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 2 that was posted on the STR page of the City Website seemed reasonable and acceptable to me. When I received news of the passing of the ban in zones R1 and R2 at the October Meeting, which news was provided to me through a fellow STR permit holder in Palm Desert through VRBO, I had my staff scour the Palm Desert City Website and print up everything related to this issue. They did so on or about October 31, 2017 and located the following documents of interest: • The Legal Notice of October 14, 2017. It was not posted on the City Website but was found buried under the October Meeting date; was not easy to find. It does not refer to any specific draft ordinance or attach any draft ordinances. The Comment Period had passed. Mr. Swartz confirmed to me that this Legal Notice was not posted on the City Website until after the October Meeting. I query how any person could have commented upon Version Two or the Sunset Clause when no notice was provided anywhere of either of these two proposals during the Comment Period? • The Bullet Points document. This was a summary of a meeting between the Mayor and the Mayor Pro-Tem dated October 20, 2017 and contains the first and only time the "phase -out" of existing STRs in zones R1 and R2 is mentioned in any documentation. Mr. Swartz confirmed to me that this "Bullet Point" document was not posted on the City Website until after the October Meeting. The effect of the lack of proper notice of the proposed terms that were under consideration is that persons appearing before the City Council did not focus their submissions on the ban of STRs in zones R1 and R2 as contained in Version Two or the Sunset Clause. I now realize that the reason the City Council did not hear submissions on Version Two or the Sunset Clause is because the public did not know that City Council was considering these two provisions. In my respectful submission, the homeowners of Palm Desert were not provided with adequate notice of the actual proposed terms of the ordinance that was ultimately passed on first reading at the very end of the October Meeting. While it may be that the general subject matter of Short Term Rentals was on the agenda, the homeowners have the right to know the specific terms that the City is considering for approval. No notice was provided of those specific terms. Mr. Swartz informed me that the City Council will be treating the November Meeting on November 16, 2017 as a "first reading" because the ordinance was modified at the October Meeting. In my submission, to deem the November Meeting as a "first reading" will further perpetuate the lack of proper notice that has been provided to the public regarding the specific terms the City is considering for approval. In the usual process, the public has received a "legal notice" informing them of the specifics of the ordinance that the City is considering for approval, and the public has a period of at least 10 days for "public comment". If the November Meeting is held as "first reading" meeting, the public will have once again been deprived of the proper legal notice and the proper public comment period regarding the specific terms of the proposed ordinance. This deprivation contravenes principles of due process and natural justice. I urge the City to adopt a process that ensures the public is provided with proper and effective notice with a full opportunity to be heard by City Council before voting on any proposed ordinance. The proper process should be as follows: Dunnaway, Jackson, Ouellet & Associates November 9, 2017 Page 3 1. Distribute a Legal Notice of the new draft Ordinance 1332 in a manner that is designed to reach interested persons. The Legal Notice should be published in the Desert Sun, posted clearly on the City Website on the Short Term Rentals page, and sent to every Short Term Rental permit holder in Palm Desert. 2. Provide a "public comment period" for the required amount of time to provide an opportunity to everybody to read and comment on the new draft Ordinance; 3. Hold a City Council Meeting that is a public hearing where interested persons can make submissions to City Council regarding this new draft Ordinance. The foregoing steps would ensure that the public has effective notice and would thereby comply with both the letter and the spirit of the Brown Act. As you are aware, the "Public Review" of any approved ordinance is limited to issues raised at the public hearing or made during the "public comment period". If the City proceeds with consideration of the new draft Ordinance without following the process outlined herein, it may unfairly deprive persons who had no proper notice of Version Two or the Sunset Clause of the ability to challenge the new draft Ordinance in court if the City Council adopts it. For all of the foregoing reasons, I strongly urge the City to provide to all interest persons in Palm Desert a fair, proper and effective notice of the specific terms of any proposed ordinances on this difficult subject of Short Term Rental Permits. Thank you for your consideration of this matter. Yours truly, Tracey L. Jackson (BA, LL.B., LL.M.) cc. Mr. Kevin Swartz, Associate Planner