At the Town Board in May 2019, due to complaints from some citizens living in the Town of Cazenovia the ability to rent one's home short-term was eliminated.  The new code requires that the owner must be present in the home and operate as a bed and breakfast rather then a typical VRBO or AirBNB.  The paragraph below  is from the Town of Cazenovia Code and reflects the change:

BED-AND-BREAKFAST, Owner-Occupied Transient Lodging
A specially permitted use occurring in an existing one-family dwelling
operated by the permanent resident(s) of the dwelling who is also on-site,
present, and sleeping overnight within the residence while providing short-term overnight lodging to transient guests, with no meal other than
breakfast meals offered to such guests. Such presence by the homeowner
shall be continuous during the night-time hours (7:30 p.m. - 7:30 a.m.) to
ensure appropriate oversight of the Bed-and-Breakfast establishment and
guests. A Bed-and-Breakfast must be the primary residence of the
owner(s)/proprietor(s) and comply with the requirements of Section 165-
69. It is the intent of the use of a Bed-and-Breakfast to maintain the 
residential character of the primary use of the premises as a dwelling by
the titled owner and to limit deleterious impacts such as noise, traffic,
excessive parking and other impacts. See also “Owner Occupied
Transient Occupancy Lodging

This petition proposes a change in aforementioned code to allow for short-term rentals, with parameters that do not require the owner be present when guests are renting their home.

As someone who once benefitted greatly from renting out my home during the times I was traveling, I urge you to reconsider the stipulations in Code165-69 Bed and Breakfast Establishment/owner-occupied transient occupancy lodging. The ability to rent my home occasionally provided me with a supplemental income that was instrumental in handling my property taxes, maintenance, and repair costs. A study by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs found that 80% of Airbnb hosts in New York use their income to help afford their homes (UCLA, 2015).

My experience has shown guests to be extremely respectful towards both my home and neighborhood. 95% of guests had ties to Cazenovia or surrounding communities, either family, close friends or children attending colleges in the area.. Many were visiting loved ones, attending a graduation, a wedding or a family reunion. Guests contributed to our local economy by engaging with our town's attractions such as the restaurants, shopping, nature, and art available. They enjoy the homelike convenience and ability to gather together that vacation or short-term rentals like VRBO or Airbnb offer and often return for more.

I, as I am sure many of you do, prefer an Airbnb or VRBO over a hotel room for reasons such as access to a kitchen, multiple bedrooms, and a gathering area for friends and family to enjoy a meal, game night or conversation whilst traveling.

Stipulations restricting parking, noise, parties, number of guests are all reasonable and fully supported. The character of our town and neighborhoods is naturally paramount for all residents in Cazenovia.

I propose a modification in Code165-69 to allow short-term rentals of an owner's entire home or part of the home if they choose to do so at some point in their home ownership. This amendment would enhance the financial stability of homeowners like myself, inject life into our local economy, and showcase the best our town offers to guests.

Please stand with homeowners and the local economy. Sign this petition to urge the relevant authorities to modify Code165-69 and allow for short-term home rentals.