Last week, supporters of Big Lodging put an anonymous flyer in some mailboxes downtown. In an attempt to incite fear over imaginary crimes, they committed an actual crime: It is illegal to place flyers in a mailbox. First, let’s correct some misinformation in the flyers. Short-term rentals (STRs) are not very different from long-term rentals in that they are a residential use, not a commercial use. People use short-term rentals to sleep, make breakfast, watch television, check their e-mail, etc., just like people in long-term rentals. In Wilmington, STRs are NOT generally investor or business owned. They are generally owned by North Carolinians who may live in Wilmington or want to retire to Wilmington. They may be part of a multi-family residence with the owner in one of the units, or an apartment over a garage with the owner in the main home. They may be a home that the owner has previously lived in, but does not want to rent-long term, because they want it available for visiting family. Or the owner may live and work in Raleigh or Charlotte and has purchased the home for their own vacation use and as part of their retirement plan. STRs do not detract from the “neighborhood atmosphere” any more than long-term rentals where the tenants work long hours or otherwise do not participate in many neighborhood activities. Short-term tenants are often relocating to Wilmington. They get to know many of the other families in the neighborhood and form lasting bonds with them. Your property values will likely go UP, not down, with an STR next door versus a long-term tenant. Long-term rentals, may have piles of trash and debris next to the dumpsters that nobody bothers to take to the curb, but STR owners keep their properties in pristine condition. Why? STR clients rate properties online, and no owner wants to risk a poor review because of the condition of the property. Then there is the bald-faced lie, “STRs will make your property potentially harder to sell as real estate agents must disclose to potential buyers if an STR is next door.” That is simply pants-on-fire false. Fear mongering about parking, noise, and crime are simply that. There are no data that show any of these assertions to be true. Not every family wants to stay in a commercial-district hotel or in a bed and breakfast. Some families enjoy staying with a host; others do not. Some enjoy eating out every meal; others do not. Some enjoy having a whole home to themselves, with the ability to feel comfortable with their children and pets, and with the ability to cook a holiday meal for a military service member or a student at UNCW. Asheville is not at all like Wilmington. Asheville has an affordable housing crisis; Wilmington does not. Asheville has had a 30-day minimum rental period for years; Wilmington has not. There are many cities much more comparable to Wilmington, including Myrtle Beach and New Bern, which do not regulate short-term-rentals and enjoy the economic prosperity they bring. The Wilmington City Council needs to hear from all of us who want to preserve our neighborhoods and economic prosperity. What you can do 1. Send an e-mail or letter to the City Council. Tell the City Council that you support short-term rentals in all zoning districts with no minimum stay. Email: council@wilmingtonnc.gov Subject: “I Support Short-Term Rentals in All Zoning Districts” Some potential talking points: Concern that the City is taking away private property rights Concern that the City is limiting economic and job growth Concern that the City is catering to special interests (Big Lodging and wealthy donors) rather than the interests of working class citizens 2. Plan on attending the public hearing when it is scheduled. Please join us in keeping Wilmington prosperous.