2026-10-22 - Legislation Committee

12:27uh so would you take your phones out

12:30please and put them on vibrate or on

12:34silent I don't see anyone moving

12:38or not doing it

12:40so if your phone rings I'm going to ask

12:42you to step out

12:45okay

12:47so phones on vibrate or on site pilot,

12:50please.

12:52And that goes for us two up here. Right

12:54above my eyes now. Yes, sir.

12:57>> Um, we have we have two items up for

13:00tonight. We'll hear the first item,

13:03which shouldn't take a lot of time, and

13:07then we'll go to our second item. I have

13:10a suspicion that most of you are here

13:12for the second item this evening. There

13:14are signup sheets in the back. Where did

13:18Mr. So, I think there is one [cough]

13:21that is or is on the sidewall there

13:24>> underneath one of those mayors.

13:28>> There should be one for in favor

13:31and then another for those that are

13:33opposing.

13:35And so, what we'll attempt to do

13:39um is go back and forth so that we can

13:42hear

13:43uh from everyone tonight. you'll all

13:46have three minutes to testify

13:51and um and we're going to be real tight

13:55with that three minutes and so uh we're

13:59not [clears throat] going to have any

14:00grace with that because we have a lot of

14:01people that want to testify. If your

14:04testimony has already been said, um you

14:07don't have to come and say the same

14:08thing again, [clears throat] but you can

14:10certainly come and say that you agree

14:11with all that's been said so that we can

14:13extradite time. In this sense, I'm not

14:15limiting anyone. If you want to repeat

14:18yourself, repeat what's been said,

14:20you're more than welcome to. Um, that's

14:23your right. It's the public hearing and

14:25we intend to be there and impartial as

14:30we are listening. I'm going to ask the

14:32committee members unless it is

14:34absolutely

14:35dire

14:37um that we are not going to I'm not

14:39going to ask if there's any questions

14:41from committee members um unless you

14:44really have something you want to ask

14:45then of course that would be your

14:47liberty but we'll just call each one as

14:50they're coming so that we can get as

14:52much testimony in as possible.

14:57Okay, having giving Oh, I should also

15:00mention um I saw some pizza. No one

15:02thought to bring us a slice. Uh but I

15:06will just remind everyone that there is

15:08no eating in chambers and so if you

15:12don't have pizza and you don't want to

15:14provoke us to more hunger, then please

15:16eat your pizza or whatever you have

15:18outside of chambers. It' be greatly

15:21appreciated. Okay, with that, are we

15:23ready, Mr. Lucas?

15:24>> We are so much. This is all the public

15:26testimony that we received. So just so

15:30>> Yep.

15:32Okay. Um I will begin by reading the

15:35notice and then we will introduce

15:39uh

15:42either we'll call the senators to come

15:43forward.

15:46I should do that first, shouldn't I? Or

15:47the marsh.

15:50I'm calling the meeting officially to

15:52order. All right. Board of Alders notice

15:55New Haven. The legislative legislation

15:57committee of the board of alers will

15:59meet in person on Thursday, October

16:0122nd, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. in the Board of

16:04Chambers located at 165 Church Street,

16:08second floor, New Haven, Connecticut to

16:10hear and act on the following items. 1

16:13R-2026-000036

16:19Ordinance amendment of the New Haven

16:20Board of Orders to the City of New Haven

16:23Code of Ordinances Title 5 Section

16:2529-118

16:28Municipal Towers List 20 R-2026-000039

16:36Ordinance amendment of the New Haven

16:37Board of Alers to the City of New Haven

16:40Code of Ordinances establishing a

16:42short-term rental license program

16:45for order per order honorable Richard

16:48Furrow chair attest honorable Michael

16:50Smart city town clerk these items are on

16:53file and available in the office of

16:54legislative services city hall 165

16:57church street second floor New Haven

16:59Connecticut 06510

17:02for accessibility related accommodations

17:04please call 2039467651

17:08voice or 2039468528

17:1128 TTY TDD. Public comment testimony may

17:16also be submitted via email to public

17:19testimony at new havenct.gov

17:22before 2 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

17:25This meeting may be viewed on the New

17:27Haven Board of Alders YouTube page.

17:31Having read the agenda for tonight, um

17:34I'll ask all this to introduce

17:35themselves starting to my right, please.

17:38>> Thank you, Majority Leader. Alder Con

17:41Rodriguez, W 6. Good evening, major

17:43leader. Evelyn Rodriguez, Ward 4.

17:48Alder Morrison, W 22,

17:51>> and vice chair.

17:53>> Richard Furler, W 27, committee chair.

17:56>> Adam Marshand, W 25.

17:58>> Good morning, good evening,

18:00>> Mr. Chair and everybody else. Amy Marks,

18:02W 26.

18:03>> Thank you.

18:04>> Elias Theodore, Ward One.

18:06>> I didn't see you there. [laughter]

18:08>> Thank you. Thank you committee for uh

18:11colleagues for coming this evening. Uh

18:14and [clears throat] we'll call the

18:16presenters of our first item.

18:24And if you would give your name and

18:27address for the record. Have anything

18:30for us?

18:32>> No. Um to be respectful of time, we're

18:34going to try to keep it short and sweet.

18:36>> We love it. Rebecca, 152 West Track

18:38Avenue.

18:40>> And you can um Oh, you can just slip the

18:42microphone in front of you.

18:49>> Name and address.

18:50>> Uh Haley Simpson, um 93 Street, New

18:53Haven, Connecticut 065.

18:56>> Ryan McDerman, New Haven Police

18:58Department, one Union Avenue.

19:00>> Officer Dan Harden Police Department.

19:03>> Thank you. You have the floor. Uh so

19:05we're here tonight to talk to you about

19:07snow. So the ordinance before you is

19:10actually something uh that we've come to

19:12you with as an effort to improve our

19:15snow operations. Um as part of our

19:18continuous improvement, uh we're looking

19:20at ways to enhance our ability to

19:22enforce the parking ban during

19:24snowstorms. Um the goal is always to

19:28balance uh economic activity and

19:31convenience for residents against

19:33safety. um and um the snowman, right? Uh

19:38you don't want to put it into effect too

19:39early. Um but you also don't want to put

19:41it into effect too late. And one way to

19:44help balance that is to increase our

19:46capacity to tow for the snowbank

19:49quickly. Um so looking at that, we

19:51realized we need additional capacity. Uh

19:54so we're here for you today um to update

19:57the ordinance that governs the municipal

20:00tow list. One to reflect the current

20:02state. um recognizing that not every

20:05tower has the ability to have a lot with

20:07100 people. Um by clarifying this and

20:11lowering it to 50, um it opens up

20:13additional towers that might be able to

20:16participate. And by creating a second

20:18list, so this list would not be used for

20:20our daily operations, but would only be

20:23used for a mass tow operation where we

20:25have determined there's not sufficient

20:26capacity on the existing list to

20:29complete that toe. um a list that has

20:32greater flexibility and would allow for

20:35towers or tow trucks from outside the

20:37city limits still within a five mile

20:39radius. So realistically, you wouldn't

20:43necessarily be going any further if you

20:44lived on the Hampton border if you're

20:47going to a tow truck company right

20:49across the border in Hampton than you

20:51would be to going to the tow lot in the

20:53hill, right? You're closer on that line

20:56to something even though it's outside of

20:58the city. And again, that would only be

21:00used in the case of a mass tow

21:02operation. This basically would allow us

21:07multiplier of possibly 10 times the

21:10number of trucks we currently have

21:11available to us and triple the amount of

21:14capacity we have to tow cars to those

21:17lots. Again, we'd prefer not to tow any

21:20cars, right? The goal is to have

21:22compliance and to have vehicles off the

21:24road so our plows can get in, do a good

21:27job, and make sure our emergency

21:29responders um can make it to people in

21:32the case of an emergency. Um so with

21:35that, happy to answer any questions you

21:37might have. I've got PD, which maintains

21:40the list and does the enforcement, and

21:42then TTMP, uh who issue all of the

21:45tickets along with PD during our snow

21:48emergencies.

21:50questions from committee members. Thank

21:51you for your presentation.

22:02>> Yep. Just wait a moment.

22:11>> Vice chair. [clears throat]

22:12>> So my question is just in regard, you

22:16know, the tone around here is for tow

22:20people are mean and not good to our

22:23residents at all. And so anytime I see

22:27anything about tow trucks and all of

22:30that, I it it it makes me nervous. And

22:33so is this only going to be used during

22:36snow time or is this

22:41a a ordinance you want to change make

22:42changes to this ordinance

22:45be?

22:46>> So the time this ordinance exists

22:48already. What this does is update it uh

22:51to add a secondary list to only be used

22:54in mass tow operations where there's not

22:56existing capacity. What the current

22:58ordinance does do is have a complaint

23:00form uh that must be available at all

23:02towers and whenever somebody requests it

23:05is available through the PD. Uh there is

23:07a appeals process if you have a bad

23:10experience. Um actually officer Hartnet

23:12is signed to our tow desk and mediates

23:15those quite frequently. Um, so there is

23:17a recourse for those that have those bad

23:19experiences and there is a way if there

23:21are a lot of complaints about a specific

23:23tower for the police chief ores

23:26uh to remove somebody from that list.

23:28[snorts]

23:30So only when there's mass. So the mass

23:33to um so the mass toll is what I guess

23:38I'm just looking at is it's just during

23:39snow time or any time like if you have

23:42to tow 100 cars out of IKEA I don't know

23:46you would go and use this mass this

23:48mesh.

23:50>> So a 100 cars is something we do during

23:52parades right now. The current list has

23:54that capacity. Uh [cough] it's

23:57[clears throat] really during those

23:58large scale nos that we needed this.

24:04>> Okay. Yeah, I need to know where that

24:06complaint thing because everyone

24:08>> I will get you that form as well.

24:10>> I need it myself.

24:13You want to speak to to those?

24:15>> Most of the complaints come directly

24:17from my office either by email or phone

24:20or through dispatch.

24:22So there is a complaint form with the

24:23state as well as the city but the

24:25majority of complaints I do get are

24:27usually they they call my office

24:29regularly.

24:30>> So what do you do when you you get get

24:34those complaints? Do you like give them

24:35another chance? Do you cut them?

24:37>> The majority it it all depends on what

24:40the complaint is.

24:43A lot of times I try to work with the

24:45citizens of the city and there may be

24:48times I I have the car released home for

24:51free and uh there's sometimes that the

24:55owner of the vehicle is the one that

24:57fall but I'll still try and work

24:59something out. Some of the companies at

25:01the end of the day they just want to get

25:03rid of the car. So we're there to make

25:06that happen as easily as possible.

25:10>> Okay.

25:13definitely put your name and my phone

25:14on.

25:15>> Okay.

25:18>> I've had other call.

25:20>> Okay.

25:21>> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

25:24>> Thank you much.

25:32>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um [clears throat]

25:34from my perspective, this isn't about

25:36increasing capacity at peak times,

25:38>> correct? Correct. And we don't have

25:39enough P uh pick trucks on the streets

25:42during these major snow events because

25:44they're not eligible to serve [snorts]

25:46because their lots are too small.

25:48>> So, this addresses that. But there's two

25:50other features. One you just mentioned,

25:52which is requiring them to have the

25:54complaint forms on hand.

25:56>> Already exists in the ordinance.

25:58>> Already exists. So, the lending is

25:59better.

26:00>> It's it's there. It's reinforced. Um the

26:03improvements on it is also references um

26:06improvements in state statute. uh which

26:09also uh have enhanced the

26:13responsibilities of the tow yards and uh

26:16the rights of those that have their cars

26:18towed.

26:19>> Okay. I just think that it'll be

26:22important for the city staff to

26:24reinforce

26:25>> the expectation that when tow operators

26:29are engaging with the public that they

26:31be civil. That's u one thing. The second

26:35thing is um

26:37there was new language around

26:40traffic mitigation training

26:44>> or traffic management training. What

26:45does that mean exactly?

26:46>> That is a new uh state mandate which is

26:49actually a great one. Um it basically

26:51ensures that they have um I'll call it

26:53work zone safety uh training. Uh so they

26:56can effectively work in a traffic

26:59situation. So, uh, when you're working

27:02in a roadway, it is an allhazards type

27:05of training.

27:07>> So, this is new training available or a

27:09new requirement that they be trained.

27:11>> It is a new requirement. The training

27:13has been available for a long time. Um,

27:16have such certifications.

27:18>> Great. Thank you very much. And then my

27:20last question, Mr. Chair, is in regards

27:22to payment. There's clarification about

27:25how people can pay to get the cars back.

27:27It sounds like that was a problem

27:29before. You want to say a few words

27:30about the problem you're trying to solve

27:32with that language?

27:33>> It just uh again it's clarifying

27:36language to ensure that there's no

27:38barrier for people to get their car back

27:41and make sure that in all instances

27:43everybody has every type of payment

27:45method, credit card, uh cash available

27:49uh to complete those transactions

27:50>> and that they don't need to have exact

27:52change.

27:53>> Correct.

27:54I have heard that in the past that the

27:56requirement to have exact change was I

27:58think the word folks used to use was

28:00obnoxious but definitely not welcome.

28:02Okay. So I think those improvements are

28:05are long overdue and I'm glad to see the

28:07amendment. Thank you Mr. Chair.

28:09>> Thank you Alder Rodriguez.

28:11>> Thank you Mr. Chair. [clears throat]

28:15Um, recently I've had a couple of

28:18incidences in the Hill neighborhood

28:22um stemming from move towing cars but

28:26toward

28:28uh to tow yards in Hampton.

28:32This secondary list will it allow for

28:35tow yards in the very neighborhood where

28:39these cars may belong, where the owners

28:42of these cars may be may have an

28:45address. Thank you.

28:50>> I can answer it. So [clears throat]

28:53TTMP has the ability to tow, fire

28:56department has the ability to tow, and

28:58PD has the ability to tow. we all

29:00operate off of the one list that is

29:03maintained by the chief, the chief of

29:05police. Um, so for that particular

29:08instance, I'm not certain which

29:10department towed that vehicle. Um,

29:13there's [clears throat] there may be

29:14some details that are a little bit vague

29:18there. So, we can have a more detailed

29:20discussion offline, but all of us

29:22operate off of the same one list that

29:24currently exists. So for this new

29:26ordinance, it creates a secondary list

29:28for emergency operations such as snow

29:31operations.

29:33>> My question again is will those on the

29:38secondary list then will our towards in

29:43local neighborhoods

29:45qualify

29:47in to be in the secondary list? Thank

29:49you. So, New Haven towyards that meet

29:52the current requirements of the

29:55ordinance are eligible to be on the

29:57city's rotation list. So, it it's

30:00equitably distributed by rotation based

30:03on when the toe is called. So, say uh

30:07lot A had three toes already today, then

30:10they're not going to get that call when

30:12that accident happens. There's a number

30:15of reasons a toe might happen. and it

30:16could be from private property in which

30:18case it's not our list that's used. So

30:20there's a lot of variables. Um during

30:23snow operations we've actually discussed

30:25it and we're going to try to deploy uh

30:27tow trucks now that we're going to have

30:29more of them in a more balanced manner

30:34so that a towyard has a shorter drive

30:38between where they're working and where

30:41uh they're bringing the car back to you.

30:43So, in that instance, you are going to

30:45see a shorter commute for uh residents

30:48retrieving their car because we're going

30:50to have more vehicles available to us

30:52and be able to deploy in a more logical

30:54manner.

30:56>> Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

30:57>> Certainly. Any other questions regarding

31:00the secondary list for emergency tollor?

31:07>> Thank you all for the presentation and

31:08for working on this. My question is

31:10whether the chief of police or will it

31:12be the CEO who makes the call when we

31:14switch to that secondary list and is

31:17there some sort of criteria of you know

31:19all the municipal lots are full or we're

31:22anticipating it just what does that

31:23process look like?

31:24>> Um so we operate any uh emergency or

31:29largecale activation out of the

31:30emergency operations center. Um in those

31:33instances there are uh folks from all of

31:36the dis different disciplines who work

31:38collaboratively to make decisions as the

31:41ordinance um and statute gives uh

31:45oversight of the tow list to the chief

31:47of police. Ultimately the chief or his

31:49design would be the one making the

31:50decision but isn't a collaborative

31:51approach. You know we the snowman is

31:54something that we talk about with

31:55economic development and DPW the police

31:58department TTMP. Um we get feedback from

32:01a lot of different places to make those

32:02determinations. I mean we even consult

32:04with meteorologists, right? Um there's a

32:07lot that goes into [laughter] those

32:08decisions. [clears throat] Um so the

32:10goal will be to use the existing list

32:13until we don't have the capacity on

32:15[clears throat] that list um and need to

32:17tow a lot of people.

32:19>> Got it. So it a parking ban doesn't

32:22necessarily mean that we are switching

32:24to that list. That's a separate

32:26decision.

32:28>> Yeah.

32:28>> Okay. Um there are sometimes we only do

32:30a small scale parking ban, right? Some

32:32some storms we only do downtown only or

32:35we only do the posted snow routes. In

32:37those instances, the existing list has

32:39capacity and can can meet that need.

32:41>> Great. Thank you guys. Thank you, Mr.

32:43Jordan.

32:45>> Any further questions regarding the

32:47secondary tow list for emergency towing?

32:53We understand that this goes into effect

32:55when the first list is full.

32:58Clear enough. No other questions from

33:00committee members. Thank you for your

33:02presentation.

33:04Anyone from the public wishing to

33:06testify on this item?

33:10From the public wishing to testify on

33:12this item

33:17for the third time. Anyone from the

33:18public wishing to testify on this item?

33:22Okay. Seeing none, we'll go to our

33:24second item. Ask the presenters to come

33:26forward.

33:29>> [clears throat]

33:36>> Ordinance amendment of the New Haven

33:37Board of Alers to the City of New Haven

33:39Court of Ordinances establishing

33:41short-term rental license program.

33:46Yes.

33:55Well, ask

33:57>> where is that?

34:03>> Let me know.

34:06>> Uh, Mr. Lucas,

34:10>> so um Travis, if you just Yeah. speak

34:13with him first um so we can have

34:15everything in order please

34:18[clears throat] the rest of the

34:19presenters

34:22so presenters and city staff um so we

34:24can all do this at one time if you would

34:25please

34:27we have enough chairs

34:53Great. You give us your name and address

34:55for the record says how they're sort of

34:57settling in. Maybe would it be easier if

35:01you so they don't just shut down a

35:03little.

35:13Perfect. Let's start from here on

35:15Douglas and let's go straight down name

35:16and address for the record.

35:17>> Frank Douglas 570 Elm Street New

35:21>> Lea Moore 189 Conference Street Barnelli

35:247 Brown Street

35:26>> Liam Brennan 28 Elwood Road.

35:28>> Good evening. Laura Brown, 262 West app.

35:32[clears throat]

35:34>> Good evening. My name is Michael

35:35Piscatelli. I'm the economic development

35:37administrator for the city and I reside

35:39at 353 Summit Street.

35:42>> Thank you. And we have Corp Council

35:44joining us this evening.

35:48>> Deputy

35:50keep giving me a raise. Thank you.

35:52[laughter]

35:54>> Put it in the budget. Thank you.

35:57>> Attorney Michael Corporation Council

36:00Haven 507 Central Avenue.

36:04Thank you. You have the floor.

36:06>> All right. I have some remarks and then

36:08we can turn it over to the city. Is that

36:09okay?

36:10>> Certainly.

36:10>> All right. Uh good evening colleagues.

36:12Thank you for the opportunity to speak

36:14on this ordinance. I want to uh explain

36:16what the amendment actually does uh

36:18because it's important that we

36:20understand both the policy behind it and

36:21the practical rules that we put in

36:23place. At its core, this ordinance draws

36:26a distinction between sharing the home

36:28where you live and operating a property

36:31as a short-term vacation rental.

36:34Now, the proposal prohibits vacation

36:36rentals of 30 consecutive days or less

36:39when no eligible resident uses the

36:41dwelling unit as their primary

36:42residence. Hotels, motel, and bed and

36:45breakfast would remain exempt as of

36:47rentals of property for more than 30

36:49consecutive days. In practical terms, an

36:52investor who does not live in the

36:54dwelling unit could not operate it as a

36:55short-term vacation rental. This is not,

36:58however, a blanket ban on home sharing.

37:01Homeowners and qualifying long-term

37:03renters could still rent out one or more

37:05bedrooms in the dwelling unit where they

37:06actually live. The host would not

37:09necessarily need to be physically

37:10present for each guest stay, but the

37:13unit would have to remain their primary

37:15residence.

37:17For renters, a tenant must have lived in

37:18the unit as their primary residence for

37:20at least 12 months, have a rental

37:22agreement that permits home sharing, and

37:23established in their license application

37:25that they will continue to occupy the

37:27unit for at least 12 months after

37:28applying.

37:30The ordinance also establishes clear

37:32limits and responsibilities. Each

37:34dwelling unit could have only one home

37:36sharing license at a time and a host

37:38cannot occupy more than one home share.

37:41Occupancy could not exceed 10 people or

37:43two people per bedroom, whichever is

37:45lower with minor children excluded from

37:48the per bedroom calculation. Hosts could

37:50not book more than two separate groups

37:52of visitors for a given date.

37:55Host would also need to obtain a city

37:56license, document their primary

37:58residents, identify their listings, and

38:00agree to comply with the ordinance that

38:03includes all applicable city nuisance

38:05requirements, as well as housing, fire,

38:08building, health, and safety

38:09requirements. Posts would be responsible

38:12for actively preventing nuisance

38:14activity associated with their rentals.

38:17A license would not exempt anyone from

38:19the rules that apply to other

38:21residential properties and it would be

38:23suspended or revoked for non-compliance.

38:26Now, the amendment also creates a system

38:28to make these rules enforceable. City

38:31would maintain publish a registry of

38:33license hosts and properties. Short-term

38:35rental platforms would have to verify

38:37the license electronically before

38:39completing the booking transaction and

38:41obtaining a confirmation number. They

38:43could not collect or receive a fee for

38:45booking without completing that

38:47verification.

38:48The system would confirm that the

38:50license is valid and that the host

38:51property address and specific listing

38:53match the city's records. Platforms like

38:57Airbnb or Verbbo would also have to

38:58report specified booking information to

39:00the city.

39:02for enforcement. The ordinance

39:05establishes a fine of $250 per day

39:09um subject to any greater amount

39:11authorized by state law. It also gives

39:13the city the authority to issue

39:15administrative subpoenas to obtain

39:17information about listings, responsible

39:19parties, addresses, length of stays, and

39:21prices charged. Those tools would help

39:24the city identify violations and hold

39:26hosts and platforms accountable.

39:30The amendment also allows an interested

39:32person to seek an injunction or other

39:34relief to prevent or remedy a violation.

39:37I see this private right of action as a

39:40backs stop, not a substitute for city

39:42enforcement. The city should lead

39:44enforcing its own ordinance, but

39:46residents would have another venue if

39:49violations persist.

39:51So why do we need this framework?

39:54New Haven is facing a severe affordable

39:57housing crisis.

40:00That is not just my assessment. Vision

40:032034, the comprehensive plan this board

40:06approved, explicitly recognizes the

40:08crisis and calls for addressing

40:10affordability, preventing displacement,

40:12and preserving the quality of our

40:14neighborhoods. We need to build more

40:16housing, and this ordinance does not

40:18replace the need for responsible

40:19development. But building more housing

40:21is only part of the solution. We also

40:24have a responsibility to protect the

40:26homes that we already have. When

40:29residential properties are converted

40:30into full-time vacation rentals, they

40:32are no longer available to people

40:34looking for a place to live. That

40:36reduces the supply of housing available

40:38to residents and puts additional

40:40pressure on an already strained market.

40:43It can also mean that long-term

40:45neighbors are replaced by a revolving

40:46door of short-term visitors, weakening

40:49the connections that make our

40:50neighborhoods communities.

40:53This amendment takes a measured

40:54approach. It allows residents to share

40:56their homes while preventing residential

40:58properties from being operated as

40:59short-term vacation rentals when no

41:01eligible resident lives in the unit. And

41:04it pairs that policy with licensing,

41:06safety requirements, transparency, and

41:09meaningful enforcement. We approved

41:11vision 2034 because we recognize the

41:14challenges facing our city. I urge the

41:17committee to re recommend this ordinance

41:19favorably and help turn that commitment

41:21into action. We can [snorts] strengthen

41:24community, protect housing supply, and

41:26preserve affordability for the people

41:28who want to live, work, and build their

41:30futures in the future. Thank you.

41:37[clears throat]

41:38Thank you.

41:40I just want to add that we recognize

41:42that New Haven is a hub for research and

41:44medicine and we those people will not be

41:47uh displaced. They will still have a

41:49home here. It will still allow grad

41:51students to come uh as long as it's 30

41:54days or more. They will still have a

41:56traveling nurse, the visiting research,

41:58the grad student, the specialist here

41:59for a longer assignment. They will not

42:01be affected. They will still be able to

42:03come and reside here. Thank you.

42:08Just remind you that this short-term

42:10rental ordinance proposal is a sensible

42:13step to protect our housing stock and

42:16maintain affordability.

42:18And this is just one of many steps to

42:22address our housing crisis.

42:28>> Holders, thank you for the time tonight.

42:30Thank you for allowing us to share the

42:32table and thank you to the makers of the

42:34ordinance. Um um as just picking up on

42:37what Alder Douglas had just said from

42:40the division's perspective and the city

42:42as all we've [clears throat] reviewed

42:44carefully the proposed ordinance and we

42:46support the legislation and we see it in

42:49many ways in the context of the broader

42:51challenges we see related to housing.

42:53It's a complex sector. It's been very

42:56frustrating for all of us that as we

42:58build it is still very difficult to

43:01address the cost of rental and to make

43:03sure affordability is there for all of

43:05our residents. It comes at a really key

43:08moment in time for all of us and we've

43:09shared with you that highest population

43:12in the city since the 1970s

43:15really strong economic performance. that

43:18economic performance in many ways driven

43:21by the meaningful and inspiring research

43:24and development the education system

43:26that is here that work matters and we're

43:29here to support that and upon reflection

43:32of the ordinance and thinking in terms

43:33of there's no one solution like the

43:35context of all of it um you know the

43:38board's priorities jobs environmental

43:40protection um housing this table

43:44launched New Haven Works several years

43:46ago and Um much like then the was led by

43:50the board, led by the authors, led

43:51[clears throat] by the community and

43:53staff was challenged to help

43:55operationalize it and and I recall at

43:58our staff meetings we talked about how

44:00every job mattered coming out of the

44:02great recession that you know there

44:04would be no one big organization. There

44:06had to be every little small step. Every

44:09job mattered and I think the same is

44:11true now when you look at the housing u

44:13challenge here in the city. every unit

44:15matters and that is across our division

44:17the focus to make sure that every unit

44:20is accounted for and we work the ground

44:22on every project. So you see that with

44:24our city initiatives um working really

44:27hard to launch more ADUs around the

44:29city, the zoning reform effort which

44:32talked about a little bit, the delivery

44:34of mixed income housing to balance the

44:36portfolio and make sure that includes a

44:39lot of housing across the spectrum. Um

44:41Leon will talk a little bit about the

44:42health, safety and welfare programs

44:43which is a key part of the legislation

44:45before you and how we've have tried to

44:47buy a swim lane for it within the

44:50protocol of our housing code program

44:52that we have now. And then of course

44:54with the delivery of new housing, we've

44:56delivered over 200 units together over

44:58the last two years. Um really honored to

45:01to talk a little bit that Strong School

45:03closed today and many of you have been

45:05with us on Strong School for so we're

45:07here tonight but Hannes Construction is

45:09mobilizing on Grand Avenue right now for

45:1259 more units and with our partners

45:15Penrose and next week with the housing

45:17authority in Glendower um they'll launch

45:19the St. Luke's project. So that work

45:21continues and see this in the pattern

45:24and context of what we're working on

45:27overall. Um, so with that, I'll let

45:29Laura Brown summarize the referral from

45:31the city plan commission and the

45:33consistency with comprehensive plan and

45:35then Liam will talk a little bit about

45:37how we see this operationalized should

45:40this um pass through the board and

45:41actually become law.

45:46>> Thank you, Alders. Again, my name is

45:47Laura Brown. I'm the director of the

45:49city plan department. And um last night

45:52at the city plan commission meeting um

45:54the commissioners heard this item um and

45:59I presented a stock report.

46:00Unfortunately I don't have a copy of the

46:02staff report for me but I believe you

46:04do. Is that true?

46:06No, it has not been referred yet. I can

46:10provide you with some copies of it. Um

46:12but the elders were there to present the

46:15item. Um as uh administrator Piscatelli

46:19mentioned, the staff were very much

46:21involved in um reviewing this item uh

46:24prior to its submission and we are fully

46:27in support of it. It certainly does

46:30align with many of the goals in the

46:31vision 2034 comprehensive plan. As you

46:34know, that plan was written anticipating

46:37um the needs that the city has uh

46:39related to our growing population and

46:42the housing needs. Um so as director

46:45Kelly mentioned we um are working that

46:48in a lot of different ways and it's um

46:50from the zoning perspective from the

46:52perspective of policy that you have

46:54already adopted through the au ordinance

46:56and the inclusionary zoning uh ordinance

46:58to ensure that housing is affordable. Um

47:01but really making sure that uh the

47:03housing that we have remains accessible

47:05to our residents is a priority. So, from

47:08um city plans perspective, they were

47:11very much in support of this and

47:12recommended approval. Um but I'm happy

47:16to answer any questions that you may

47:17have about other efforts, including the

47:19zoning reform effort.

47:21>> And before I move on, excuse my um

47:25rudeness for not recognizing colleagues

47:27that are present. Alder Kim, thank you.

47:29Alder Wingate, thank you for being here.

47:32Alderente,

47:34thank you for attending this evening.

47:38Mr.

47:39Mr. Brennan.

47:41>> Thank you, chairman.

47:44Here we go. Thank you, chairman.

47:45[clears throat] Um, Liam Brennan. I'm

47:48the director of LCI. Um, I'm here. I

47:50think we're just going to keep it short.

47:52I know you all have a lot of questions,

47:53so I'm happy to just mostly answer your

47:54questions. Um, as LCI, you know, we

47:57enforce our city's housing code. um so

48:01upkeeping keeping up the standards of

48:03our residential units here in the city

48:04as well as our antillight uh ordinance

48:07and our residential rental license

48:10ordinance and I bring them all up

48:11because they all kind of intersect with

48:13this issue of the um short-term rental

48:16ordinance that is before you in our as

48:20um Alder Moore explained in in the

48:22outset there is a whole nuisance aspect

48:24of the short-term rental ordinance that

48:26falls falls within it and this is an

48:29issue that we often have come up in our

48:30anti-life complaints. Our neighborhood

48:31specialists often get complaints about

48:34um Airbnbs or um short-term rentals in

48:37their prop in their areas that might be

48:39causing nuisance for the neighborhoods.

48:42And this helps streamline a process for

48:44enforcement there.

48:46>> Similarly,

48:46>> director there I'm getting signals in

48:48there's no sound. Can't hear

48:49[clears throat] you.

48:50>> Yeah, this one. Okay,

48:53>> sure. That better.

48:55>> There we go.

48:56>> Okay. So, we get anti-black complaints.

48:59That's basically what I was saying,

49:00y'all. Um, as to nuisances, parties from

49:04Airbnbs. But the other thing we see is

49:06that we often when we're doing our

49:08rental licensing inspections, we come

49:10across properties that our inspectors

49:11believe to be permanent Airbnbs. And

49:14they have the question of what do we do

49:16with them? Um, and the answer right now

49:17is nothing. That they are just we

49:19inspect for life, health, and safety of

49:21the building and we leave it at that and

49:24that is all we do. Um, but I know this

49:26is a bit of an issue that's before you

49:27all here. And so, um, I think we have a

49:30way to deal with enforcement based on

49:32what this ordinance sets up and based on

49:34what's occurred in other cities. Um,

49:37I've talked to the drafters of it about

49:38that and so we are prepared to to see

49:41that through. Um, if I would just take

49:43on a personal note too, you know, I have

49:45been here before on in front of the

49:48alders on very similar issues. um and

49:51dating all the way back to back when we

49:53had the affordable housing task force

49:54and we presented um a coalition of

49:57people from the room for all coalition

49:59presented a raft of ideas to the task

50:02force at the time which included

50:04ADUs the inclusionary zoning ordinance

50:07and as well the regulation of short-term

50:09rentals. So I think this is just we see

50:11the evolution of the city taking a

50:13multi-prong effort to increase supply of

50:17rental properties for our residents.

50:20It's not just one thing but it's the sum

50:23total of all the things and that's where

50:24I think this ordinance fits in. But I'm

50:27happy to answer any questions for you.

50:30[clears throat]

50:35Anything from court counsel before we

50:37ask questions or you're here to answer

50:38questions?

50:41>> I think we'd prefer to just answer

50:43questions.

50:47We [clears throat] actually have a press

50:48conference. the uh um in part a as

50:53things develop that we find as uh

50:56administrator point out we our office

50:59has been and me in particular have been

51:02uh like all hands on deck on the uh uh

51:07on the strong school you know actually

51:10doing the closing which we did finalized

51:12today to bring in $30 million worth of

51:14investment in the city 59 million units

51:17of affordable housing And tomorrow we

51:20will shift to the vital

51:24cor and the closing for what's it

51:27called. So we have not done a deep dive

51:31on the legality and in fact it was

51:34represented to our office that

51:37uh an [clears throat] outside firm haded

51:39most of had vetted the the legality

51:42questions. I have so off the top of my

51:45head, I'm happy to take questions as

51:48they arise, but but we'll probably have

51:50to go back and do a little bit

51:52additional research to uh to verify our

51:54answers.

51:56[clears throat]

52:01Okay. Um questions from committee

52:10Rodriguez.

52:11>> Thank you, Mr. Chair.

52:13I'm looking at the ordinance

52:16on the second uh

52:18>> You're going to have to pull that real

52:19close.

52:20>> Looking at the ordinance. Thank you, Mr.

52:23Chair. On the second paragraph

52:27where it says under the amendment,

52:29short-term vacation renters would be

52:32prohibited when the property is not the

52:35owner's or a long-term resident's

52:39primary residence. However,

52:42homeowners and eligible long-term

52:45residents would still be allowed to rent

52:48bedrooms in their primary homes for a

52:50stay of 30 days or less provided they

52:54obtain a city license and follow the

52:57rules outlined in this ordinance

53:00amendment.

53:02The proposed ordinance would require

53:04host to obtain a license valid for up to

53:07three years and register their property

53:10with the city.

53:12When

53:14homeowners,

53:17they can have visitors, they can have

53:19individual stay

53:22with does the privacy,

53:25can the privacy be compromised?

53:28a homeowner can do what they want to do

53:31in their home. So my question is, how do

53:35we protect the rights of the homeowner?

53:39And are you looking just at 30 days or

53:42less?

53:45What is it exactly that you're looking

53:48at in terms of homeowners and their

53:51rights to have anyone that they want in

53:55their personal premises? Thank you.

53:58Thank you, Mr. Chair.

54:02>> You have to answer for director Brennan

54:03or Yeah. I mean, yes, it only applies to

54:06[clears throat] 30 days or or less.

54:07That's the one of your questions. And

54:09then the second question I you know,

54:12when you uh I believe and I director

54:15Bren, you can help me with this answer.

54:17I believe if you rent an apartment,

54:19there's a there's there's a city,

54:21doesn't the city have a a registration

54:23for that? Yeah. So, I mean, there's a

54:25lot of things that we have to register

54:26for. If you're going to run a business

54:28out of your home, then you have to

54:29register to have a license. But I don't

54:31I don't see how this affects people who

54:34are not operating uh Airbnbs and who

54:38their guests are. I think that remains

54:40as private as it is now.

54:42>> So, if I were to have a niece, a nephew,

54:44or a friend in my home for however many

54:47days I want to,

54:50it shouldn't be an issue at all.

54:51>> It would not be an issue at all. Okay.

54:54So, this will not apply to any situation

54:57like this.

54:58>> Nope.

54:59>> Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

55:04>> Perhaps we should just take a moment and

55:05explain what an Airbnb does in the

55:07registration, how you book it because a

55:10person staying at my house wouldn't go

55:13through Airbnb. They would just stay at

55:14my house. and I

55:16>> if if I collect money from them for food

55:21or whatever it's not they're not

55:23necessarily paying rent. Um but there's

55:26a process for an Airbnb

55:29>> or for a short-term stay. Um so

55:33[clears throat] is everyone clear about

55:34that? So make sure

55:37Okay. Now Rodriguez is asking um for

55:39that to be defined. Um I'm not on that

55:43side. I'm on this side. I'll let you all

55:45talk about that and then we'll pick it

55:47up more in discussion.

55:48>> That Mr. Chair, that's correct. There

55:50are no plat platforms when when my

55:52family members come to visit my house.

55:54Maybe some enterprising IT capable

55:56person might create your own, but that

55:58would be a very weird and and rare

56:00occurrence.

56:02>> Well, if you stay too long, I might

56:03charge you halfway. [laughter]

56:07>> Well, that's not a B&B.

56:08>> No, you're right.

56:12Um, any other questions from committee

56:14members?

56:17>> Certainly. Yeah. Just you want

56:22>> No, I'm I'm yielding to you.

56:29>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for the

56:32presentation.

56:33>> Can you hear me?

56:34>> No.

56:35>> No. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for

56:37the presentation. Um I have a number of

56:40questions that okay

56:42>> just use your I'm in court voice.

56:44>> I have a number of questions um here.

56:49Um I have a number of questions. Um

56:51thank you for the presentation. I'm

56:54delighted to see um the

56:58um proposal for further things as we dig

57:01into affordability, deal with the cost

57:03of living here. We've got a crisis.

57:05appreciate um director Brennan said

57:08about building on the history of you

57:11know various proposals. I guess I have a

57:13number of questions. Um one has to do

57:17with um unintended consequences

57:20um something we've thought about with

57:22ADUs. Um something we thought about with

57:25um inclusionary zoning and sadly I don't

57:27think either of those has panned out as

57:29we wanted um just in terms of producing

57:32the the quantity of affordable housing.

57:34Um my concern about unintended

57:36consequence here has to do with um what

57:39we're essentially doing is we are

57:42prohibiting essentially week-toeek

57:45rental or 3-week rentals whether you do

57:47it through an Airbnb platform. If you

57:49did it with a private contract with

57:51somebody with your relative that would

57:53be prohibited you know we can't do that

57:55but when we have an owner occupied we

57:57now allow that. Um, I want to comment

57:59that I spent a fair amount of time

58:01thinking about this and thinking about

58:02the Airbnbs in my neighborhood um to

58:05understand the dynamics of um how it

58:08looks on the ground because it's really

58:10different. So in my neighborhood we have

58:12a number of single family homes um we

58:15also which would be prohibited if I

58:17understand correctly. Um, we also have a

58:19number, we had a number of owner

58:20occupied where individual rooms are

58:22rented out and from the perspective of

58:24the neighborhood that ladder the

58:27homeowner with the individual rooms,

58:28three rooms being rented out was the

58:30most disturbing to the neighborhood and

58:32felt as though a rooming house was being

58:35um now run out of ward 26. Um, something

58:39which is not allowed by the code. So, if

58:41anybody can sort of speak to this,

58:43whether we're going to end up with um an

58:45unintended consequence of a

58:47proliferation of individual rooms being

58:49rented out, which is essentially a

58:51rooming house and something, you know,

58:53not allowed in residential

58:54neighborhoods. And can somebody can

58:56somebody speak to that, please?

58:59>> I mean, I'll thank you, Alder. I I

59:02appreciate the question. It sounds like

59:03you're saying that that people are

59:05engaging in roomy houses in your ward

59:07and that's disturbing some of the

59:09neighborhood. I I would say that this

59:12ordinance puts in place a framework to

59:16uh you know and some rules for those

59:19individuals in single family homes if

59:21they are the primary uh if it's their

59:23primary residence and and that's their

59:25home um to kind of make sure that that

59:28there are some guard rules in place for

59:30that. I mean there's an occupancy limit

59:32in this ordinance. There are fire code

59:34and housing safety rules. And of course,

59:37this puts all that on the radar with the

59:40city so that LCI can see what's going on

59:44and that those individuals who operate

59:46short-term rental out of their primary

59:48residence are accountable to follow

59:49those rules. And I I also would defer to

59:51director Brennan, my my colleagues if

59:54they have any they want to add to that

59:56as well.

59:56>> May I prompt the question a little bit

59:57more pointedly? I'm going to um

1:00:00appreciate your answer and love if uh

1:00:02director Brennan and perhaps court

1:00:03council can weigh in because what I'm

1:00:05asking about is whether we're now

1:00:06legalizing what's essentially a quasi

1:00:09rooming house in residential

1:00:11neighborhoods because what you have is

1:00:13you have now the owner who owns their

1:00:14house and is now renting out individual

1:00:17bedrooms for one night, two nights, a

1:00:19week, a month, as long as they want and

1:00:21now given permission to do so in

1:00:23residential neighborhoods. Am I

1:00:25misunderstanding what might be an

1:00:27unintended consequence of this?

1:00:29>> I think um thank you Elder Marks. Uh

1:00:32there's a good question. I think there's

1:00:35two things. I think there's one that

1:00:36might be misunderstood. Single family

1:00:38homes would be allowed to be rented out

1:00:39on those short-term basises and they

1:00:41could be for like a week at a time or

1:00:42two weeks at a time even if that person

1:00:44vacates or or if they stick around. So

1:00:47under this ordinance, they can do it. It

1:00:48just can't be um it just still must stay

1:00:51their primary residence. So you must be

1:00:53the person. There must be a person who

1:00:55lives there. That's the point that we

1:00:57don't have these hotelitos like sitting

1:01:00in there um running daytoday mini hotels

1:01:03in residential neighborhoods. Um

1:01:05secondly, I can answer your question

1:01:07like technically and I can answer like

1:01:09how it feels, you know. So I know you're

1:01:12talking you're talking basically how it

1:01:14feels, but I'm going to start with a

1:01:16technical answer. rooming house under um

1:01:18we enforce a rooming house along with

1:01:20the zoning and the building department,

1:01:22but a rooming house under uh New Haven

1:01:25law um requires that there are four or

1:01:28more unrelated people living there um

1:01:31that they're renting by the room and

1:01:33they're not sh they're not in a joint

1:01:35lease that's like holding the whole of

1:01:37the property as one. So they they rent

1:01:39these many units within and then there's

1:01:41four or more. So it's very technical

1:01:44under state law. it's um six or more,

1:01:46the cities can make it tighter, not more

1:01:48local. So um so unless it's for more

1:01:52people who are [clears throat] like

1:01:54doing that, it's not really technically

1:01:56a rooming house, but you're talking

1:01:58about the traffic coming in and out and

1:01:59you're talking about the feel of what it

1:02:01feels like

1:02:01>> legalizing something like a rooming

1:02:04house,

1:02:04>> right? I don't think so. I think right

1:02:06now what we have is it is legal right

1:02:08now. There's nothing that's prohibiting

1:02:09it. Although if we get to zoning, I'm

1:02:10going to have some interesting points

1:02:12for you. But um there's nothing that's

1:02:14outright prohibiting it. So we have So

1:02:17right now it's just like the wild west.

1:02:19So we're dealing with a wild west

1:02:20situation. This is trying to bring it

1:02:22into a little more of a regulated

1:02:24fashion. It's a regulated market now. So

1:02:27no one does anything. No one goes and

1:02:30enforces this in any way and everyone

1:02:31can just dole out as many as you want.

1:02:34At least now you will have to have

1:02:36someone who lives there as the permanent

1:02:38residence and calls it a home. And so it

1:02:40has to at least be for the first time a

1:02:43home for somebody. Right now under the

1:02:45law, these homes that we're trying to

1:02:47create don't have to be homes for

1:02:48people. People are using them as many

1:02:49hotels.

1:02:51>> Thank you. I do have two other

1:02:52questions, but I don't want to take too

1:02:54long.

1:02:55>> Thank you. And I appreciate this

1:02:56presentation. I spent much time thinking

1:02:58about about the topic and I I really

1:03:00appreciate it. I'm just concerned about

1:03:02making sure we have a measured approach

1:03:04and about unintended consequences. But I

1:03:06really appreciate this being here. Um, I

1:03:08think this might be a question more

1:03:09directed towards the city and economic

1:03:11development. Um, I and I know we're

1:03:14going to hear from lots of people, but

1:03:16given this our chance to ask you, I'm

1:03:17going to anticipate some of the things

1:03:19we're going to hear. It's it's in the

1:03:20dialogue. It's in the it's in the the

1:03:22[clears throat] literature and the news

1:03:23about it. Um, there's issues regarding

1:03:26um visitors to town, affordability for

1:03:28visitors, um both affordability of

1:03:32hotels with this possibly driving up the

1:03:34cost of hotels, which is not a bad

1:03:36thing. So, make sure unionized workers

1:03:37can get paid properly. I'm all for that.

1:03:40Um, you know, but concerns about um

1:03:43driving up cost of hotels, concerned

1:03:45about people who need flexibility, you

1:03:46know, size, you know, family meeting a

1:03:49place or um needing access to a kitchen.

1:03:52You know, it's a unique commodity on

1:03:53Airbnb and I'll have to admit I've used

1:03:55them. Um I think most I might at one

1:03:57point want to ask everybody before us

1:03:59who's used them but um I have um and you

1:04:01know just interested in um this issue of

1:04:04sort of flexibility and visitors and the

1:04:06economy from the visitors who come for

1:04:08so many plethora of reasons and also the

1:04:11question of small business um people who

1:04:13are using this and we're going to hear

1:04:15from these people are using to pay their

1:04:16own mortgage on their house and you know

1:04:18have set up small business and have put

1:04:20substantial investment into this. in

1:04:21economic development just to speak to

1:04:23these these there's pros and cons to

1:04:25everything but I'd really like to hear

1:04:26some discussion about this.

1:04:28>> Yeah. Um and not a deep reflection

1:04:30tonight because you'll have a lot of

1:04:31speakers. You're going to hear more and

1:04:33more rich commentary from people with

1:04:35real life stories, right? I mean to your

1:04:37point we've all used Airbnbs probably in

1:04:39both formats, right? If it was a lived

1:04:41residence or whether or not it was more

1:04:42of a vacation rental. So I think we all

1:04:44have some um context and understanding

1:04:47if you will. I would call back to um

1:04:49when the spinal cancer hospital project

1:04:51happened. You know, now it's the time it

1:04:53was one of the 40 um certified national

1:04:56cancer hospitals and it was a very long

1:04:58contentious set of hearings to you know

1:05:00really wrestle with how best to um

1:05:03launch a new initiative at Yale Health

1:05:05and do it a way that was responsible in

1:05:07the community. In all of those

1:05:09dialogues, one of the very small

1:05:12initiatives that um my predecessor at

1:05:14the time felt very strongly about was

1:05:17creating space for people to um stay

1:05:20overnight. Um and it was building off

1:05:22the New Haven hotel experience. Um and

1:05:24the suites at Yale came out of those

1:05:26dialogues at a time when nobody nobody

1:05:29thought that that would be necessarily

1:05:31real viable component to the cancer

1:05:34hospital at the time. And and so I think

1:05:36that's in insightful given now how

1:05:39that's really part of the experience, if

1:05:42you will. I think you'll hear from

1:05:43people tonight about how they rely on

1:05:45that in some way. And I think you'll see

1:05:46the market adopt and find ways to figure

1:05:49that out either through a home share

1:05:51arrangement, through this ordinance.

1:05:52More hotel rooms may come online. There

1:05:54might be different price points in the

1:05:56neighborhood. So I think the range of

1:05:58different scenarios that we would see

1:06:00are maybe beyond the initial context.

1:06:03You'll hear more of that tonight. and

1:06:05and you know I wouldn't necessarily do

1:06:07deep dive forecasting of where it goes

1:06:09next because the market um adapts to

1:06:12that. [clears throat] Um in terms of the

1:06:13small business side of things I think

1:06:14it's a little bit what you heard from

1:06:16the makers of the ordinance what Liam

1:06:17had said was in every small business

1:06:20environment we have to have a rule book

1:06:22and some level of fundamental fairness

1:06:24for all. So you heard two things under

1:06:26the seams here. One is it's happening.

1:06:28Sometimes it's regulated, sometimes it's

1:06:30not. Sometimes it's a really important

1:06:32problem for maybe the PD or city staff.

1:06:34Many times it's not. And what we're

1:06:37doing now is creating a fundamental code

1:06:39and cities around the country have

1:06:41created code books around short-term

1:06:44rentals. They're all a little bit

1:06:45different. They're all based on some

1:06:47enabling statute. The enabling statutes

1:06:49in the state of Connecticut. Um give a

1:06:51little bit more room to create a

1:06:52rulebook that fits the community. And I

1:06:55think you'll hear a lot about that in

1:06:56context.

1:06:59>> One last question.

1:07:00>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, can I hear

1:07:02about Oh, I'm sorry. One of the sh

1:07:05[laughter]

1:07:06I just want to add Thank you. Thanks for

1:07:08the question. I just want to add this is

1:07:10actually to protect our neighbors wallet

1:07:12and to have more long-term residents.

1:07:15you spoke to the news uh and there was

1:07:16that oped about a gentleman that had 30

1:07:19homes and of those 12 were actually used

1:07:21as short-term rentals and and what

1:07:24what's happening is that people are

1:07:25recognizing that they can make more

1:07:26money off of a short-term rental than a

1:07:28long-term neighbor. So, thank you

1:07:30colleague.

1:07:32>> That's right.

1:07:33>> If I may ask of um our director of LCI,

1:07:36can we hear some data on like complaints

1:07:38um regarding Airbnbs either through the

1:07:40chair for later?

1:07:42>> Thank [clears throat] you. Um I will do

1:07:44the chair at a later time or not but

1:07:46like

1:07:48>> I don't have any data for that. I'm

1:07:50sorry. Uh no we we we there is no

1:07:52complaint on um there's no specific

1:07:55violation for it. So there's nothing to

1:07:56log on that. So we just you know we get

1:07:59the we get people calling and saying

1:08:02complaint but there's nothing to violate

1:08:05anyone on or do anything on. So we have

1:08:07no no recording of it. So there's no

1:08:11tracking when say the or

1:08:14>> we get a lot of complaints about all

1:08:15sorts of things. You know what I mean?

1:08:17People are talking to the neighborhood

1:08:18specialist all the time about every

1:08:19little thing that you know my neighbor

1:08:21looked at me the wrong way and so we you

1:08:24know they log it. They talk about it. It

1:08:25doesn't go in our complaint system.

1:08:28>> Thank you everybody.

1:08:31Um, thank you, Alder Marks. Alder,

1:08:35>> okay, older Evelyn Rodriguez.

1:08:37>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. [clears throat]

1:08:41>> How How are you defining home? Um,

1:08:44because in one apartment, if you're

1:08:47saying up to 10 people, two per bedroom,

1:08:53how do you define home? Is it a house or

1:08:57is it an apartment where there's three

1:08:59of the four or five rooms there being

1:09:02used for bedrooms? And has the city

1:09:06corporate council reviewed whether the

1:09:09proposed restrictions, the platform

1:09:11verification

1:09:12requirements and civil penalties comply

1:09:15with federal and state law. Thank you.

1:09:18Thank you, Mr. Chair.

1:09:21>> She

1:09:23Okay. So we define dwelling unit and

1:09:25host. We don't use the word home.

1:09:26Dwelling unit is any room or group of

1:09:28rooms located within a residential

1:09:30building and forming a single habitable

1:09:33unit with facilities which are used or

1:09:35intended to be used for [cough] living,

1:09:36sleeping, cooking and catering. So that

1:09:39is the answer to your first question.

1:09:42The second uh question when this uh

1:09:46ordinance proposed ordinance amendment

1:09:48was drafted, we worked really hard.

1:09:50There's an as I think it was director

1:09:52Brennan who mentioned that there is a

1:09:54state statute which essentially says um

1:09:58cities you get to regulate uh verbos and

1:10:03Airbnbs and short-term rentals within

1:10:05these parameters. And so when we wrote

1:10:06it we wrote it to be as compliant with

1:10:09that statute as possible.

1:10:12and I turn it over to council if they

1:10:14want to elaborate or

1:10:20as I mentioned we have been focused on

1:10:23building actual housing so we there's a

1:10:27off the top of my head I am not the

1:10:31statute that all the statutes that

1:10:33reference do not directly

1:10:35[clears throat]

1:10:37discuss regulating short-term rentals

1:10:39however does they do discuss the use and

1:10:43occupancy of housing across broadly

1:10:47speaking

1:10:49I don't think there's a off the top of

1:10:52my head the general regulatory scheme

1:10:56seems fairly straightforward. I think

1:11:00we'd like to have an opportunity to do a

1:11:02little bit more a little bit more

1:11:04research. Um there are some specific

1:11:07aspects of it that um that jumped out

1:11:11and we but that was something that we

1:11:14[clears throat] haven't had a chance to

1:11:15go through and frankly we were actually

1:11:18expecting that the proponents were going

1:11:20to provide

1:11:22like that they had actually engaged

1:11:25outside council and who were expected to

1:11:27be present. Um so

1:11:31that was some part of this we were

1:11:33because we're focused on other things in

1:11:34our office we were uh in part relying on

1:11:38the presentation outside council office

1:11:42[clears throat]

1:11:44thank you council uh who I forgot who

1:11:48the floor

1:11:50>> Mr. chair.

1:11:51>> Okay, let me go to all those that have

1:11:54not asked questions yet. Alder Theodore.

1:11:57>> Thank you, Mr. Majority Leader. Thank

1:11:59you all.

1:12:02>> I [clears throat] just quickly wanted to

1:12:04ask, is Council planning to vet it

1:12:07before the second reading, assuming it

1:12:09moves forward? And I guess can we expect

1:12:12something from your office?

1:12:16>> Would you repeat that question?

1:12:18[laughter and clears throat]

1:12:20Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but it

1:12:21sounds like you're saying that there was

1:12:24outside council that reviewed this, but

1:12:25the city's council has not spent a ton

1:12:27of time with the ordinance. Can we

1:12:29expect that you will before the second

1:12:31reading, assuming it moves forward? Our

1:12:35office is happy to provide responses to

1:12:38specific questions about the legislation

1:12:40but the general like giving a general

1:12:43opinion of it is

1:12:46I don't know if we have the bandwidth to

1:12:49to provide that we're happy to pro there

1:12:51are c you know there are certain

1:12:53questions about it and how it will be

1:12:55operationalized that we can work we can

1:12:58refer uh confer with economic

1:13:00development and with the uh with LCI.

1:13:04We're happy to respond to that. I I just

1:13:07don't think we have the bandwidth to uh

1:13:09to provide like a generalized view of

1:13:11it. Overall, I don't think there I mean

1:13:13there there are certain elements that

1:13:16may be issues, but the general

1:13:20regulatory scheme regulating housing is

1:13:23clearly uh an authority of the city

1:13:26under 7-14.

1:13:28Um and

1:13:30and that so like even going back to like

1:13:33the residential rental licensing program

1:13:35that was challenged in court, it doesn't

1:13:38specific the 7S148 does not specifically

1:13:41create a uh authorized

1:13:45residential rental licensing

1:13:48expressly. However, it's an implied

1:13:51power as as to regul regulating of

1:13:54housing. And I off the top of my head I

1:13:57would say that this is you know within

1:13:59the broad and uh the broad authority to

1:14:03regulate

1:14:05how housing is used and how buildings

1:14:07are used for housing.

1:14:10>> Alert may thank you. Um I just want to

1:14:14just so you all know the the history of

1:14:15everything [cough] going on

1:14:16[clears throat] here too. Um LCI has a

1:14:18secunded uh assistant corporation

1:14:20council within our division as well.

1:14:22Sinclair Williams. Fantastic. Um but he

1:14:25is currently on maternity leave. Um but

1:14:27was very involved. Yes. Great. Shout out

1:14:30to Sinclair's new baby. We're loving the

1:14:32pictures. Her name's Grace. Um uh he's

1:14:36currently on leave, so he is not here

1:14:38right now, but he was very involved in

1:14:40reviewing the draft language of of the

1:14:44um early on and gave a lot of input and

1:14:46thought to it during that whole process

1:14:48and I believe also spoke with um

1:14:50corporation council Al Jacobs about it

1:14:52during that time. if I [clears throat]

1:14:53could do some more color on on the

1:14:54process.

1:14:55>> That's helpful. Thank you so much.

1:14:57Another question for you, Director

1:14:59Brennan. Can you speak a little bit more

1:15:00to operationalizing this? I see that the

1:15:02ordinance takes effect March 31st, 2027.

1:15:06Are you guys imagining you are hiring

1:15:08another position? Will the fees

1:15:10associated with getting a license cover

1:15:12what needs to be covered? I just How

1:15:15could we make sure that once we pass

1:15:17this, we are able to enforce it?

1:15:19>> Yes, this is a major concern of mine. My

1:15:21only like real concern about the

1:15:23ordinance in general, I do think we

1:15:25would um want another position, another

1:15:28administrative position just to

1:15:29administer this. Although we've talked

1:15:31with budgeting about um there's been a

1:15:34few housing code inspector positions

1:15:35that we haven't had need to fill. Um and

1:15:37so I think in the new budget year might

1:15:39like adjust the the budget proposal a

1:15:42bit accordingly. Um but it wouldn't I

1:15:44don't foresee it being more than one

1:15:45administrative position to do it. I

1:15:47think based on the um what we look at in

1:15:50other cities and how they run this and

1:15:52their interactions with the hosting

1:15:53platforms um and uh the oper

1:15:57operationalization that we have going on

1:15:59in the agency I think we can handle it

1:16:00with an additional administrative

1:16:02position.

1:16:04>> Great. Um, and then quickly for you,

1:16:06Administrator Muscatelli, um, I

1:16:09represent a bunch of businesses downtown

1:16:11and I think some of the concerns I've

1:16:14heard are about folks visiting the city.

1:16:17Um, and maybe this will push people away

1:16:19because there's less flexibility within

1:16:22the Airbnb market. And so I [applause]

1:16:23just kind of was hoping you could speak

1:16:25to those concerns from someone who works

1:16:26a lot around tourism and um, New Haven's

1:16:30positioning there. Why do you feel

1:16:32confident that this is a good step to

1:16:35take?

1:16:36>> So for a couple reasons. As we've

1:16:37discussed, we we are both economic

1:16:40development professionals and we're also

1:16:42the health, safety, and welfare

1:16:43organization of the city. So

1:16:45fundamentally having a regulatory rule

1:16:47book around short-term rentals, Airbnbs

1:16:50is very important for the city. We feel

1:16:52very strongly about that. As to the

1:16:54question about visitation and

1:16:56hospitality here in the city, the drive

1:16:59as just like with the economy, the basic

1:17:01economic drivers is what will drive our

1:17:04growth. So in the spaces sectors I

1:17:06talked about earlier, um health care,

1:17:09higher education, innovation, that's

1:17:11what's driving the growth that you're

1:17:13seeing downtown and throughout the

1:17:15region if you will. And you same same

1:17:17with the tourism sector. the quality of

1:17:19the attractions, the quality of the

1:17:21hospitality experience, and then we

1:17:24build a hospitality platform around

1:17:26that, if you will. Um, but it's the

1:17:27quality of why people come here in the

1:17:30first place. So, you know, when this

1:17:31board heard lost in New Haven, say, for

1:17:33example, adding another marquee

1:17:36attraction much like we did with um the

1:17:38August Wilson series last year, these

1:17:40are the basic drivers of the

1:17:43hospitality. And then you're discussing

1:17:45what support services, which always

1:17:46evolve.

1:17:49>> [applause]

1:17:51>> Thank you.

1:17:53I think that's all I have. Thank you all

1:17:55so much for your hard work on this and

1:17:56and put it forward. Thank you, majority

1:17:59leader.

1:17:59>> Any further questions from committee

1:18:01members?

1:18:04>> Okay.

1:18:05>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Two very quick

1:18:06questions. One is and I don't know if

1:18:07the makers notice. How many other cities

1:18:10have these ordinances?

1:18:15So since I know in Connecticut 15 other

1:18:18cities uh towns and cities in

1:18:20Connecticut alone have done that since

1:18:22the state legisl

1:18:24>> 15 in 15 and do we know roughly how many

1:18:27nationwide

1:18:30we can get that

1:18:31>> through the chair if we can get that

1:18:32[laughter] other question

1:18:33>> the nationwide number of how many cities

1:18:35have passed this similar ordinance.

1:18:37Yeah. Yes, sir. And and through the

1:18:39chair, um the lawyers just curious about

1:18:41property rights and grandfathering. Um

1:18:44the the lawyers, is there any concern

1:18:47regarding passing this regarding the

1:18:49people who currently own properties and

1:18:52are using them a simple way? Um anybody

1:18:55can speak to that or share if we get a

1:18:57legal.

1:18:57>> This is all right. This is actually one

1:19:00that I was actually able to uh to stop

1:19:03on the

1:19:07there seemed to be confusion at the

1:19:09outset that the whether uh

1:19:13grandfathering of rights. This is not a

1:19:15land use ordinance. It doesn't exist in

1:19:18the zoning. It exists as a regulatory

1:19:22licensing scheme.

1:19:24Um let's take so

1:19:28you're not changing the fundamental

1:19:31transaction which is renting property

1:19:34for residential purposes. You're simply

1:19:37change licensing

1:19:40those who rent for less than 30 days for

1:19:43for less than 30 days either licensing

1:19:46them or prohibiting them. Um, let's put

1:19:49it this way. Similarly, if the city

1:19:53elected to, it could uh ban the sale of

1:19:57cigarettes. We've gone a bit slightly

1:20:00different route where we've limited

1:20:01where they can be sold and how close

1:20:03they can [clears throat] be together.

1:20:05If the city elected to, it could ban the

1:20:08sale of cigarettes. And just because you

1:20:12already sell cigarettes would not

1:20:15grandfather you in. you would be you

1:20:17would it would you would not you would

1:20:20be prohibited for from carrying that uh

1:20:23from carrying on that particular

1:20:25activity.

1:20:26>> But let me ask you about property right

1:20:27and the use of the property.

1:20:29>> This is not you're not changing the

1:20:32you're not changing the ability of the

1:20:34of the property owner to rent property.

1:20:38The transaction is still the same.

1:20:40You're simply tr simply regulating how

1:20:44long what the term of the lease is, not

1:20:47whether or not you can do it.

1:20:49>> Thank you for the legal important for

1:20:51me.

1:20:52>> But this is the I mean this was because

1:20:53there was a lot of confusion at the

1:20:55outset as to as to whether this was a

1:20:57land use or a regulator, you know, or a

1:21:01licensing regulatory scheme.

1:21:04>> Appreciate what sounds like a conclusive

1:21:06opinion. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

1:21:08Have you finished attorney?

1:21:10>> Yes. I'm sorry.

1:21:11>> Any other [clears throat] question?

1:21:12>> I'm

1:21:14Any other questions from committee?

1:21:17>> Seeing none. Thank you very much.

1:21:33Just as a reminder of how we're doing

1:21:36this tonight, we have those in favor and

1:21:38those that are opposed to the ordinance,

1:21:40we'll call them in rotating order, we'll

1:21:43ask that when your name is called by our

1:21:45vice chair. She'll call your name and

1:21:47the person who will be following, please

1:21:51come settle yourself, give your name and

1:21:55address [clears throat] for the record.

1:21:56And you will have exactly three minutes

1:22:01>> or less to testify.

1:22:03>> Is this the one that doesn't work?

1:22:09>> Okay. Um, wait. What What's going on?

1:22:11>> Just putting the microphone that works

1:22:13in the middle for you.

1:22:14>> Okay. Can we have It's It's really

1:22:15important that we just have staff

1:22:17working at the table for for this

1:22:19protocol.

1:22:20>> Um,

1:22:22>> yeah. So, which microphone does not

1:22:24work? Are you all not hearing me?

1:22:30mic check.

1:22:31>> Um, so we just really need one mic.

1:22:33There's only one person testifying at a

1:22:35time. Uh, if that microphone does not

1:22:37work, then we will we will switch it

1:22:40out.

1:22:47>> That sounds good.

1:22:52[snorts]

1:23:00Okay. And um just in case maybe someone

1:23:02has changed their mind and we're calling

1:23:04in favor or opposed. It would just be

1:23:06helpful for us because sometimes it's

1:23:08not clear in your testimony. So just say

1:23:10I'm in favor and then the reason why or

1:23:13I'm imposed and the [clears throat]

1:23:15reason why. Okay. It just keeps us um

1:23:18I'm going to ask because we're calling

1:23:19the names. I'm gonna put the burden on

1:23:21our newest folder

1:23:25>> to keep the time.

1:23:27>> Uh

1:23:29this way you can't get mad at us or have

1:23:31to blame him for it. [laughter]

1:23:33>> I could do my phone.

1:23:35>> You'll do your phone. Well, what I

1:23:37wanted to do is have them the ability to

1:23:39see

1:23:40>> Oh, sure.

1:23:40>> You know how to do it on here?

1:23:42>> Yeah. Yeah.

1:23:42>> Okay. Text

1:23:45>> young olders. All right.

1:23:48>> First thing We'll get started. Um,

1:23:52starting with in favor we have Lisa

1:23:54Valquest.

1:23:56And then on deck against is Richard

1:24:00Hour.

1:24:02Lisa [snorts]

1:24:04BZ

1:24:06>> Vasquez. Vasquez.

1:24:08>> Lisa Velasquez.

1:24:09>> Lisa Velasquez.

1:24:10>> Lisa Velasquez.

1:24:15>> Okay. Um, you know, he's already seated.

1:24:18We'll have him come first. and opposed

1:24:19and then

1:24:25[clears throat]

1:24:25>> your name and address for the record.

1:24:27>> Richard Albert, 27 Barnett Street, New

1:24:30Haven, Connecticut, lifelong resident in

1:24:32the Beaver Hill, founding member of the

1:24:34Night Square Merchants Association and

1:24:37here to represent against because of

1:24:40three reasons. one number one went

1:24:43deminated domain when created the night

1:24:46square merchants association it didn't

1:24:48work for the city then it denied people

1:24:50rights to build and do things number two

1:24:54in here there's 30 older people in here

1:24:57and 15 of them have affiliation with

1:24:59unions especially one alderman who is

1:25:02the president of the union that is

1:25:04enforcing this that was on the steps I'm

1:25:07asking anybody that's an alderman that

1:25:10is associated with this proposal that

1:25:13there is a conflict of interest. You

1:25:15represent the residents. You don't

1:25:17represent the businesses and explicitly

1:25:21listen to a gentleman say that it

1:25:23excludes hotels, motel, and whatever.

1:25:28And they should be included because if

1:25:29you're going to tax one, tax all. And

1:25:32the essence of what's going on here is

1:25:35not just the conflict of interest of two

1:25:38different bodies being combined into one

1:25:41with a perception that what you're doing

1:25:44is bringing big brother into our homes

1:25:47that have provided a service. No one

1:25:50talked about American Disabilities Act

1:25:52about the families that come for a week

1:25:55that go to Yale for cancer that bring

1:25:58their children and dogs that live in our

1:26:00BMBBS. No one talked about the fact that

1:26:03we hire all local. We pay $6,000 in the

1:26:07Beaver Hill minimum on each house and

1:26:10there's over 12. And by the way, since

1:26:13Noah mentioned it, the woman talked

1:26:15about 14 areas. There's 104 housing

1:26:18authorities in the state of Connecticut.

1:26:20There's 135,000 residents in New Haven.

1:26:23There's 300 BMBBS with 100 bedroom. And

1:26:27no one in here talked about creating

1:26:29housing. No one brought in Elm City. No

1:26:32one brought in uh the New Haven Housing

1:26:36Authority. There is no plan on the table

1:26:38to make affordable housing out of B&B.

1:26:41This is to restrict individuals that

1:26:44have created a business that the city

1:26:46wants to tax inside of their own homes,

1:26:50which [applause and cheering] is almost

1:26:52like telling us you can watch what we do

1:26:56and sit here and create laws and

1:26:59ordinances

1:27:01against what we have created because you

1:27:03don't like it and because it doesn't

1:27:06benefit the unions which you are

1:27:08affiliated with. You know, when I think

1:27:10about government and I think about

1:27:13corruption, conflict of interest or

1:27:16collaboration, you know, with 135,000

1:27:20people and being an addictions counselor

1:27:23and being in this city for years and

1:27:25homelessness being on the rise, we

1:27:28should be spending all the time you

1:27:29spent tonight in this discussion

1:27:31figuring out how we can take care of the

1:27:34homeless, the hurting, and the people

1:27:36that don't have the benefits that you

1:27:39need to provide that the federal

1:27:41government isn't doing it.

1:27:45[cheering]

1:27:50>> So

1:27:51the last

1:27:54and after Lisa Velasquez we have Daniel

1:27:59M Lean.

1:28:01>> Good evening. Um I'm Lisa Velasquez. I

1:28:04live at 40 Street. I'm a Democrat. I'm

1:28:07also co-chair of war three. I am here

1:28:09representing my community.

1:28:12I'm here to fight for better, better

1:28:14affordable housing. I live on every

1:28:16street for 22 years and I have seen so

1:28:18many changes. The cost of living has

1:28:20gone up so much and landers are coming

1:28:23from different states taking advantage

1:28:25of the residents and asking them for two

1:28:27to three months rent and they don't they

1:28:30don't make any type of repairs to the

1:28:31apartments. Other landers are turning

1:28:34them into Airbnbs, taking away

1:28:35affordable housing for the community.

1:28:38This is becoming impossible in our

1:28:40neighborhood to keep up with the dream

1:28:41of buying a home is getting further

1:28:45further away. Getting an apartment for

1:28:47our kids. Some of the kids had to move

1:28:49back home. Even if they have a degree, a

1:28:52college degree, they can't even get a

1:28:53decent respectful job here. Yale has

1:28:56money and keeps building,

1:28:59but our neighbors still can't get a

1:29:01decent respectful job. a good paying

1:29:02job.

1:29:04>> We need Yale to hire more people from

1:29:06our community with decent, respectful

1:29:09pay so they can afford to stay with

1:29:11dignity in the time they were raised.

1:29:13This legislation is one step away for

1:29:15our kids to have a better future in

1:29:18[clears throat] New Haven.

1:29:21[applause]

1:29:23[cheering]

1:29:28>> [applause]

1:29:30>> the the makers of the this ordinance.

1:29:34You're welcome. Alder Moore, Alder

1:29:37Douglas, and Alder

1:29:40Martinelli. They're welcome to join us

1:29:43during this public hearing portion. I'm

1:29:45going to ask that you refrain from

1:29:47clapping.

1:29:49Okay? You're in automatic chambers. This

1:29:52is not a stadium.

1:29:54And so we're going to maintain an order

1:29:55and we'll get through this quicker.

1:29:59Okay? We understand there's a motion on

1:30:01both sides, but we want to hear

1:30:02everyone's testimony and the clapping is

1:30:06not helpful. Thank you for your

1:30:08cooperation.

1:30:10Uh our next Thank you for your

1:30:12testimony,

1:30:14[cough]

1:30:15>> Daniel Mclean.

1:30:19And on deck we have Shawn Reeves.

1:30:24Welcome. Your name and address for the

1:30:26record?

1:30:26>> Daniel Glen, 399 Central.

1:30:30Um, yeah. So, I'm I'm here um

1:30:35well, I guess we'll start off. I serve

1:30:37on the Economic Development Commission,

1:30:39but I'm here as an individual homeowner

1:30:42of anyone else. Um, I own one house in

1:30:45New Haven. It's a two family in

1:30:47Westville where my family lives upstairs

1:30:50and we rent the apartment downstairs

1:30:52through BB. Uh, it's the only short-term

1:30:55rental we operate, and since 2017, we've

1:30:58welcomed more than 500 groups of

1:31:00visitors, maintained a nearly five-star

1:31:03rating, and hosted guests from all six

1:31:05inhabited continents. Um, people stayed

1:31:08with us for all kinds of reasons, from

1:31:10family milestones to medical visits and

1:31:12sometimes just experiencing.

1:31:14Uh, for a lot of families, our apartment

1:31:17has become a second home when they visit

1:31:18New Haven. I think about uh grandparents

1:31:22staying with us to meet their grandchild

1:31:23for the very first time. They can be

1:31:25close to family by having a space of

1:31:26their own. Um just today I had two

1:31:28neighbors asked me if their visiting

1:31:30family could stay with us. Um most

1:31:33importantly for me, Airbnb helps my

1:31:36family afford to stay here. So, you

1:31:38know, since we started hosting just

1:31:40under 10 years ago, property taxes have

1:31:42risen 50%. Uh homeowners insurance costs

1:31:46are up nearly fivefold. Um, rental

1:31:49income helps us to meet these costs and

1:31:51also maintain a 130 year old house.

1:31:54Um,

1:31:57I think we can all agree we don't want

1:31:58big investors buying up entire

1:32:00neighborhoods turning homes into hotels,

1:32:01but that's not what my family's doing.

1:32:03We're just trying to make sure we can

1:32:04keep the house.

1:32:06Uh, we recognize New Haven has a housing

1:32:08crisis. In my day job, I'm involved in

1:32:10community engagement around affordable

1:32:12housing. I know we need more homes. I

1:32:14acknowledge that an apartment used for

1:32:16short-term guests isn't available for a

1:32:17long-term tenant. But affordability

1:32:19means two things. Making room for people

1:32:21who want to live in New Haven and also

1:32:23helping people who already live here or

1:32:25to stay. Um so I think that's why the

1:32:28Texas ordinance matters so much. Uh on

1:32:31October 16th, Mayor Elicer said he wants

1:32:32home owners to be able to rent an extra

1:32:34apartment in their building and but

1:32:36section 17230 specifically limits uh

1:32:40that to the unit that your family

1:32:42occupies. It's kind of like a home

1:32:44sharing. Um so because our Airbnb is

1:32:48downstairs in the second apartment, this

1:32:49ordinance would prevent us from

1:32:50continuing to operate. Um is that really

1:32:53the intended outcome? Um, so I'm asking

1:32:56this committee to recommend revisions

1:32:58before sending this to the full board of

1:33:00alders. Um, allow homeowners like myself

1:33:02who live in multif family buildings to

1:33:04license an additional apartment as

1:33:07places like Burlington, Vermont do. Um,

1:33:10think also evaluate how much long-term

1:33:12housing the ordinance would actually

1:33:14recover. Um, and I think think about

1:33:17grandfathering and regional transition

1:33:19for existing investments as well. I

1:33:22think if these questions can't be

1:33:23resolved tonight, um it's, you know, I

1:33:25think it's important to be intentional

1:33:27about this and hold it for you.

1:33:30We can protect housing and affordability

1:33:32without making it harder for New Haven

1:33:34families to afford the homes live.

1:33:37>> Thank you.

1:33:37>> Thank you,

1:33:40>> Sean Reeves.

1:33:42And on deck, we have a Cynthia Johnson.

1:33:48>> Good evening. [clears throat] Your name

1:33:49and address for the record. And if you

1:33:51can also say in favor or against.

1:33:54>> Okay. Good evening.

1:33:57My name is Sean Reeves. Dear chair,

1:33:59members of the legislative committee. My

1:34:01name is Shawn Reeves Senior and I'm a

1:34:03lifelong New Haven resident born and

1:34:04raised in New Orleans. I am testifying

1:34:07in concern of the affordability crisis,

1:34:10the homeless crisis, and the fact that

1:34:12we now have uncovered another crisis.

1:34:14Mega landlords purchasing property to

1:34:17utilize strictly for Airbnb and

1:34:18short-term rentals. once more claim

1:34:21profit over people.

1:34:24While we allow unrestricted Airbnb or

1:34:26short-term leasing opportunities within

1:34:28the city of New Haven, we face large

1:34:30amounts of displacement and housing

1:34:32shortages within the city. As buildings

1:34:34have constantly being as buildings are

1:34:38constantly being built here in New

1:34:40Haven, housing shortages have not shrunk

1:34:42enough. Landlords and luxury apartment

1:34:44complexes are now competing for high

1:34:46profit margins for short-term usage.

1:34:49inflating rents so that they they are

1:34:52unaffordable for the majority of local

1:34:55residents and creating income

1:34:56opportunities

1:34:59far beyond the amount of what an average

1:35:00tenant would pay monthly for a decent

1:35:02living space for themselves and their

1:35:04families. There needs to be some

1:35:06oversight to this issue.

1:35:09This has affected me and other family

1:35:11members personally after experiencing a

1:35:14house fire that left us without housing

1:35:15in 2024.

1:35:17for more than a year. It was most it

1:35:20[clears throat] was the most difficult

1:35:21time trying to find an apartment that

1:35:23was reasonably priced for its location

1:35:25and access to transportation.

1:35:27After applying to several newly built

1:35:29building complexes, newly built

1:35:32apartment complexes throughout the city

1:35:34to only realize the ridiculous ass that

1:35:37they have just to become a tenant. Some

1:35:40asked that I make three times the amount

1:35:42of the cost of the monthly rent um for

1:35:45the unit. Knowing the average salary for

1:35:47most city residents is well below this

1:35:49number. This has also caused normally

1:35:52priced apartments to now have inflated

1:35:54rent costs.

1:35:56I have witnessed mothers and childrens

1:35:58with section 8 vouchers and other

1:36:00resources that are not able to find

1:36:01apartments due to this issue. There are

1:36:04hardworking families that have two

1:36:05incomes and still have trouble finding

1:36:07adequate housing because of the increase

1:36:08in rents across the city due to this

1:36:10problem.

1:36:12I've received phone calls from mothers

1:36:14and fathers sleeping inside of their

1:36:16vehicles unable to properly bathe, eat,

1:36:19and eat because of being outed of their

1:36:21homes due to rent increases. Not because

1:36:23of not working or have an income, but

1:36:25just being priced out of their

1:36:26communities.

1:36:28This issue is causing all types of youth

1:36:30homelessness and child dependency

1:36:33issues. High levels of hopelessness

1:36:36and no confidence in our leadership

1:36:38which is contributing to higher levels

1:36:40of mental health issues, homeless

1:36:42encampments, drug and alcohol use just

1:36:44to name a few. There needs to be

1:36:46something done immediately to address

1:36:48this issue before things get further out

1:36:50of control.

1:36:52I support the ban for non-residents

1:36:57uh Airbnb rentals.

1:37:01>> Thank you for your testimony.

1:37:04>> Um Cynthia Johnson

1:37:06and on deck we have

1:37:13>> your name and address for the record and

1:37:14just let us know who your coordinates.

1:37:17>> My name is Cynthia Johnson. My address

1:37:19is 448 East Street, apartment 1.

1:37:25Thank you for allowing me to speak to

1:37:27you tonight. As I said, my name is

1:37:28Cynthia Johnson. I'm a longtime resident

1:37:32of New Haven and I'm also a PCA

1:37:35um a proud member of SEIU 1199.

1:37:41I'm a caregiver, health caregiver for my

1:37:44adult daughter who requires care around

1:37:47the clock. She started having grandma

1:37:51seizures at the age of six. While being

1:37:54my daughter's caregiver is something I

1:37:56would not trade for the world. It does

1:38:00not come without struggles. And one of

1:38:02those is my income. As a PCA, we are

1:38:06paid only 2350 an hour. That's just over

1:38:11$900 a week before taxes. But when my

1:38:15rent is due, my rent is over $2,000

1:38:19a month.

1:38:21And that's without utilities and other

1:38:24necessities to take care of my daughter.

1:38:27That does not include the groceries, the

1:38:29utilities, cars, trips, things of that

1:38:33nature. I'm also suffering with

1:38:35epilepsy, so I'm also disabled, but I

1:38:37work full time. How can you expect

1:38:40anyone to survive, never mind get ahead

1:38:44when their income barely covers their we

1:38:47need the city of New Haven to step in

1:38:50and stop the vanishing housing market

1:38:52for those of us who depend on rental

1:38:55options. Large corporations are coming

1:38:58in and buying our homes and buildings

1:39:01only to convert the air in DMVs and

1:39:05other short-term rentals, which is

1:39:07leaving the residents of New Haven, the

1:39:09people of our community, struggling more

1:39:12and more each year to keep up.

1:39:14>> That's right.

1:39:15>> At this rate, we are worried it's only a

1:39:18matter of time before landlords from

1:39:21apartments will be saying that they sold

1:39:23out. and we have nowhere to go. Where

1:39:28would we go? How much will the rent be

1:39:31then? The struggle to stay afloat and to

1:39:35stay in our homes is why so many are

1:39:37turning to programs like section 8 for

1:39:41assistance. Residents of the Elm City

1:39:44who have called New Haven home for

1:39:46years, even decades, are now being

1:39:49priced out of the very city that we

1:39:52love.

1:39:55Please,

1:40:00this proposal for our for the oversight

1:40:02on the short-term rentals will mean a

1:40:06chance for saving

1:40:10affordable housing in New Haven. It will

1:40:12mean renters like me and others are not

1:40:15facing 10%, 50% or even 25% increases in

1:40:20every single year. It will offer

1:40:24stabilization for some of us and save

1:40:27what New Haven is known for. Its

1:40:30neighborhoods, its communities, and his

1:40:32good, hardworking people. Thank you for

1:40:35your attention.

1:40:37>> Thank you for your testimony.

1:40:39>> Johnson, are you for or against? Because

1:40:41if your name is

1:40:42>> I'm against the corporation.

1:40:45>> Okay.

1:40:46>> No, she's for the proposal.

1:40:47>> I'm for the proposal. I'm for the

1:40:50oversight of the proposal, but I'm

1:40:52against the R&Bs. I mean, the air R&Bs

1:40:55in the corporation.

1:40:58>> We got it. Thank you.

1:41:00>> We have Miss Tanya Bles.

1:41:06[clears throat and cough] And on deck,

1:41:08we have

1:41:10Arnold Nicholson.

1:41:14Transition.

1:41:15>> Sure. Thank you. Just um

1:41:19Take us your name and address for the

1:41:21record.

1:41:30>> Uh, good evening. My name is TanyaZ

1:41:32Lure. I live at 127 Wall Street. And I'm

1:41:34Elias Brook. I live at 999 Willie

1:41:37Avenue. Just providing translation.

1:42:04There is a housing crisis in New Haven.

1:42:06Many people are complaining that rent

1:42:09has risen significantly over the last 5

1:42:11years. Some has faced increases of $300

1:42:15per month, others as much as $400 per

1:42:18month. Some people I've talked to have

1:42:21felt forced to move because the rent has

1:42:23gone up so much.

1:42:48uh I support this legislation that

1:42:50you're discussing tonight regarding

1:42:51short-term rentals. Since June of this

1:42:54year, uh 2026, I've spoken with many

1:42:57people about the issue of affordable

1:42:59housing and the problem of short-term

1:43:01rentals. More than 20 people I talked to

1:43:04signed a petition following our

1:43:05conversations. And these individuals

1:43:08live in various neighborhoods

1:43:09throughout.

1:43:33I worked in food service at Yale since

1:43:352021. And finally this year in August, I

1:43:39began a full-time 40hour a week position

1:43:41at Yale.

1:43:43Nonetheless, um because of the rents and

1:43:47the cost of living, I've maintained a

1:43:49second job. For years, I held various

1:43:51part-time roles working with elderly

1:43:54clients.

1:44:43I hope to remain a resident of New

1:44:44Haven. Um, it's difficult to find rent

1:44:47that I can afford. I dream of my own um

1:44:51owning my own apartment or house and

1:44:53I've tried looking for an apartment. For

1:44:55instance, I attempted to apply for a

1:44:57studio in a newly developed building.

1:44:59They requested a great deal of

1:45:01information to qualify for an affordable

1:45:03rental rate and I was not earning enough

1:45:07um even my 28 hour paying job to feel

1:45:10confident about paying such a high rent.

1:45:13So, I'm gonna ask her to wrap it up.

1:45:15Sure.

1:45:19Okay. [laughter]

1:45:28So, in conclusion, I'm fighting for an

1:45:29affordable city because working people

1:45:31like me deserve stability and dignity.

1:45:46>> [clears throat]

1:45:46>> Yeah. Do you have your

1:45:48>> Yes.

1:45:48>> Okay. Just thank would you give us your

1:45:51name and address again for the record?

1:45:52>> Let's go. Elias.

1:45:56>> Uh my name is Elias Esbrook. I live at

1:45:59999 Avenue, New Haven. as I said. Um,

1:46:05so I serve on the affordable housing

1:46:07commission. I've been on that commission

1:46:09since 2021 and I'm a former city plan

1:46:12commissioner. Uh, I've worked in a few

1:46:14different nonprofits assisting residents

1:46:16of our city with finding jobs and

1:46:18housing. Um, and right now I'm a New

1:46:21Haven public school special ed teacher.

1:46:24And since June, um, like many others,

1:46:27I've been knocking on doors, uh, to hear

1:46:31about people's current struggles with

1:46:33the housing crisis. Um, really the

1:46:36majority are struggling to make ends

1:46:38meet, uh, with the house the cost of

1:46:41housing really going skyhigh.

1:46:44Um, and while we see wealthy

1:46:46institutions and companies to continue

1:46:48to generate profits, um, and I hear the

1:46:52frustration of residents across the city

1:46:54with how the housing crisis is is

1:46:57playing out. You know, we heard earlier

1:47:00tonight about efforts the city is making

1:47:02um, around affordable housing and I

1:47:06think those are important. I think

1:47:08people still feel that government isn't

1:47:10on their [clears throat] side or isn't

1:47:11doing enough to fight for them. you

1:47:12know, it's a massive problem um around

1:47:15housing and people really fear being

1:47:17priced out and um some fear being

1:47:21gentrified like other places. I know a

1:47:24little bit about places that are

1:47:26gentrified. My parents, you know, the

1:47:28place I grew up, uh Summerville,

1:47:30Massachusetts, right next to Cambridge.

1:47:33Cambridge is the is the model that we

1:47:35talk about for biotech and you know, the

1:47:37development of New Haven as a city, as a

1:47:39biotech city. Um, I think it's a

1:47:42cautionary tale. We really need to be

1:47:44careful about that as a vision. Um, I

1:47:47went to high school in Cambridge. My mom

1:47:48worked in a hospital there. I'm very

1:47:50familiar with what that community looked

1:47:52like in the 90s uh in the 2000s. And um,

1:47:57my parents were able to buy a home,

1:47:58create stability for me, helped me go to

1:48:01college, helped me um, be successful

1:48:05um, as a college student, as a young

1:48:07adult. And but now that street where I

1:48:11live, and this is a picture I have, um

1:48:14the rents, you know, on the street that

1:48:17I grew up on over $2,500, many over

1:48:22$3,000.

1:48:24Um and the home values, you know, there

1:48:26are million-dollar homes all all across

1:48:29that street. Now, my parents didn't buy

1:48:31a million-doll home, but it has changed

1:48:33really really dramatically.

1:48:36Um,

1:48:37now I just want to echo what director

1:48:40Brennan said earlier to say that this is

1:48:43not coming out of left field. This is

1:48:45something our city has been monitoring,

1:48:47right? The affordable housing task

1:48:49force. I [clears throat] was at those

1:48:51meetings, looked at the report. It was

1:48:54in their report. Uh, it's in the 2034

1:48:58comprehensive plan. you know, it's right

1:49:01here

1:49:03um in the document saying we need to

1:49:06mitigate the effects of short-term

1:49:07rentals. And I think the moment has come

1:49:09for that and you know, the city has done

1:49:12the work. So, thank you for your time

1:49:15and again, I support this legislation

1:49:18and hope that we can take another step

1:49:20to um address the housing crisis.

1:49:22>> Thank you.

1:49:22>> Thank you.

1:49:23>> Thank you. Can you just put that back to

1:49:26um Arnolden?

1:49:29>> [snorts]

1:49:29>> is next after Arnold is Joseph Carol.

1:49:36Arnold Nichol Nicholson

1:49:39Nicholson is here but he's not a

1:49:40residence. He was just signing in.

1:49:43>> Okay.

1:49:44>> I'll take his place.

1:49:44>> He doesn't.

1:49:46>> No. So he does not he's not here to

1:49:48testify.

1:49:49>> Anybody can testify. You don't have to

1:49:51be a resident. But if you want you got

1:49:53something to say, come say.

1:49:59>> [clears throat]

1:50:06>> And so after Arnold Nicholson, we'll

1:50:09have Joseph Carol.

1:50:12>> We understand that some people maybe you

1:50:14signed in because you thought that was

1:50:16maybe the format of just signing your

1:50:17name in for the record. So of course

1:50:20you're not pressured to testify if you

1:50:22don't want to. You can just wave your

1:50:23hand and say you're here. And so, but uh

1:50:26who we have coming now?

1:50:27>> We have Mr. Arnold.

1:50:30>> Oh, I'm Joseph.

1:50:31>> Joseph. Who's Arnold Nicholson?

1:50:34>> All right. We're gonna You don't want to

1:50:37speak? Okay. Thank you very much. So,

1:50:40you could come up. Thank you.

1:50:42>> Good evening.

1:50:43>> Good evening.

1:50:44>> Your name and address for the record,

1:50:45please.

1:50:46>> Joseph [clears throat] Carroll, 111

1:50:47Whitney Avenue, New Haven.

1:50:50I serve as senior warden at St. Links

1:50:52Episcopal Church and I'm also a member

1:50:54of the faith and power assembly.

1:50:57I'm here tonight in support of storm

1:51:00regulations for short-term rentals. As a

1:51:02person of faith, I believe that housing

1:51:04is more than just core walls and roof. A

1:51:07home provides stability, dignity, and

1:51:10the foundation on which families and

1:51:12communities are built. But today, New

1:51:15Haven families are struggling to find

1:51:17affordable places to live, and the

1:51:19growing conversation of resident

1:51:21conversion of residential housing into

1:51:23short-term rentals is only making the

1:51:25struggle more difficult. We already have

1:51:28an extremely tight housing market in New

1:51:30Haven and the surrounding area. There

1:51:32simply are not enough available homes

1:51:34and apartments to meet the needs of our

1:51:36residents. Families are competing for

1:51:39limited housing options and rents are

1:51:41already stretching household budgets to

1:51:43their breaking point. The economics are

1:51:46simple. Every apartment or house

1:51:48converted into a short-term rental is

1:51:51one less home available for a New Haven

1:51:53resident or family. And when we remove

1:51:56the housing units out of an already

1:51:58limited market, you make a bad situation

1:52:01worse. When supply shrinks while demand

1:52:04remains high, competition increases,

1:52:06rents are driven higher and working

1:52:09families are forced to stretch their

1:52:11budgets even further.

1:52:13Sadly, many families have no choice but

1:52:16to either move out of their homes or out

1:52:19of New Haven altogether.

1:52:21This is basic supply and demand, and our

1:52:24residents who are paying the price

1:52:26deserve better.

1:52:28We cannot claim to address New Haven's

1:52:29housing crisis while allowing more and

1:52:32more of our existing homes to disappear

1:52:34from the residential market pool. We

1:52:37cannot put the profits of commercial

1:52:39operators ahead of the families who

1:52:41live, work, pay taxes, and build their

1:52:44lives in this city. The choices before

1:52:47you are clear.

1:52:49Will we protect our neighborhoods and

1:52:51preserving housing for our residents? Or

1:52:53will we allow more of our homes to

1:52:55become hotel-like settings while working

1:52:58families are faced with exorbitant

1:53:01prices? I urge you to pass those orders.

1:53:05New Haven homes must be for New Haven

1:53:07residents. Our families deserve nothing

1:53:10less. Thank you.

1:53:12>> Thank you for your testimony. Um as we

1:53:16call the next name

1:53:20Armand Armando Ruez

1:53:24just sign in. Okay. Thank you. Um Miam

1:53:29Gman,

1:53:32>> we thank you for your patience. As we're

1:53:34getting through so many names, we will

1:53:36ask you um please if you're going to

1:53:38have a conversation, just take it out in

1:53:41the hall. If I can hear you, that means

1:53:44that these two recordings can also hear

1:53:46you. And you'd be surprised the things

1:53:48that we hear.

1:53:50So, just take it out to the hall,

1:53:52please. Thank you. Your name and address

1:53:53for the record.

1:53:54>> My name is Miriam Gman. I live with 152

1:53:57Temple Street, apartment 410, right

1:53:59across the street from the Ammy Hotel.

1:54:01For context, I am against this proposal

1:54:03because I think it does not address um

1:54:06the housing crisis and the hotel supply

1:54:09and location New Haven is not adequate

1:54:11to meet the needs of tra of visitors to

1:54:13New Haven. I was looking at along line

1:54:16to look at the housing situation and the

1:54:17rentals. Basically, the rental market in

1:54:20New Haven has gone softer in recent in

1:54:22recent years. And that's partly because

1:54:23the Trump administration has cut funding

1:54:25to Yale University because there's, you

1:54:28know, the cousin Yale's endowment has

1:54:29passed more than it was before because

1:54:31there's grant funding has disappeared

1:54:33and also because, you know, it's strict

1:54:35immigration rules. You have fewer people

1:54:37coming to New Haven for Yale. Yale has

1:54:39cut the number of grad students they've

1:54:40admitted. So, I think rents in New Haven

1:54:42actually gone, you know, flatter flatter

1:54:44in recent years than, you know, higher.

1:54:46In fact, pointtoep apartments.com. The

1:54:48average one-bedroom rent is down 2% from

1:54:51last year. I went online to a lot of

1:54:53apartment websites. Many of them are

1:54:54offering two months rent, three months

1:54:56rent. Not just new buildings, but

1:54:57existing buildings. I looked at, you

1:54:59know, the Eli, the the autobond, the

1:55:01TAC, the Liberty. Many buildings are

1:55:03offering these rental concessions. They

1:55:05wouldn't be doing that if these

1:55:06buildings were full. So, I think we

1:55:09don't really have a supply crisis. It's

1:55:10more as an affordability crisis. And I

1:55:12think it's easier to take shots at

1:55:13companies like Airbnb than to do the

1:55:15work to find policies that can really

1:55:17address the affordable housing crisis.

1:55:19Like, you know, New York City with their

1:55:20housing lotteryies or New York State had

1:55:22Michelama housing. I think there are

1:55:24there are better ways to, you know,

1:55:26address this and take shops and

1:55:27corporations like Airbnb. And also with

1:55:29regard to the um hotel issues, like the

1:55:32hotel supply in New Haven is not

1:55:34adequate to meet the traveling

1:55:35population. Some people need kitchens or

1:55:37want a bigger space for their family and

1:55:39big weekend. There's simply not enough

1:55:41hotels in New Haven to meet the supply.

1:55:43I went online and look at hotels for

1:55:44convention weekend. The arm was going

1:55:46for over $700 a night for a room. The

1:55:48New Haven hotel was over $7 a night. So

1:55:50people either have to stay outside of

1:55:51Haven, get a hotel in West Haven, you

1:55:53know, Milford or get an Airbnb. Now

1:55:56someone who is a savage observing Jew

1:55:57and cannot drive on the Sabbath, they

1:55:59can get a hotel in West Haven or

1:56:00Milford, having an Airbnb was another

1:56:02option for them. And even now there are

1:56:04neighborhoods in New Haven, Westville,

1:56:05Beaver Hills, you know, areas where

1:56:07people of Saturn servant Jews, they want

1:56:09to, you know, they want to have friends,

1:56:10you know, stay over, you know, stay

1:56:11over, but there's no hotels nearby. So,

1:56:13you're basically closing off, you know,

1:56:15um, an option for people to use when

1:56:18they travel and the hotels are not not,

1:56:20you know, enough to meet the demand

1:56:22location wise or price-wise or

1:56:23supply-wise. Um, New York City

1:56:25restricted Airbnbs a few years ago. I

1:56:27don't think the rents there have gone

1:56:28down at all. I think it's helped the

1:56:30hotel district. I don't think it's

1:56:31helped, you know, people get more

1:56:32affordable apartments or homes in New

1:56:34York City at all. I think I don't think

1:56:36that's that's been the that's been the

1:56:38effect um at all when they when they've

1:56:40done it. And I think you just take away

1:56:42the options for people. New Haven wants

1:56:43to be the destination for tourism, for

1:56:45business travel. We've upgraded to an

1:56:46airport for that and now we're going to

1:56:48take away an option for lodging, forcing

1:56:50people, you know, to either not go to

1:56:51stay in New Haven, you know, or go

1:56:52elsewhere. and it really and I don't

1:56:54think it's really accomplishing the goal

1:56:56of getting more affordable housing

1:56:58online. So, thank you for your time.

1:57:00>> Thank you for your testimony,

1:57:02>> Bishop

1:57:04Philip Boom.

1:57:06And after Mr. Boone, there's a Jill M.

1:57:14So, Bishop.

1:57:16Thank you.

1:57:20>> Good evening, Bishop. Your name and

1:57:21address for the record. Good evening. My

1:57:25name is Bishop Phil

1:57:29actually church.

1:57:33I'm here because I'm a member of the

1:57:36faith and power assembly.

1:57:39I stand before you, actually sit before

1:57:41you in strong support of the proposed

1:57:44short-term rental ordinance.

1:57:48Not because I'm a pastor,

1:57:49[clears throat] but because I'm a

1:57:50witness to what the rising cost of

1:57:52housing

1:57:54is doing to our families, our churches,

1:57:57and the fabric of labor.

1:58:01Over the years, I've watched many

1:58:03congregants who once lived within

1:58:05walking [clears throat] distance or bus

1:58:07distance or short driving distance of

1:58:10the church become displaced the

1:58:12surrounding towns and communities

1:58:14because they can no longer afford to

1:58:16live in the city they help. [cough]

1:58:20This displacement comes at a cost of

1:58:23rent [laughter and clears throat]

1:58:24increased [cough] transportation

1:58:26expenses, longer commutes, less time

1:58:30with families, and gradual weakening of

1:58:33the relationships that hold the

1:58:35neighborhoods of New Haven together,

1:58:38improving the faith community.

1:58:42Many of my congregants are hardworking

1:58:44individuals. They work in healthcare.

1:58:47They contribute to the daily success of

1:58:50Yale University, Yale New Haven

1:58:53Hospital, St. Rfield campus. Yet the

1:58:56wages that they have and that have not

1:58:58kept up with the pace of the rising cost

1:59:01of purchasing or renting a home in the

1:59:03very city they work and serve.

1:59:07I think there's something fundamentally

1:59:09wrong from people who help sustain a

1:59:11city they can't no longer live in.

1:59:18Furthermore, when housing becomes

1:59:20primarily an investment opportunity for

1:59:23abency abency absentee landlords and

1:59:26large corporations,

1:59:28we lose something we cannot measure in

1:59:30dollars,

1:59:32community ownership, neighborhood

1:59:34accountability, and human relationships.

1:59:38People who live in community invest more

1:59:40than money. They invest their time,

1:59:43their children, their faith, their

1:59:45relationships, and their future.

1:59:48New Haven must remain a city of

1:59:51neighborhoods, not a marketplace of

1:59:56this ordinate ordinance is not is not a

1:59:59complete solution [clears throat] to the

2:00:01housing crisis,

2:00:03but this necessary is a necessary step

2:00:07towards protecting housing opportunities

2:00:09for working families.

2:00:11I respectfully urge this board to pass

2:00:14this ordinance.

2:00:16Let us preserve New Haven not simply as

2:00:18a place where people work, but as a

2:00:21place where they can afford to live,

2:00:22raise families, worship, and belong.

2:00:25Thank you. God bless you. For the

2:00:28record, I support

2:00:31I strongly support this orders. And for

2:00:33the record, I grew up in New York City

2:00:37and I know what you know big businesses

2:00:40doing in those city in the city buying

2:00:43up houses where people can't afford a a

2:00:46flat,

2:00:48a studio,

2:00:51$1,500,

2:00:52$2,000.

2:00:56People don't make that kind of money.

2:00:58Thank you for listening. God bless.

2:01:00Thank you for your testimony.

2:01:03>> Jill M.

2:01:05>> And after Jill, we have Merrill.

2:01:09[clears throat]

2:01:12>> Jill M's 116 Riverview Avenue.

2:01:21So, um I am a preschool teacher of 30

2:01:25years, 20 of them here in New Haven. Um

2:01:31some children right here in the

2:01:33building, former students of mine. Um my

2:01:38husband and I are on well I lived on um

2:01:44I lived on in New Haven and got divorced

2:01:48and moved to Bramford and I rent a house

2:01:50there and that's where I've lived for

2:01:52the last 20 years. Um it's a second

2:01:56marriage for my husband and I. He works

2:01:58for the city. Um we because we have six

2:02:04kids between us in college,

2:02:05[clears throat]

2:02:06we were very behind on our sort of

2:02:09retirement plan and that started to get

2:02:11really scary. Um we purchased an 1100

2:02:16square foot twobedroom, one bath house

2:02:20uh in Fair Haven.

2:02:23um with the idea to Airbnb it for we had

2:02:27like an 8-year plan. We're 4 and a half

2:02:30years in until we could retire there a

2:02:33be able to afford to retire there. Um

2:02:39you know, I called um [clears throat]

2:02:41Mr. Roente and asked him to come and he

2:02:44was good enough to come so I could show

2:02:46him our house and what we do. Um we're

2:02:50really proud of it. It's our baby. Um,

2:02:54we have put, you know, I am the sole

2:02:56cleaner, maintenance,

2:02:59uh, all of it. When we first moved in,

2:03:02there's a giant slope. If you live in an

2:03:05air, I mean, if you live in, uh, Fair

2:03:08Haven on Front Street, you know about

2:03:09these slopes. And we had trees that were

2:03:13destabilized. And we had immediately

2:03:16land uh neighbors call and ask us to you

2:03:20know do something about the trees which

2:03:22we did. Um

2:03:25and

2:03:27we put a driveway in. There was no

2:03:30driveway. It was people were parking on

2:03:32the grass. I mean the uh I guess you say

2:03:36curb appeal is people walk by every day

2:03:40and tell me how beautiful it is and

2:03:42thank me for what you know how what good

2:03:47uh condition it's kept in um you know

2:03:50Frank was nice enough to come he's you

2:03:53know he said basically like my vote is

2:03:55not my own my vote is for my neighbors

2:03:59my vote is for what they want what they

2:04:02need and I said, "Well, I'm a neighbor."

2:04:05And he said, "No, you're not." And I

2:04:08said, "I am a neighbor." And he said,

2:04:10"Neighbors plant trees." And I said,

2:04:13"Well, come on over and look out this

2:04:16window and meet my river birch. I mean,

2:04:18I've completely

2:04:20uh stabilized this slope with trees that

2:04:24have fallen and and terraced it and

2:04:27because it eventually will be the home

2:04:30that we retire to. Um, I am in the top

2:04:341% of Airbnbs in this city. Uh, I have

2:04:39411 five-star reviews. And if you think

2:04:43that's easy, um, it is not. Uh,

2:04:49I have to

2:04:52>> Okay. So, I will say I have more to say,

2:04:56but I will say that I called our current

2:04:58guest. I messaged them and said that I

2:05:01would like to come by and pick up our

2:05:04guest book. Um, and I said what I was

2:05:07doing and where I was coming. And she

2:05:09said, "Sure, I'll put it in um the

2:05:13mailbox for you." And I said told her

2:05:15what I was doing. And I said, "Feel free

2:05:17to leave a note. Uh, we're visiting New

2:05:21Haven for a fall break with our toddler

2:05:24and would never have come here if it

2:05:27weren't for Airbnb. We always stay in

2:05:29Airbnbs, never in hotels, having our own

2:05:33space. We

2:05:34>> as a teacher, you know how to follow

2:05:36instructions, right?

2:05:39>> Because we're giving, you see all these

2:05:41people and we're giving everyone three

2:05:43minutes and we've given a little grace.

2:05:46Alder, the majority leader is much

2:05:49kinder than if he is meeting. So

2:05:53>> would would you leave your testimony

2:05:55where it says staff there? Would you

2:05:56leave your written testimony with us?

2:05:58>> I would.

2:05:59>> And we really appreciate your testimony.

2:06:00>> Thank you for your time.

2:06:01>> We'll just leave it right there on that

2:06:02desk.

2:06:04>> Yep.

2:06:05>> We have um Thank you. And we have a

2:06:08marrow.

2:06:08>> Thank you very much.

2:06:10>> The last thing that is ASP at 703

2:06:15Whitney Avenue.

2:06:17And after Melo, we have a Michael Hayes.

2:06:23>> Uh Dr. ASP was caring for a sick loved

2:06:25one and had to leave. So, uh has asked

2:06:27me to read his testimony for him. Uh my

2:06:29name is Arita Cherry. I live at 239 St.

2:06:32John Street. Um Mel lives at 703 Whitney

2:06:35Avenue. So, I'll read his testimony. Uh

2:06:38I'm a post-doal worker at Yale and a

2:06:40member of the posttop bargaining

2:06:42committee. I support the proposed

2:06:43legislation because we need to increase

2:06:45available housing to keep the cost of

2:06:47living in New Haven in check and this is

2:06:49a proven and straightforward way to help

2:06:51accomplish that. I've lived in New Haven

2:06:53as a postoc for nearly four years and my

2:06:55rent has significantly increased every

2:06:57year. I have had friends also working at

2:07:00Yale priced out of their apartments and

2:07:02I am increasingly seeing units converted

2:07:04to short-term rentals in my own

2:07:06neighborhood in East Rock. My wife and I

2:07:08live in a one-bedroom apartment and we

2:07:10would like to move somewhere with more

2:07:11space but we cannot afford that. I have

2:07:14been serving on the post on the

2:07:15bargaining committee for the postocs

2:07:17union contract and we are working to

2:07:19secure a more sustainable way of life

2:07:20for postocs at Yale and as we try to

2:07:23increase our salary so we are paid

2:07:24fairly for our work we don't want a

2:07:27potential raise to just go into our

2:07:28landlord's pockets

2:07:30one necessary piece of keeping rent in

2:07:32check is increasing the housing supply

2:07:35initiatives to build new housing are

2:07:37underway but we need support sooner if

2:07:39[clears throat] existing housing can be

2:07:40made available for longterm tenants that

2:07:43takes pressure off the housing market

2:07:44much more efficiently. This proposed

2:07:47rule has been tested across the US and

2:07:49in other communities in Connecticut and

2:07:50there's been and has been proven

2:07:52effective at decreasing rents. We need

2:07:54homes to be homes and not hotels.

2:07:56Banning non-owner occupied short-term

2:07:58rentals in the city will help us respond

2:08:00to the affordability crisis among many

2:08:02more steps we need to take. Now is the

2:08:04time to implement this solution for

2:08:05Haven. Thank you. Thank you.

2:08:07>> Thank you for your testimony,

2:08:10>> Michael Hayes. After

2:08:17Mr. Hayes, we have Lamar Al.

2:08:22>> Welcome. Your name and address for the

2:08:24record.

2:08:26>> My name is Michael Hayes. I live at 35

2:08:28West Park Avenue here in New Haven. Uh I

2:08:31am here in opposition to the uh

2:08:33emergency under its current form.

2:08:37Uh my name is Michael Hayes. I'm a New

2:08:38Haven housing provider, a long-term

2:08:40resident. have worked with the community

2:08:41for almost three decades as a nursing

2:08:43haven hospital. Understand the goal of

2:08:45this ordinance is to improve housing

2:08:46affordability. The question is whether

2:08:48this proposal will actually accomplish

2:08:50that goal. The evidence suggests

2:08:51[clears throat] it will not. New Haven

2:08:53housing has a housing shortage. But the

2:08:56city responded. In 2019, New Haven and

2:08:57permitted more than 4,100 new housing

2:08:59units, including more than 1,000 units

2:09:01completed in 2025 [clears throat] alone.

2:09:03Vacancy rates have risen substantially,

2:09:05roughly from 3.1% in 2024 to 6.4% 4%

2:09:102026 and reach as high as 9% in 2025.

2:09:12Housing researchers generally consider a

2:09:14vacancy rate of 78% to be a healthy

2:09:16balanced market. New Haven is now

2:09:18approaching that range. At the same

2:09:20time, rents are softening. New lease

2:09:22rents are approximately 7.5% below the

2:09:242024 peak. But even those numbers

2:09:26overstate what tenants are actually

2:09:28paying because the landlords are

2:09:29increasingly offering concessions.

2:09:31Today, 33 of the 40 major apartment

2:09:33listings in New Haven advertise free

2:09:35rent incentives with some offering as

2:09:37many four months free. Free. That means

2:09:40real rents are often dramatically lower

2:09:41than the advertised rents in many

2:09:43housing discussions.

2:09:45These are not signs a market is

2:09:46suffering from a severe housing

2:09:47shortage. These are signs that a market

2:09:49is rebalancing itself through meaningful

2:09:51increase in housing supply. Supporters

2:09:52of this ordinance argue that short-term

2:09:54rentals and in to [clears throat]

2:09:56traditional apartments will

2:09:57significantly improve affordability, but

2:09:59the numbers tell a different story. New

2:10:01York currently has approximately 39,000

2:10:03renter occupied units and estimated

2:10:05rental inventory of 4200 42,000 units

2:10:08with about 2800 apartments already

2:10:11sitting vacant. Against that backdrop,

2:10:13the city has approximately 359 Airbnb

2:10:15listings. Even if every single Airbnb

2:10:17were converted into long-term rental

2:10:19tomorrow, those units would represent

2:10:21less than 1% of New Haven's housing

2:10:23inventory and would increase vacancy by

2:10:26less than 1 percentage point from

2:10:27roughly 6.7% to approximately 6 7.5%.

2:10:30Meanwhile, New Haven completed more than

2:10:321,000 new housing units in 2025 alone,

2:10:36three times the number of all Airbnb

2:10:38listings combined. The data shows that

2:10:39housing supply is already increasing

2:10:41through new construction while impact of

2:10:43eliminating every Airbnb would be

2:10:45marginal at best. What this ordinance

2:10:47will do is disproportionately harm local

2:10:49mom and pop housing providers while

2:10:51providing windfall for one of the one

2:10:53industry that stands to benefit the

2:10:54most, large corporate hotel chains.

2:11:00>> As a nurse at Y Haven Hospital,

2:11:04I see every day how I depend our

2:11:05healthare system to become a traveling

2:11:07nurses. I [clears throat] work at St.

2:11:08Rafields and I'll I'll I'll leave my

2:11:10testimony for the rest, but I'll give

2:11:11you what what I have. If you just give

2:11:13me some leeway here, I have two Airbnbs

2:11:16that I rent short term. They are a

2:11:19bridge to other housing. I have travel

2:11:22nurses that are coming in right now. 60%

2:11:24of the ER at St. Greyfields is travel

2:11:27nurses. The Adams Neuroscience Center is

2:11:29about to open up 204 beds. That's a lot

2:11:32of nurses coming in.

2:11:34There has to be a balance that we can

2:11:36work with between keeping these units on

2:11:39the market and regulating them all. We

2:11:41have Liam's been doing a great work at

2:11:43LCI.

2:11:45We can regulate what's owned by here and

2:11:48make sure that huge corporations aren't

2:11:50buying up stuff. We we you can work with

2:11:52residents that are doing the right thing

2:11:55using Airbnbs.

2:11:57You are not what's coming down the road.

2:12:00nurses when they come in here because I

2:12:01know because I work with them. They do

2:12:03not come into New Haven and and and rent

2:12:07an apartment because you can regret it

2:12:08and everything else that that's going

2:12:10on. They're they need to know the lay of

2:12:11the land. Some neighborhoods they're

2:12:13comfortable with, some neighborhoods

2:12:14they aren't. So, they rent short term in

2:12:16in meantime. You are going to have a net

2:12:18positive. And I'll tell you how. Just

2:12:20give me some leeway, please. a net

2:12:22positive because we have nurses that are

2:12:25coming together and they're renting an

2:12:28apartment together rather than a

2:12:29one-bedroom apartment alone. So, if you

2:12:31rent a three-bedroom apartment to nurses

2:12:33that are staying long time, it's better

2:12:34than them coming in right off the rip

2:12:36and having a one-bedroom apartment.

2:12:38You're not going to be able the wave of

2:12:39nurses that are coming in, you're not

2:12:40going to be able to support it with

2:12:41current housing. It's going to actually

2:12:42increase the price.

2:12:46>> Thank you for your testimony. Would you

2:12:47leave that to Mr. Lucas?

2:12:51Thank you very much.

2:12:52>> Thank you.

2:12:53>> Um Lamar Austin,

2:12:56>> are those stats and everything you said?

2:12:58>> After Lamar, you have a David

2:13:04one.

2:13:08I'm sorry. Five long hill.

2:13:10>> Okay, you're next.

2:13:13>> Thank you.

2:13:15>> Hello, I'm Lamar Austin and I live on 36

2:13:18Orchard Place. uh uh like uh orchard and

2:13:21golf like area

2:13:24and I'm here to testify about affordable

2:13:26uh housing the floor. All right. My name

2:13:29is Lamar Austin and I'm a young black

2:13:31man who was born and raised in New

2:13:32Haven. This city is my home and I care

2:13:34deeply about the people, families, and

2:13:36communities that make it special. I'm a

2:13:38person who is dedicated and committed to

2:13:39standing up for what I believe in and I

2:13:41believe [clears throat] that everyone

2:13:42deserves access to the state. I'm safe,

2:13:44stable, and affordable housing. I

2:13:46support a ban on nonowners occupied

2:13:48short-term rentals and uh housing should

2:13:51be for living and not away for making a

2:13:54profit.

2:13:56The rising cost of housing makes it

2:13:58harder for working people to um find

2:14:00affordable places to live. If the owners

2:14:03of the unit where where I lived decide

2:14:05to sell my family and I um struggle to

2:14:08find another home

2:14:14uh we we could afford because it uh it

2:14:18feels like there are so few affordable

2:14:21homes

2:14:23and I'm losing uh

2:14:27sorry I don't got my glasses. I got my

2:14:29glasses.

2:14:31um

2:14:33homes available in New Haven. No, no

2:14:35family should have to worry about uh but

2:14:36I fear that my landlord could refuse to

2:14:40renew our lease and turn our homes into

2:14:42Airbnb because they see that they could

2:14:44make more money that way. With more

2:14:47affordable housing, New Haven could

2:14:49become a better place for everyone.

2:14:50Families could live more comfortably,

2:14:53save for their futures, and build

2:14:54stability. One job should be enough to

2:14:57help people with their basic needs

2:14:59without having to work too. Jobs, two

2:15:02jobs just to survive, especially with

2:15:03all the all the money for tourism and

2:15:06research coming in the city. I want to

2:15:08see New Haven where residents come

2:15:10before profits and families can afford

2:15:12to stay in community that they call

2:15:14home. Passing this ordinance is one step

2:15:17in the right direction that we must

2:15:19take.

2:15:21>> Thank you.

2:15:22>> Thank you. Thank you for your testimony.

2:15:24Uh before I go to the next person,

2:15:26committee, are you good to keep going?

2:15:29Are we good?

2:15:31>> Okay, let's keep pushing. Thank you

2:15:32again.

2:15:34>> Uh the person who was next, you remember

2:15:36who? Okay. [laughter]

2:15:41>> It doesn't matter. When you come

2:15:43forward, just tell us. Just give us your

2:15:45testimony.

2:15:48>> Did you sign up there?

2:15:50>> Okay. Have you

2:15:51>> Did you sign just now

2:15:53>> or were you signed earlier?

2:15:56>> Okay. Yeah, we got we got about five

2:15:58pages here. Yep. We're going to keep

2:16:01going.

2:16:02>> Thank you for being here. Your name and

2:16:03address for the record.

2:16:04>> Hi, my name is David Tyler, one long

2:16:07terrorist in Connecticut. I am opposing

2:16:10against these ban on Airbnbs.

2:16:13I understand there's a lot of people

2:16:14here hurting for affordable housing and

2:16:17it's uh it hurts me. I've uh been here

2:16:20many years. I've rented out started here

2:16:23as a rental agent haven renting

2:16:26apartments, driving prospective tenants

2:16:28in back of my cars to their apartments

2:16:32cuz they haven't had the ability to

2:16:34drive or take the bus or whatnot. So, I

2:16:36understand a lot of people's concern

2:16:39here with affordable housing. On the

2:16:41other hand, I don't see any correlation

2:16:43here with Airbnb

2:16:46people's small mom and pop like myself

2:16:48who own a couple homes that put a lot of

2:16:50money into the homes, put hundreds of

2:16:52thousand dollars to give a lot of work

2:16:53to the local economy, giving contractors

2:16:56work, giving local landscapers, snow

2:16:59removal guys work, giving cleaners work,

2:17:02giving local restaurants, recommending

2:17:05local restaurants and attractions.

2:17:07people that come. The average family

2:17:09that comes to us is about eight eight to

2:17:1210 um that stay with us. So, it's not

2:17:15like you're one guest that comes and um

2:17:18takes up a whole house. So, you're

2:17:20talking looking at like 8 to 10 people

2:17:22coming and needing a place that has a

2:17:25kitchen, that has ample amount of

2:17:27bathrooms, has a bath for their kids. So

2:17:31there's a room that they could be in

2:17:33Airbnb, but as well I understand there

2:17:36has to be something that has to be done

2:17:38for affordable housing. And I don't see

2:17:40any correlation between the two. Um I

2:17:43saved up all my money and I put money

2:17:45into these houses into the local economy

2:17:47and now if this ban goes in, I will

2:17:49literally have to lose these homes.

2:17:51That's where I'm holding. So I'm going

2:17:53to keep it short. This is what I have

2:17:54and uh I hope this does not go through.

2:17:58>> Thank you for your testimony.

2:18:01>> [clears throat]

2:18:13>> So that was Lamar Austin.

2:18:18>> Huh?

2:18:20>> Yeah. Lamar Austin. So David,

2:18:23>> that was David. Okay. So um Leslie

2:18:28[snorts]

2:18:37Welcome. Your name and address for the

2:18:39record, please.

2:18:42>> Good evening, alders. My name is Lesie

2:18:43Blateau, 410 Greenwich Avenue in the

2:18:46Hill in New Haven. Um I'm a longtime New

2:18:49Haven resident, also the president of

2:18:51New Federation of Teachers. So, I'll

2:18:53first approach this from a personal and

2:18:55then from a um more professional uh

2:18:57perspective. The reason why I am a 20-y

2:19:00year long resident on Greenwich Avenue

2:19:03in the Hill um was because I was be able

2:19:05to purchase my home because before I

2:19:08lived there, I lived on an affordable I

2:19:10lived in an affordable beautiful

2:19:13apartment on Winchester Avenue where

2:19:15when I moved in in the year 2000, the

2:19:17landlord said to me, "I won't raise the

2:19:19rent for as long as you're here." He was

2:19:21a homegrown

2:19:23local landlord who rented a beautiful

2:19:26apartment to me and my friends. I think

2:19:28it was $600 for a two-bedroom, large,

2:19:31beautiful. I sucked away money and built

2:19:35a nest egg and had a down payment for my

2:19:37[snorts] house in the hill when it was

2:19:38time for me to move. Those days

2:19:42are no longer the case in New Haven. So,

2:19:44from a personal perspective, um, I'm

2:19:47raising that. From a professional

2:19:49perspective, I'm very concerned about

2:19:52the lack of opportunity for particularly

2:19:55early career educators, the members I

2:19:57represent, who want to not only work in

2:19:59New Haven, they want to be able to live

2:20:02in New Haven. And as a result of

2:20:04skyrocketing rents and corporations

2:20:08buying up more and more of our

2:20:09properties, we are not able to ensure

2:20:13that people can live and work in this

2:20:16city. And we know that the social fabric

2:20:19of a community is dependent on people

2:20:22living and working in the same place. I

2:20:24know I I didn't follow the instructions

2:20:26which was I am absolutely in support of

2:20:30these regulations because it is

2:20:32crucially important that we ensure that

2:20:35rents stay low and that Airbnb is not

2:20:38using properties in New Haven that

2:20:41ultimately will increase profits for

2:20:42them. corporations who don't live here,

2:20:45who don't work here, who don't serve

2:20:47communities here. So, um, apologies for

2:20:51ending, it's been a long day, for ending

2:20:53my public comment with my support of

2:20:56these regulations. Um, but again, it is

2:20:58because we need to do something to

2:21:01stabilize rent. Um, and we need to

2:21:03ensure that people who work here can

2:21:05also live here. Thanks for your

2:21:08patience. Um, appreciate it.

2:21:10>> Thank you. If you would just give Mr.

2:21:12Lucas, the name of that landlord that

2:21:15was charging $600 for a twobedroom.

2:21:17[laughter] We were appreciated.

2:21:18>> It was many years ago. And um yes, I

2:21:20will.

2:21:21>> Thank you for your testimony.

2:21:23>> So this person, I'm sorry I can't

2:21:25couldn't understand your name. I think

2:21:27it's Burke, but the address is 679

2:21:31State Street.

2:21:34>> Okay. Not B. [laughter]

2:21:38>> Oh, Ben. Um

2:21:39>> Ben.

2:21:40>> Ben. Okay. Good morning.

2:21:44We have Pastor Valerie Washington.

2:21:48>> Attorney Ben 69 states in Connecticut

2:21:510651 one. Um just to rush through some

2:21:55opening comments the in terms of alder

2:21:58Mark's comments about the legality

2:22:00general statute 71

2:22:03148Q public act 24143 subsection 7 says

2:22:08essentially that municipalities may by

2:22:10the legislature adopt ordinances

2:22:13requiring the lensure of short-term

2:22:15rentals and regulating the operation and

2:22:19use thereof. It does [clears throat] not

2:22:21say explicitly that you can enact a

2:22:24prohibition and generally in other

2:22:27instances

2:22:28um in section seven of the general

2:22:32statutes um prohibitions and regulations

2:22:35are explicitly stated. Um so

2:22:37restrictions on property rights are

2:22:40generally strictly construed and can't

2:22:44be extended by implication.

2:22:52So the point is regulation does not

2:22:55encompass prohibition.

2:22:58Uh attorney Pinto can call it a

2:23:00regulation uh and licensing scheme or

2:23:03regime, but it is in effect a ban and

2:23:05I'm sure someone will appeal this uh

2:23:07tested in court if it's approved as is.

2:23:10Um this is a land use prohibition

2:23:12masquerading as a licensing ordinance.

2:23:17Um, I just want to point out there are

2:23:19other people who want to be heard in

2:23:22opposition who arrive late and are not

2:23:24on the lists.

2:23:29So, I hope that they do get to zoning

2:23:31ordinance and the ADU ordinance. There

2:23:33will be unintended consequences for the

2:23:36adoption of this ban if it if it goes

2:23:38through as submitted.

2:23:41Now, I'll just do my the

2:23:44pre-planned um speech. Um, I'm an

2:23:48attorney practicing real estate

2:23:50development, land use in New Haven. I

2:23:52helped create affordable housing on a

2:23:54monthly basis. I got two two units

2:23:56approved last night. 50% AMI units with

2:23:5999 year restrictions at the city

2:24:01planning commission, one on Lennux

2:24:02Street, one on Homefree Street in East.

2:24:04[snorts]

2:24:05Um, I oppose the proposed prohibition on

2:24:07non-owner occupant short-term rentals.

2:24:10Newton has a real housing affordability

2:24:11problem. I certainly acknowledge that.

2:24:13But this ban will not meaningfully

2:24:15reduce rents, affordable housing, or

2:24:18make home ownership attainable. It

2:24:20restricts one housing option without

2:24:22demonstrating the corresponding benefit.

2:24:26As a supply side intervention, this

2:24:29prohibition is particularly poorly

2:24:31targeted. It creates no new dwelling

2:24:33units. It does not ensure that a

2:24:35short-term rental becomes a year- round

2:24:36rental. an owner might sell their unit

2:24:39um you know rent it intermittently or

2:24:42leave their vacuum and even a unit

2:24:44return to the long long-term housing

2:24:46market does not necessarily become

2:24:48affordable. In fact, most of the units

2:24:49that we're talking about

2:24:51>> time.

2:24:52>> Oh, okay.

2:25:03[clears throat]

2:25:03>> Proous housing movement. It central

2:25:04supply side message was to legalize more

2:25:06homes, remove exclusionary zoning

2:25:08barriers, and make housing easier to

2:25:10build. Um, these objections clearly

2:25:13these objectives clearly track vision

2:25:152024. Um in these um in the actions

2:25:20published platform focuses on increasing

2:25:23housing supply removing and this is this

2:25:26is consistent wholly inconsistent with

2:25:28what we

2:25:30>> but thank you.

2:25:32>> Would you leave your testimony?

2:25:37>> Thank you Pastor Valerie Washington.

2:25:40After um Pastor Washington we have Dr.

2:25:45Alexander. Alexander,

2:25:50>> I'm sorry.

2:25:54>> Valerie Washington, pastor of Upon This

2:25:57Rock Ministries,

2:25:59um 645 Grand Avenue, New Haven,

2:26:02Connecticut. My name is Valerie

2:26:04Washington. And I'm the pastor of Upon

2:26:06This Rock Ministries. I would like to

2:26:08say hello to the chair members of the

2:26:10legislative legislation committee. I am

2:26:14the executive director of a Pondis Rock

2:26:16men's shelter. I support the regulation

2:26:18because we must take action against the

2:26:20affordability crisis affecting our

2:26:22community. In my family, my older

2:26:25children and their friends are unable to

2:26:27find an apartment that they can afford

2:26:30in New Haven as rents continue to

2:26:32skyrocket. I own and operate in men's

2:26:35shelter on Grand Avenue for 75 men

2:26:38experiencing homelessness. A lot of them

2:26:40work or receive some type of benefits

2:26:43but still cannot afford housing. Some

2:26:45even have vouchers which they lose when

2:26:47they cannot find an apartment. Apartment

2:26:50complexes like City Crossing in the Hill

2:26:53say there are no affordable units

2:26:55available while they actively list

2:26:58vacant apartments on Airbnb. We need to

2:27:01pass this ordinance as a first step

2:27:03towards confronting the housing ability

2:27:06crisis in our city. If we had more safe,

2:27:09affordable housing, we would have more

2:27:11family structure in our communities and

2:27:14healthier neighborhoods. Home ownership

2:27:17would be more available for people born

2:27:19and raised in New Haven like myself and

2:27:22for residents who work to make our city

2:27:25possible. Our city must put homes over

2:27:29residents, over profits, for real estate

2:27:32investors. Thank you for your time. God

2:27:34bless you all.

2:27:35>> Thank you. Uh if anyone has not signed

2:27:38up uh don't dismay because after we go

2:27:43through all the names I will be asking

2:27:45is there anyone else who would like to

2:27:47testify.

2:27:48Okay. So if you're concerned about that

2:27:51don't worry everyone's going to have a

2:27:52chance this evening until the lights go

2:27:55out

2:27:57>> Dr. Alexander. Thank you.

2:28:00And after Dr. Alexander we have Florida

2:28:04Baskin. I'd like to recognize right

2:28:07before we set that timer if you would

2:28:09just reset that timer aler and then uh

2:28:13we're setting it after they give their

2:28:14name and address for the record to give

2:28:16that extra 10 seconds. We like to

2:28:17recognize also Alder Serrano who

2:28:20[clears throat] has joined us also this

2:28:21evening. You have the floor sir.

2:28:24>> Thank you. Uh my name is Dr. Alexander

2:28:26Casemiro. I live at 170 Mansfield

2:28:29Street. Um I have been on faculty

2:28:32full-time faculty at University of New

2:28:34Haven. Recently I've been adjunk faculty

2:28:36at Southern Connecticut State

2:28:37University. Um both those jobs have

2:28:40disappeared. The first because of COVID,

2:28:42the second recent budget cuts at

2:28:44Southern. Um you can sometimes find me

2:28:47playing the New Haven Symphony in the

2:28:48percussion section. Um so uh as a

2:28:51musician is not the most uh profitable

2:28:54career choice. So um I I'm against this.

2:28:58Uh I I do Airbnb part of my house that I

2:29:01I own and pay taxes on um to make my own

2:29:04life uh manageable.

2:29:07So um I'll just give you a brief story

2:29:10of of how I do it, how I came about it.

2:29:12So I I rent two bedrooms in my own

2:29:15apartment. Um sometimes when I'm away,

2:29:18this past weekend I was in Omaha,

2:29:20Nebraska, I rented out my whole

2:29:22apartment. Those are separate listings.

2:29:24So, my two bedrooms each have a separate

2:29:27listing as a private room. My whole

2:29:29apartment, which I only open up if I'm

2:29:31out of town, uh is an entire home

2:29:33listing. Those are separate. So, I could

2:29:36be mistaken, but I think that this would

2:29:39not allow me to do that. Um I have to

2:29:42have three listings to make that work.

2:29:44Um I'm not positive that it would also

2:29:47allow me to have the second listing. Um

2:29:50there are some other nuances. Um, I'm

2:29:53not sure that this would still allow um

2:29:55the instant book option on Airbnb. I'm

2:29:58not sure if everybody knows what that is

2:30:00without doing it themselves. So, instant

2:30:02book um a a guest can go and book your

2:30:05listing and you don't have to get a

2:30:07message and approve it. It increases

2:30:09your bookings by by quite a bit. Um I

2:30:12know myself, I'm looking at Airbnbs. I

2:30:15don't select ones that don't have

2:30:16instant book because I don't know if the

2:30:18host is ever going to get back to you

2:30:19and accept it. Um so hotels for example

2:30:23though you can book a hotel and there's

2:30:25no um there's no validation that needs

2:30:27to happen after. So um I do hope that if

2:30:31this does get passed that that is still

2:30:33allowed. There doesn't need to be some

2:30:35other um some other red tape we have to

2:30:38go through. Um

2:30:41in general I think there should be more

2:30:43protections for the local hosts. Um if

2:30:46you want to put restrictions on remote

2:30:47hosts fine. Um I I think that should be

2:30:51in place for absentee landlords as well

2:30:54if that's the case. Um but we've heard

2:30:56some wonderful local hosts um that I

2:30:59think are are are doing some decent work

2:31:01for the community. Um the 30-day or less

2:31:04detail about that.

2:31:06>> Thank you. Um I get zero bookings for

2:31:09for more than 30 days. So I think this

2:31:11would basically put an end to to all

2:31:13Airbnb. Um,

2:31:20>> okay. I think affordable housing,

2:31:22there's a lot of apartments going up. I

2:31:23live in Science Park. There is like a

2:31:25thousandish apartments going up in that

2:31:28area. Um, if you've gone over there, I

2:31:31don't see a lot of affordable income,

2:31:33affordable housing being built. Um, I

2:31:35see a ton of luxury housing being built.

2:31:37So, I think that is um that's a way to

2:31:40spearhead this issue more. Um, I think

2:31:42this is really a drop in the bucket. I

2:31:44agree something needs to be done. Um,

2:31:46but I think this is just handicapping

2:31:48um, local hosts that are trying to make

2:31:50it working for themselves. So, thank

2:31:52you.

2:31:54>> Thank you,

2:31:55>> Florida Baskin.

2:32:01>> Okay. Thank you, Miss Florida. and after

2:32:04Miss Florida Naomi Freeman.

2:32:13[clears throat]

2:32:14Take your time.

2:32:39Good evening everybody.

2:32:41>> Good evening.

2:32:42>> Your name and address for the record and

2:32:44you're welcome to sit with her if that

2:32:46makes it easier.

2:32:50>> My name is Tony Bas.

2:32:53My address is 112 Butler Street, New

2:32:57Haven.

2:33:00Mr. Chair and members of this

2:33:02legislation committee,

2:33:05my name is Elder Floria Basket and I

2:33:08live at

2:33:12I am an elder at Mount Hope Temple, a

2:33:16member of the New Haven Rising and a

2:33:19proud fighter for justice.

2:33:23I participated

2:33:25in the lunch counter sitting and march

2:33:28with Dr. King in the civil rights

2:33:32movement.

2:33:33But now I am seeing our rights and

2:33:37progress threatening nationally

2:33:41and an affordable crisis tearing apart

2:33:45our communities

2:33:47locally.

2:33:49Too many in New Haven are being forced

2:33:53out of the city. I hear people rent

2:33:57being raised and I see families become

2:34:02unhoused.

2:34:03We have a lot of people that were living

2:34:06in the woods near my house on the farm

2:34:11canal trail. It angers me that luxury

2:34:17apartment building right next to the

2:34:20trail are listing their vacant

2:34:24apartments

2:34:26on our BNB

2:34:28while people are outside looking for a

2:34:32roof over their heads. I support the

2:34:36audience to ban these nonowner

2:34:41occupied shortterm

2:34:44rentals because we need homes to be

2:34:48homes not unlicensed hotel.

2:34:52I'm experienc I'm experiencing

2:34:56this affordability crisis press hand. I

2:35:00open my home to people that can't afford

2:35:03to rent their own space.

2:35:05I renovate my house on my limited

2:35:08pension and a few small grants. And I'm

2:35:13taking responsibility

2:35:16for helping others by turning my home

2:35:20into a supportive house. I've been able

2:35:24to help a handful of people starting

2:35:28jobs and getting their life back

2:35:31together.

2:35:32But I'm still left short on my bills

2:35:35because of the tax increase.

2:35:39My mortgage went up nearly $600 per

2:35:43month as of October.

2:35:46As Yale expand and develop more without

2:35:51paying their fair share, we are paying

2:35:54the price for both sides.

2:35:58People like me alone are not going to

2:36:01solve this crisis. It is getting worse

2:36:05and worse every day. If we had more

2:36:08affordable housing and lower housing

2:36:11costs, we will be able to build better

2:36:15communities

2:36:16by knowing our neighbors that create a

2:36:20safer communities. The leg the

2:36:23legislation is an important first step

2:36:28of many we need to take to lower housing

2:36:33costs.

2:36:34>> Thank you for your testimony.

2:36:36>> Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

2:36:38[clears throat]

2:36:39Um Chris Camp.

2:36:43And after Chris Camp, we have Hope Bond.

2:36:52>> [clears throat]

2:37:01>> You still good? Committee.

2:37:08>> Maran loves this. Okay, we'll keep

2:37:10pushing. Your name and address for the

2:37:12record.

2:37:12>> Good evening. Chris Camp, 92 Lawrence

2:37:14Street, New Haven.

2:37:17Uh, I support this ban on non-owner

2:37:20occupied short-term rentals because I

2:37:22believe everyone deserves safe,

2:37:23affordable, and comfortable housing. My

2:37:26spouse and I were lucky to be able to

2:37:27buy our home in East Rock. We rent out

2:37:30two apartments above and below ours. We

2:37:32take [clears throat] great care of our

2:37:33home and of our neighbors because

2:37:35they're part of our community. As is the

2:37:37case for many of our friends and

2:37:38neighbors, our previous landlords were

2:37:40out of state investors who had no stake

2:37:42in the quality of our housing.

2:37:44Many investors like these neglect their

2:37:46properties, drive up the cost of

2:37:47housing, and try to extract as much

2:37:49wealth as possible from renters. Now,

2:37:51landlords like Mandy Management are

2:37:53listing short-term rentals on Airbnb to

2:37:55extract profits by turning housing for

2:37:58long-term residents into unregulated

2:37:59hotels. Corporateowned short-term

2:38:02rentals exacerbate these problems by

2:38:04taking housing off of the rental market

2:38:06and reducing the accountability of

2:38:07property owners. New Haven has a housing

2:38:09crisis and it has forced many out of the

2:38:11city or into unsafe housing conditions.

2:38:14This legislation would help more New

2:38:15Haveners afford quality housing and I

2:38:18urge the committee to support it. Thank

2:38:19you.

2:38:20>> Thank you.

2:38:22>> I I think it's important that we have a

2:38:24full committee, listening um to each

2:38:28testimony. And so uh we're going to take

2:38:3210 minutes for a quick uh break. It's

2:38:37going to be a strict 10 minutes if we

2:38:39would please. And we will resume at

2:38:439:30. [cough and clears throat]

2:38:51>> [clears throat]

2:39:00[clears throat]

2:39:01>> So you were next, but then

2:39:10[snorts]

2:39:11you know how far down.

2:39:13[clears throat]

2:40:01Oh,

2:40:12>> brother.

2:40:23Okay,

2:40:24>> you got

2:40:28my secret identity.

2:40:33>> Oh,

2:40:41[laughter]

2:40:43shake.

2:40:45Okay, this is

2:42:21Nobody

2:42:24wants

2:43:13Let's

2:43:14Everything is

2:43:33[clears throat]

2:43:40Thank you.

2:44:01>> No, no, no. I apologize. I'd like to

2:44:04please rewind to off the record. Um, I

2:44:07appreciate Thank you.

2:44:11Yeah.

2:44:14>> Okay.

2:45:18Dad

2:45:36It's like

2:45:39very

2:46:58What a prank. What a prank.

2:47:45Thank you for coming here.

2:49:07Thank you for giving us that moment to

2:49:11have a great ask.

2:49:14that you get back to your seats. We'll

2:49:15ask alders to

2:49:19go back to the table, please.

2:49:22>> And I will gabble in just a moment. And

2:49:24when I do, we're going to call the next

2:49:26person.

2:49:41Thank you all for being here. This is is

2:49:44important that we hear everyone who

2:49:46wants to testify this evening.

2:49:50>> Yes, we are. One, two, three. We have a

2:49:54quorum. So, we're going to get started.

2:49:57>> So, um right right here. Let me have a

2:49:59then we'll ask

2:50:02>> whether it's procedure.

2:50:05Yeah.

2:50:08Okay. Right. before. Um, did you want a

2:50:11copy of this?

2:50:19>> All of All of this is from This is most

2:50:21likely from public testimony

2:50:24at new havenct.gov. So, no, you would

2:50:27not necessarily have all of this.

2:50:35I will um I will make sure that the

2:50:38committee has copies of everything that

2:50:41came through testimony.

2:50:50>> Um Naomi Freeman. And after Naomi

2:50:54Freeman,

2:50:58>> we have Pastor Ken.

2:51:04>> [clears throat]

2:51:05>> That's all.

2:51:19>> Uh if anyone uh needs an elevator to go

2:51:23down to the first floor, the elevators

2:51:27on this side are not working. You'll

2:51:29have to use the elevator that's at the

2:51:32end of this hall.

2:51:34Okay.

2:51:36>> My name is Naomi Freeman. I'm a property

2:51:39manager here in New Haven and I'm really

2:51:42really glad to see everybody getting

2:51:44together about the concern of housing

2:51:46affordability. It is something that I

2:51:48deal with day in and day out working to

2:51:51get the best uh rents for people. And I

2:51:54deeply empathize with this situation.

2:51:56I've also had the challenge myself. When

2:51:59I started my business, I was homeless

2:52:01for about a year and I know what that

2:52:03struggle is like. I feel very saddened

2:52:06to see that this situation and also that

2:52:09the elephant in the room seems to be not

2:52:12spoken about ever. The elephant in the

2:52:15room is the astronomical taxes in New

2:52:18Haven. Even if every single one of the

2:52:21359

2:52:23Airbnb listings were made available

2:52:26right now for long-term rentals, it

2:52:28would have zero impact because the

2:52:31elephant in the room is the taxes, the

2:52:34actual costs of providing housing does

2:52:37not map out anymore to the numbers that

2:52:40we used to get in the 1990s.

2:52:44That being said, I 100% agree that we

2:52:48need to protect our neighborhoods from

2:52:50the black rots of the world. The

2:52:52corporations that come in and money is

2:52:55going out. They're causing housing

2:52:57gluts. Decisions are made elsewhere and

2:53:00we the neighbors are left holding the

2:53:03bag. But the ordinance does need to

2:53:06distinguish between corporate extraction

2:53:08and our local businesses.

2:53:11A distant investor does not become a

2:53:14community member because they own only

2:53:16two apartments. And a New Haven business

2:53:20does not become the enemy because it

2:53:22grows. We should reward local people who

2:53:25build responsible businesses, create

2:53:28jobs, [clears throat]

2:53:29and reinvest here locally in the

2:53:31community. One of my colleagues uses his

2:53:34profits from Airbnbs to build a a

2:53:39nonprofit uh center for homeless

2:53:41veterans.

2:53:43And there's many others like that.

2:53:45They're committed to the community. We

2:53:48must protect those amongst us that also

2:53:51rely on affordable short-term housing

2:53:53provided by the local businesses and

2:53:55homeowners. This includes immigrants who

2:53:58flee to New Haven for sanctuary, giving

2:54:01them a safe space while they sort out

2:54:03barriers that most of us will never have

2:54:05to face. My husband, an immigrant who

2:54:08was brutally and illegally arrested by

2:54:10ICE, was one of these immigrants who

2:54:12found needed solace for a short time in

2:54:15Airbnb.

2:54:16This also includes 36,000 patients that

2:54:20come in, many which need a place to heal

2:54:23this short time. I have much more on

2:54:25this but it's time is short. It

2:54:26basically details there's so many people

2:54:29that the hotels can't help and that

2:54:32landlords can't help and they need a

2:54:34shorter times. Not everybody is a

2:54:36long-term student and there's a lot of

2:54:39other complications in even being able

2:54:42to offer long-term things. There's works

2:54:44of time that need to get filled up

2:54:47otherwise. So there's ways to do it. And

2:54:50then not to mention the income of the

2:54:53taxes, the city would lose approximately

2:54:56$17 million by taking away these

2:54:59short-term rentals of people that can no

2:55:01longer afford to come here. So,

2:55:04>> if you would leave your Thank you first

2:55:05of all for your testimony. If you would

2:55:07leave, Mr. Lucas and um

2:55:11>> uh just so you know, every testimony

2:55:14that's written or that comes in that you

2:55:16leave um will be read. And so it's not

2:55:19just you're not just leaving papers,

2:55:21okay? Your your voices matter.

2:55:24>> Next,

2:55:24>> Pastor Kenny.

2:55:26After after Pastor Kenny, we have Hope

2:55:30Vong.

2:55:35>> And Alder Martinelli, you're as the as

2:55:38the mayor or sponsor, you're welcome to

2:55:39join us this evening. Your name. Oh, no.

2:55:43She's not leaving. [laughter]

2:55:46Uh, and we thank the elders who are

2:55:48speaking with us also this evening. Um,

2:55:51Kim, thank you. Your name and address,

2:55:53pastor, for the record.

2:55:54>> Good afternoon. My name is Pastor Robert

2:55:56Kenny. Um, I'm from my hometown, which

2:55:58is 555 Dixwell Avenue in New Bal. And,

2:56:02um, for the record, I I do support this

2:56:05ordinance. Um, I'd like to say again,

2:56:08good evening, uh, chair and members of

2:56:10the legislation. Again, my name is

2:56:11Robert Kenny. Um I'm the pastor of Maho

2:56:14Temple Church in Newville. Um one of the

2:56:17things that I do also is I work in the

2:56:19library downtown and it's like the tale

2:56:22of two cities. Um every day I see more

2:56:25and more people falling into crisis into

2:56:27poverty, homelessness and um meanwhile I

2:56:30look around downtown and I see lux

2:56:33luxury housing um new companies and new

2:56:36stores coming in making money in our

2:56:38city. And the question remains is when

2:56:41will all this investment translate into

2:56:43opportunity for our people, for our

2:56:45neighborhoods. Um, I support this

2:56:48ordinance again because we need to meet

2:56:50the residents basic needs for shelter.

2:56:53Shelter before we worry about the desire

2:56:56of a handful of wealthy investors to

2:56:58make more money in our city. Um, every

2:57:01day I see people struggling to find a

2:57:03place to live and struggling to find a

2:57:05place to work where where the wages pay

2:57:08bills. more people are working multiple

2:57:10jobs trying to trying to make ends meet

2:57:12and but I see still um on the green um

2:57:16people with nowhere to go, nowhere to

2:57:19live because housing is just too high.

2:57:21Um right across the green from the

2:57:24apartment buildings like the TA and and

2:57:26the Liberty that rent out empty

2:57:28apartments as Airbnbs

2:57:30where I work ends up serving serving as

2:57:33a catchall for all those who fall

2:57:35through the cracks. um they come into

2:57:38the library seeking any kind of shelter

2:57:40and refuge. My church also um we work

2:57:45hard to provide those who are in need. I

2:57:47have a dedicated group of that runs a

2:57:48food pantry um Elder Baskin who you

2:57:51heard earlier my son and daughter at law

2:57:54they have turned their homes into

2:57:55transitional and supportive housing. But

2:57:58the need for for for for people for

2:58:01housing, it grows deeper every day and

2:58:04it can't be left to just a few

2:58:05individuals to solve this on their own.

2:58:08Uh we need wealthy institutions like

2:58:10Yale and others to pay their fair fair

2:58:12share. We need commitments to the jobs

2:58:15and with all this money coming into our

2:58:17city, we need housing for working people

2:58:19before our communities are hauled out

2:58:21for good.

2:58:23We cannot we cannot allow investors to

2:58:26turn housing into hotels just to make

2:58:28more money when people need homes. It's

2:58:31inhumane and is immoral. This ordinance

2:58:35is the first step we must

2:58:37>> 30 seconds

2:58:38>> enact if we are to change the course and

2:58:41make it clear that our city is not for

2:58:43sale. Thank you. Thank you for your

2:58:46testimony. [clears throat]

2:58:50Hope Vaughn.

2:58:55Hope Vaughn. I'm gonna say it one more

2:58:58time. Hope Vaughn. Okay. The next person

2:59:02on this list will be um Gloria.

2:59:07Um I can't see your last name. It's 300

2:59:12Light

2:59:15something.

2:59:18I guess that person is not here.

2:59:22All right. Um, Miguel Pitman, Senior.

2:59:31>> Miguel Pitman, Senior.

2:59:42Okay.

2:59:43So, we'll come back to you. So, um is he

2:59:48coming?

2:59:49>> Yes.

2:59:49>> Okay.

2:59:52>> The next person is Christopher June.

2:59:58>> This is

2:59:59>> Okay. Thank you.

3:00:02And Miss Vibon, you'll be after um Mr.

3:00:05Christopher.

3:00:07Welcome. Your name and address for the

3:00:09record, please.

3:00:13>> Christopher Jones is Amia. I live at 44

3:00:15Cub Industry.

3:00:17Um, I'm coming here to express my strong

3:00:19support for restricting the usage of

3:00:21Airbnbs to allow for more housing stock

3:00:23that benefits the broader community.

3:00:26I've lived in Edward for 5 years, first

3:00:29as a renter and now as an owner of a two

3:00:31family home we've lived in. I'm a

3:00:33landlord. um the two wonderful tenants

3:00:36and our previous tenants were travel

3:00:37nurses. Despite the fear-mongering

3:00:40before me, I know travel nurses most

3:00:42often stayed here longer than a month.

3:00:44It would not be affected by the

3:00:46legislation. For over a decade before

3:00:49that, I visited friends who lived in the

3:00:51neighborhood. It's a neighborhood I've

3:00:52loved dearly for over a decade. I'm

3:00:55excited my wife and I are raising our

3:00:56two beautiful daughters in this

3:00:58neighborhood. And like many in our city,

3:01:00it's filled with history, a beautiful

3:01:02park, schools. is diverse in a way that

3:01:04means so much to me as someone who came

3:01:06from a mixed race family and who

3:01:08benefited deeply from growing up in a

3:01:10very diverse town. The day I moved into

3:01:13our unit, a very nice older black woman

3:01:15welcomed me with a warm smile and a

3:01:17stern warning about making sure my car

3:01:19did not block her driveway. [laughter]

3:01:21Uh [snorts] two months later, she was

3:01:23priced out of the neighborhood and her

3:01:24unit is one of the venue that's been

3:01:26converted into an Airbnb. Two doors

3:01:29down, the neighbors who I've known for

3:01:30more than a decade were pushed out to

3:01:32not only convert part of their home into

3:01:34Airbnbs, but to remodel with the

3:01:36explicit purpose of raising rent. We

3:01:39ourselves have had to push back on real

3:01:41estate agents insisting we should charge

3:01:43substantially more for rent than we do

3:01:45because the units across the street are

3:01:48determining marketing rate and are

3:01:50jacked up to cover the cost of

3:01:52unnecessary remodeling to make an

3:01:54Airbnb.

3:01:55While air embs may give the illusion of

3:01:58those who stay there that they are home,

3:02:00it comes at the real cost of homes for

3:02:03families in our city. You can feel the

3:02:06social fabric of our street

3:02:07deteriorating. On three separate

3:02:10occasions, I've been asked why we don't

3:02:12have neighbors. A once vibrant street

3:02:15turned into a construction site and

3:02:17these beautiful Edgewood homes gutted.

3:02:21Um, in my time in New Haven, there's

3:02:24been not a month that goes by where I

3:02:25don't hear someone complain about the

3:02:27ever growing cost of housing across the

3:02:30city. And rarely do we get ambitious

3:02:33solutions like the one before us that

3:02:34would impact people. Some may downplay

3:02:37the number of units, but I challenge

3:02:38them to find a plan that does these

3:02:40three things. free up tangible housing

3:02:43stock for everyday working people in our

3:02:45communities, does not require any new

3:02:48development, and is fairly simple to

3:02:50enforce. This legislation alone will not

3:02:53fix the housing crisis, but it will

3:02:56provide more people, hundreds of

3:02:58families, a consistent place to live.

3:03:01It'll begin the restoration of our

3:03:02communities for their primary purpose.

3:03:05>> Final sentence. Yeah. As a place for

3:03:08people to live and grow. Not just a

3:03:10place of transience where we when we

3:03:13have so many beautiful hotels people can

3:03:14stay in but a place to stay. Thank you.

3:03:17>> Thank you.

3:03:18>> Thank you for your testimony. We

3:03:19appreciate it.

3:03:21>> Um Miguel Pitman senior

3:03:25and after Miguel would be Carla Valatti.

3:03:36>> Welcome. Your name address for the

3:03:37record.

3:03:37>> Sure. My name is Miguel Pitman. I live

3:03:40at 82 Orchard Street. Um, good evening

3:03:44uh members of this uh committee. My name

3:03:47is again Miguel Pitman senior. I'm a

3:03:51long life resident here in the Hill,

3:03:55longtime business owner, real estate

3:03:58investor, and the chair of the Hill

3:04:00North management team.

3:04:03Let me be clear

3:04:05from the beginning. I oppose this

3:04:09proposal ban on a nonowner occupied

3:04:12short-term rental in its current form.

3:04:16I support affordable housing,

3:04:20neighborhood stability, and responsible

3:04:23property owners. But I [clears throat]

3:04:25do not believe the city has present

3:04:27presented sufficient evidence to justify

3:04:30this sweeping prohibition.

3:04:33We have heard claims of more than a

3:04:35thousand short-term rentals listed in

3:04:38New Haven.

3:04:40My question is simple. How many

3:04:42represent actual housing units removed

3:04:45from the long-term rental market? How

3:04:48many are controlled by large corporate

3:04:50investors?

3:04:52How many belongs to a small local

3:04:54property owner? And how many would

3:04:56realistically

3:04:58become affordable apartment if this ban

3:05:01is passed? We have also heard claims

3:05:04that short-term rentals has cost

3:05:06residents nearly 30 million in

3:05:09additional rent.

3:05:11Where is this independent analysis

3:05:14supporting that figure? I have spent

3:05:17decades investing in New Haven, creating

3:05:21jobs, and strengthening our

3:05:23neighborhood. I am also working to

3:05:26develop additional housing in the hill

3:05:29because I recognize our city housing

3:05:32need service.

3:05:34But restrictions how existing properties

3:05:38can be used is not the same as creating

3:05:41new affordable housing. We must also

3:05:44consider families visiting loved ones at

3:05:48Yale Naven Hospital, university

3:05:51visitors, and other travelers who

3:05:53support our local businesses.

3:05:56I respect the thousands of residents who

3:05:58sign petitions. Their voice matters, but

3:06:02public support does not eliminate the

3:06:05responsibility to evaluate a policy

3:06:09consequences.

3:06:10I support registration, inspection,

3:06:15safety requirements,

3:06:17reasonable occupant limits, and target

3:06:19enforcements against

3:06:22operators. What I oppose is treating

3:06:25responsible small property owners the

3:06:27same as a large commercial investor

3:06:30without demonstrating such a prohibition

3:06:33is necessary. I'm on my last sentence. I

3:06:37respect and ask this committee not to

3:06:40advance this ordinance in this present

3:06:42form. First, establish the facts,

3:06:46identify the property, measure the

3:06:48likely housing impact, and examine less

3:06:51restriction alternative. New Haven need

3:06:54more affordable housing, but we also

3:06:57need legislation grounded in evidence,

3:07:00fairness, and measurable results. Thank

3:07:02you.

3:07:03>> Thank you.

3:07:04>> Thank you. Thank you for your testimony.

3:07:06>> Carlo

3:07:10[clears throat]

3:07:13>> 32. Okay. Okay. Great.

3:07:17After um Miss Cara,

3:07:22I'll get back to you.

3:07:25[laughter]

3:07:31[cough]

3:07:33>> [clears throat]

3:07:36>> Heinb

3:07:40welcome. Your name would address for the

3:07:42record.

3:07:42>> Hi, my [clears throat] name is Carlo.

3:07:45I live at 325 Lock Street in New Haven.

3:07:48I am a room attendant at the Omni New

3:07:50Haven Hotel. I was one of the workers

3:07:53who went out on strike in 2024.

3:07:56Um, I'm a lifelong resident of New

3:07:58Haven. I was born and raised in this

3:08:00city.

3:08:01I have over the decades seen the cost of

3:08:04living get out of hand. Me and my adult

3:08:07children are faced with an impossible

3:08:10choice. We either add more and more

3:08:12people into smaller spaces or we just

3:08:15move out of the city. And for me, that's

3:08:18not that's just not a choice. This is my

3:08:20home. I love my home and I do not want

3:08:23to refrain.

3:08:25I have a really good job here and I love

3:08:28them. I'm really proud of the $7 race

3:08:31that we were able to win as part of our

3:08:35last union contract. Yet, that's still

3:08:38not enough to make ends meet. Like, I'm

3:08:40still struggling.

3:08:42Nonowner occupied short-term rentals

3:08:44should be regulated because hotel

3:08:46workers like me should be able to live

3:08:48in the city where we work. In my case,

3:08:50in the city where I've grown up, I've

3:08:53[snorts] seen the tour the tourism

3:08:55industry boom in New Haven, but it has

3:08:58not resulted in more work for me and my

3:09:00co-workers. It's the opposite. I'm a

3:09:03full-time worker that ends up working

3:09:05part-time hours in the winter time. We

3:09:08end up very slow. That ends up around

3:09:11the holidays where it's really hard to

3:09:14make something nice for me, my kids, and

3:09:17my grandkids. I am definitely supporting

3:09:20non-owner occupied short-term rentals.

3:09:22If we want to help working people make

3:09:24it through this affordability crisis, we

3:09:26need to expand good jobs, safe,

3:09:29affordable housing. This ordinance is

3:09:32one step of the many that we can take to

3:09:34do that. I appreciate your time today.

3:09:37>> Thank you.

3:09:38>> Thank you.

3:09:38>> Thank you for your testimony.

3:09:40>> So, this this person

3:09:42>> I think he was just here right there.

3:09:45>> I don't know. The last name is E.

3:09:48I N B I N D E Rin.

3:09:57>> There was somebody that was just

3:09:58standing there who testified. Did that

3:10:00person leave

3:10:03>> whose name was called by older Marian?

3:10:08>> I'm sorry.

3:10:08>> Okay, we'll keep moving.

3:10:10>> We'll we'll keep moving. So,

3:10:17Edward Masky,

3:10:22>> welcome.

3:10:25>> Your name and address for the record,

3:10:26please.

3:10:27>> Yes. [clears throat]

3:10:28Uh, my name is Edward Massie. Um, I live

3:10:31at Forbo Street, Norwalk, Connecticut,

3:10:32but I'm property manager and also

3:10:34representing my sister, um, who lives at

3:10:37121 Concord Street, New Haven. Um,

3:10:42so [clears throat] try to be quick. Um,

3:10:44so I'm opposed to the proposed

3:10:45short-term rental ban um from New Haven

3:10:48Property Manager. Um,

3:10:51uh, I'm running to formally submit

3:10:53public comment. Um, [clears throat] oh,

3:10:56sorry. So, so basically, I'm going to

3:10:58just actually I'm going to talk from the

3:11:00cup. So, the the main issue here is

3:11:02affordable housing. Everyone keeps

3:11:04talking about it. Um, and the lack of

3:11:06affordable housing, which I 100% agree

3:11:08with. Um, and like we've seen, it's less

3:11:10than 1%. So, this is going to be a drop

3:11:13in the bucket for actually, you know,

3:11:15dealing with that. And the people that

3:11:16benefit are actually going to be the uh

3:11:19large corporations that own hotels, etc.

3:11:22Um, and the luxury apartment buildings

3:11:24that are being built. There's nothing

3:11:26talked about limiting those or forcing a

3:11:28certain amount of those to be affordable

3:11:30housing. That would also create the

3:11:33immediate um supply that you're talking

3:11:35about. Um, I have four jobs. This is

3:11:38actually my main source of income. I

3:11:40represent two properties uh in New

3:11:42Haven. I'm not a corporate giant entity.

3:11:46Um I think there should be a complete

3:11:48distinction between uh people who are,

3:11:51you know, local in Connecticut like

3:11:52myself, a family-owned business, um me,

3:11:55my dad, my sister, and uh another

3:11:57client, and then also, you know, these

3:11:59giant corporations. Um basically,

3:12:02[clears throat] if this passes, I'm out

3:12:03of my main source of income. So are the

3:12:07dozens of cleaners that we employ, the

3:12:09handy people that we employ, um the

3:12:12cleaners that we the the laundry uh

3:12:15services that we use in all in New

3:12:17Haven. Um and also uh the other thing is

3:12:20that uh my sister's severely immuno

3:12:22compromised. Um and our one of our

3:12:25properties is the only place in New

3:12:27Haven that is 100% allergenfree and

3:12:30safe. Um we've had people that have been

3:12:32undergoing um treatment at Young Haven

3:12:36Hospital that that's the only place they

3:12:38can stay. The next place available they

3:12:40said is in Pennsylvania. So you have

3:12:43these people with severe health issues

3:12:45who need to stay quarantined and so do

3:12:48[clears throat] their family and then

3:12:50they go into a special unit in hospital

3:12:53and that would not be an option for them

3:12:55as well. Um, and I also think we need a

3:12:58comprehensive study done before we make

3:13:01these kinds of decisions. This is not a

3:13:02a black and white issue. It's very

3:13:04nuance like basically every issue that

3:13:07exists, right?

3:13:08>> Yep. Um,

3:13:10but also both of the buildings are

3:13:13historic buildings. One is over 100

3:13:14years old, the other one is over 200

3:13:16years old. We have improved those

3:13:18buildings. Um, there was mold uh that

3:13:20we've remediated all throughout one of

3:13:22the buildings. um we have improved them

3:13:25in [clears throat] in ways that uh the

3:13:26the owners that uh the people that I

3:13:29work for uh bought them from did not um

3:13:31and maintaining the historic character.

3:13:34Um so there's lots of things I can

3:13:36discuss. Um but is there a way that I

3:13:39can uh provide a a digital statement

3:13:42because I don't have a paper copy?

3:13:45>> It's public testimony still open?

3:13:48>> Yes.

3:13:48>> Okay. You can send it to public

3:13:50testimony. Okay. at new havenct.gov.

3:13:58Public testimony.

3:13:59>> Okay. New Haven. Yeah. Thank you very

3:14:01much. I appreciate it. Thank you so

3:14:03much.

3:14:03>> Thank you. Ellie Brown is next.

3:14:09>> And after Ellie Brown is Colin Ry.

3:14:25Welcome.

3:14:27Thank you for coming tonight. Your name

3:14:29and address for the record when you're

3:14:31settled.

3:14:32>> Hello everybody. My name is Ellie Brown.

3:14:34I live at 43 Tilton Street. And I am in

3:14:38support of this legislation.

3:14:42I'm originally from Silverthornne,

3:14:43Colorado, which is near popular ski

3:14:46areas.

3:14:47As a tourist destination with a small

3:14:49population and limited land for

3:14:50development, [clears throat] our housing

3:14:52supply was quickly decimated when

3:14:55short-term rentals like Airbnb became

3:14:56popular.

3:14:58As demand continued to balloon, the cost

3:15:01of housing grew rapidly.

3:15:03As a teenager, I had several co-workers

3:15:05who worked multiple jobs but could not

3:15:08afford housing. Instead, they lived in

3:15:10their cars year round.

3:15:12I see New Haven trending in a similar

3:15:15direction. My rent costs have only risen

3:15:17since I moved here, as have the vast

3:15:20majority of my friends. I see an

3:15:22increasing number of non-owner occupied

3:15:24short-term rentals in the area,

3:15:25including on my street. I have great

3:15:28relationships with my neighbors, and I

3:15:29would prefer that property be occupied

3:15:31by a long-term tenant or owner. But the

3:15:34rising cost of living and hollowing out

3:15:36our neighborhoods by short-term rentals

3:15:37makes it difficult to preserve the

3:15:38strong sense of community that we have

3:15:41here.

3:15:42I believe the increase in short-term

3:15:44rentals in our city is directly

3:15:45contributing to the economic hardship

3:15:47for working people while the rich get

3:15:49richer.

3:15:50Further, as a proud union member, I

3:15:53prefer visitors to our city use hotels

3:15:55staffed by workers with union jobs that

3:15:57compensate them fairly and that treat

3:15:59them with dignity. I have no way of

3:16:01knowing whether the staff that are

3:16:03maintaining short-term rentals are

3:16:05treated with respect.

3:16:07More tourism should for New Haven should

3:16:09translate into good jobs for working

3:16:11people and not threaten housing supply

3:16:13for long-term residents. The proposed

3:16:15ordinance will help work toward all of

3:16:17these goals, better pay and lower rents

3:16:19for working people. Thank you.

3:16:22>> Thank you,

3:16:26Colin Brian.

3:16:31And after Colin would be Abby Langford.

3:16:36>> Welcome, [clears throat]

3:16:41please. Colin Ryan, 497 Winchester

3:16:43Avenue.

3:16:48[clears throat]

3:16:50So this proposal is talking about

3:16:52potential. The potential to lower rent,

3:16:56the potential the spur hotel

3:16:59construction.

3:17:01New Haven is littered with failed or

3:17:04destructive housing policy that was sold

3:17:07to alders and residents based on

3:17:09potential. I think everyone knows the

3:17:11history of the city.

3:17:14You can talk to housing policy experts,

3:17:17land use attorneys, commercial

3:17:19developers. They'll tell you why this

3:17:22proposal won't work and won't help lower

3:17:25rent.

3:17:27But all of that is just talk about

3:17:29potential. I want to talk about what's

3:17:31actually real.

3:17:34What's real today is that there's a

3:17:36wellestablished

3:17:38short and medium-term rental market in

3:17:40New Haven. There's a strong demand for

3:17:42this housing

3:17:45among certain visitors, specifically

3:17:47families with young children and elderly

3:17:49travelers. There's an overwhelming

3:17:52consumer preference for this type of

3:17:54housing.

3:17:57This is what consumers want.

3:18:00And we all know, we all know that some

3:18:04kind of bizarre home share where a

3:18:07stranger is in the apartment with you

3:18:09and your family during your stay is

3:18:11definitely not what any of us want.

3:18:15Let's be real.

3:18:18In 2022,

3:18:19I bought a two family house.

3:18:22The house was vacant. It was in total

3:18:25disrepair.

3:18:27It was infested with raccoons and

3:18:28cockroaches. One of the bathrooms,

3:18:31because of water damage, had partially

3:18:33collapsed into the floor below.

3:18:37The plumbing didn't work because the

3:18:38copper pipes had been stolen from the

3:18:40basement.

3:18:42There was no working heat.

3:18:45I invested over half a million dollars

3:18:48in construction costs alone to convert

3:18:51this into a legal 4unit building that

3:18:55contains short-term rental units because

3:18:58the slightly higher revenue stream that

3:19:01short-term rental units provide made

3:19:03rehabbing this house at all possible.

3:19:08My question to the elders is who was

3:19:11displaced by this renovation?

3:19:16>> 30 seconds.

3:19:17>> What's real is that there are local

3:19:19people, people that are from New Haven

3:19:22that have lived in New Haven for their

3:19:24entire lives

3:19:26that are working to improve this city

3:19:29that rely on the short-term rental

3:19:31market for their income. They rely on it

3:19:33to pay their mortgages. They rely on

3:19:35tighter taxes to pay local New Haven

3:19:38contractors. This proposal will not

3:19:40lower rent. It will cost local jobs,

3:19:43cost our economy, and hurt New Haven.

3:19:46Thank you.

3:19:48>> Thank you for your testimony.

3:19:50>> Abby Langford and after Abby Langford is

3:19:54Raphael,

3:19:58address 39 Winchester Avenue.

3:20:01>> Welcome.

3:20:02>> Thank you.

3:20:02>> Address for the record, please. My name

3:20:04is Abby Langford and I live at 458

3:20:06Forbes Avenue. I'm the pastor of St.

3:20:09Andrews United Methodist Church in Annex

3:20:12and a member of First and Summerfield

3:20:14United Methodist Church downtown and a

3:20:16member of New Haven Rising. The other

3:20:18day I received a call from a church

3:20:21member. She's a mom of three kids who

3:20:23works as a home health aid. She's been

3:20:25waiting on the section 8 list for months

3:20:27with nowhere else to go.

3:20:30While choking back tears on the phone,

3:20:32she asked me, "What did I do that God

3:20:36doesn't love me anymore?"

3:20:39This hasn't been the first time I've

3:20:40heard this question in reference to

3:20:42housing.

3:20:44And my faith tells me that in God's

3:20:46eyes, we're all deserving of dignity and

3:20:48a safe place to lay our heads. She did

3:20:50not and could not do anything that would

3:20:53mean that she wasn't worthy of safe,

3:20:55affordable housing. It's at my job as a

3:20:58pastor, as a person of faith, and as a

3:21:00neighbor to work to make sure housing is

3:21:02never seen as a question of individual

3:21:04worthiness.

3:21:06Housing is a policy issue, and there's a

3:21:09decision that the board of elders can

3:21:11make to make sure less people are asking

3:21:13that question to people like me. So, I

3:21:16support a ban on non-owner occupied

3:21:18short-term rentals because the housing

3:21:21crisis is untenable. We can't stand by

3:21:24while more and more people are priced

3:21:26out of their housing in this city,

3:21:28leaving homes unoccupied by local

3:21:30residents. While in 2023, 8,400 units of

3:21:35housing were needed and many of our

3:21:37house residents are unhoused. That's

3:21:39blatantly immortal. Addressing this

3:21:42crisis should be the top focus of our

3:21:44city. I know that there's no perfect

3:21:46policies or one quick solution that's

3:21:48going to fix all this. It's going to

3:21:49take significant action and many policy

3:21:52changes. However, research shows that

3:21:54when you permanently remove housing from

3:21:56the market, it drives up costs for

3:21:58everyone. And research has also shown

3:22:00that this kind of short-term rental

3:22:01regulation works. Decades ago, the

3:22:04highway was laid through my neighborhood

3:22:06in the annex to facilitate white flight,

3:22:08leaving lasting scars. I live directly

3:22:11across from the highway between the

3:22:12church where I now work and a house that

3:22:15was boarded up a few weeks ago and is

3:22:17now vacant after people broke into it

3:22:19looking for a safe place to lay their

3:22:20head. As a single woman who fell in love

3:22:23with the neighborhood feel of much of

3:22:25New Haven, I'm sad that I don't have any

3:22:26immediate neighbors I can call if

3:22:28something happens. My my church members

3:22:31are represented here tonight because

3:22:32we're struggling to make ends meet and

3:22:34we want to live in neighborhoods [cough]

3:22:35where every house is full with the

3:22:37neighbor to know 30 seconds.

3:22:40>> I'm also bringing a testimony from

3:22:42Reverend Jamie Michaels, the pastor of

3:22:44the church downtown on College in Elm

3:22:46Street First in Somerfield. She says

3:22:49this, "It doesn't have to be this way.

3:22:51In my tradition, God's people are given

3:22:53specific instructions about taking care

3:22:54of the most vulnerable. God even warns

3:22:57against absentee landlords and real

3:22:59estate monopolists saying woe to those

3:23:01who join house to house who add field to

3:23:03he field until there's no room for no

3:23:05one. That's the prophet Isaiah says many

3:23:09houses shall be desolate large and

3:23:10beautiful houses without inhabitant.

3:23:13We're asking you to pass this ordinance

3:23:15so that more people have a place to

3:23:17dream and sleep in our city. Thank you.

3:23:20>> Thank you.

3:23:22>> Thank you for your testimony.

3:23:24Raphael

3:23:26Bari.

3:23:33[clears throat]

3:23:34>> Thank you. Your name and address for the

3:23:36record.

3:23:36>> Rafael 59.

3:23:40Okay. So, briefly, um, well, thank you

3:23:42for actually listening to all the

3:23:43options.

3:23:45I [clears throat] would never see myself

3:23:47being against this. Um, but for me, this

3:23:50does very little the right direction.

3:23:52can actually have consequence for people

3:23:55living here in UK. I would just like to

3:23:57give us our example. No, because we're

3:23:59not talking about fixing how much the

3:24:01rent will be. We are not fixing how much

3:24:03it can go from year to year. Um, you

3:24:06know, you can fix the the rent to the

3:24:09average salary in Connecticut or in New

3:24:11Haven. This does absolutely nothing

3:24:13about that. But the way it's greeted, it

3:24:16will stop. So I owning a family house

3:24:19and actually thanks to my Airbnb, I can

3:24:21actually pay mortgage every month and I

3:24:23can afford living in new heaven. So

3:24:25briefly, so I was paying a massive rent.

3:24:28Um, and then I wanted to buy something.

3:24:31I couldn't buy anything because I was

3:24:33bought up by people, people paying me

3:24:34cash,

3:24:36investors buying a house, flipping the

3:24:38house, and then selling it in silo. two

3:24:40months later more expensive or simply

3:24:43asking a lot to rent. This is not

3:24:45controlling the rent. But what we could

3:24:47actually do, we finally bought a house

3:24:49that was in massive state of disrepair.

3:24:52So that was the only way we could buy

3:24:53that thing and it was actually crappy

3:24:55because the landlord was didn't check

3:24:57that house for many many years. We

3:24:59discovered there were mo there were a

3:25:02family living there. So we okay we are

3:25:04going to now move to live also in that

3:25:05house together with a family in two

3:25:07different units. But what we we tried to

3:25:10fix it then we couldn't because the

3:25:11people were living there so we couldn't

3:25:14make noise or anything in the property.

3:25:15They said well we need rest. It's like

3:25:17yeah but you have mold under your

3:25:18bedroom. Yeah we are out of the house

3:25:20one day a week. So we couldn't find any

3:25:23contractor that could do prolong work

3:25:25for many weeks because we could only

3:25:27work one day a week and we tried keeping

3:25:309 to3 okay not to bother anyone. So

3:25:32finally the the people leave they left

3:25:34halfway through the contract. We say no

3:25:36problem we can fix it. And thanks to

3:25:38Airbnb, I can afford going to buy to

3:25:41work. I can afford to give my kid to

3:25:43school. My little one to preschool. My

3:25:47my wife is actually

3:25:50welcoming the people. She's cleaning the

3:25:52place. U so this is just for us to make

3:25:55do every month. You know, we are not

3:25:57like priest investors. No. Sure.

3:25:59Regulate how many properties you can

3:26:01own. You can regulate that. You can pay

3:26:03more tax the moment you own three, four,

3:26:05five properties.

3:26:07Maybe you don't want investors out of

3:26:09the state. But if we're a family living

3:26:10in New Haven,

3:26:11>> 30 seconds.

3:26:12>> Sure. Pretty much no. No, I take it.

3:26:15[laughter] If we're just a family with

3:26:17two house and now for us is forbidden to

3:26:19rent and [clears throat] we actually

3:26:21cannot. And the last thing we cannot do

3:26:22long term because all our family lives

3:26:24abroad. So the grandmas want to come to

3:26:26visit us. This give us the flexibility

3:26:29to say I love the calendar. my mother

3:26:31come for one month or my sister-in-law

3:26:33comes and they can stay with us

3:26:35otherwise I cannot afford renting a

3:26:37house for them for one month. So that's

3:26:39the flexibility that RBNB gives me.

3:26:41Okay. Thank you very much.

3:26:43>> Thank you.

3:26:44>> Thank you for your testimony.

3:26:47>> Sham Shams [clears throat] goodwin.

3:26:52Sorry if I'm not saying it right. Okay.

3:27:01And after Mr. Goodwin, we have Stephanie

3:27:06Kilpatrick.

3:27:07>> Good evening.

3:27:08>> Good evening.

3:27:09>> Name and address for the record, please.

3:27:10>> My name is Shabs Goodwin, 27 Townsen

3:27:13Street, New Haven, Connecticut.

3:27:16Um, I'm a local hotel worker at the Omni

3:27:18here in New Haven. I work in room

3:27:21service and I was one of the workers who

3:27:22went on strike in 2024.

3:27:25Um, [clears throat]

3:27:28so non-owner occupied short-term rentals

3:27:30should be regulated because hotel

3:27:32workers like me deserve dignity. I've

3:27:34seen the tourism industry boom here in

3:27:36New Haven, but it has not resulted in

3:27:39more work for me and my co-workers. In

3:27:42addition to working at the Omni, I'm

3:27:43also a full-time student at the um at

3:27:46Southern Connecticut. Each semester I

3:27:48need to scramble to get enough hours

3:27:50accommodate for my school schedule and

3:27:52enough money to pay for my regular

3:27:55expenses plus textbooks and other costs.

3:27:58I can't afford to lose more hours. For

3:28:01some of my co-workers, the slow season

3:28:02means that they go months without work

3:28:05and must struggle to pay for the basic

3:28:07expenses like rent and utilities. I

3:28:10fought hard to win a great union

3:28:12contract with fair wages and benefits. I

3:28:15want those great jobs to grow as New

3:28:17Haven grows. If we want to make if we

3:28:20want to take affordability prices

3:28:22seriously, we need to make sure that we

3:28:25expand good jobs and safe affordable

3:28:27housing in our city. The proposed

3:28:31ordinance is one step that will help us

3:28:33do this. Thank you,

3:28:38[clears throat]

3:28:38>> Stephanie Kilpatrick.

3:28:45And after Miss Kilpatrick, we have

3:28:47Terrell Williams.

3:28:49>> Welcome.

3:28:50>> Thank you.

3:28:51>> Your names for the record.

3:28:52>> Stephanie Gilpatrick, 27 and 21 Millard

3:28:55Street.

3:29:01I live in Westville. I love my

3:29:03neighborhood, my home, my business, and

3:29:07our family members' homes are all there

3:29:10within steps of one another. Four years

3:29:13ago, we purchased my first house

3:29:16immediately next door to where my

3:29:18partner and I live today. It needed

3:29:21extensive renovations, and I invested

3:29:24significant money, time, and care into

3:29:26restoring it.

3:29:28Today we operate an Airbnb out of this

3:29:31house. The income helps us afford the

3:29:34mortgage, maintain property, pay our

3:29:37taxes. [clears throat]

3:29:38But this property is more than just an

3:29:40investment. It is also genuinely a home

3:29:43to us. We use it to welcome our parents

3:29:46and our children during holidays and

3:29:48school breaks. We host gatherings with

3:29:50friends and neighbors. We display

3:29:52artwork exclusively by neighborhood

3:29:54artists with their names.

3:29:57and we've created a guide book

3:29:58encouraging guests to support Westville

3:30:00businesses.

3:30:01We maintaining the property with care

3:30:03and take responsibility for what happens

3:30:04there. After years of asking the city to

3:30:07address dangerous holes in our sidewalk,

3:30:09we ultimately paid for repairs ourselves

3:30:11because we are concerned about the

3:30:13safety of our neighbors.

3:30:15Through hosting, we've learned that

3:30:17short-term rentals serve needs that

3:30:19hotels and year-long leases don't always

3:30:21meet. We have families booked for local

3:30:23college graduations, including

3:30:25University of New Haven. These families

3:30:27are traveling together to celebrate

3:30:29important milestones. They're not simply

3:30:31looking for separate hotel rooms.

3:30:33They're looking for a home where they

3:30:35can gather, share meals, and celebrate

3:30:36together. And I'm dreading having to

3:30:38tell these families who have already

3:30:40made plans to come to New Haven for

3:30:42graduation that the home they've

3:30:43reserved for this important occasion is

3:30:45suddenly no longer available for them

3:30:47because of the change in city

3:30:48regulations. Just today, a woman

3:30:51originally from New Haven booked our

3:30:52home for a week this November. She is

3:30:56returning to clear out the apartment of

3:30:57a sibling who recently passed away. She

3:31:00is spec specifically asked whether our

3:31:02property was in Westville, not because

3:31:04her sibling lived there, but because

3:31:06Westville is where she feels comfortable

3:31:07and at home.

3:31:10She's not coming as a tourist. She's

3:31:12returning to her hometown during a

3:31:14difficult time and needs a comfortable

3:31:15place to stay while she takes care of

3:31:17her family affairs. These are people who

3:31:19benefit from more than a hotel room.

3:31:21They need temporary home. I also care

3:31:24about affordable housing and recognize

3:31:26New Haven's housing challenges.

3:31:28>> Thank you.

3:31:29>> Um I question whether prohibiting

3:31:31short-term rentals outside of owner's

3:31:32primary residence is the right solution.

3:31:36If our renovated units were converted to

3:31:38annual leases, they would likely rent at

3:31:40a higher end in our neighborhood market

3:31:43and would add long-term housing, but not

3:31:45necessarily the affordable housing that

3:31:47your neighborhood most urgently needs.

3:31:49Before adopting a prohibition, you could

3:31:50significantly affect existing property

3:31:53owners and the visitors who rely on

3:31:54these accommodations. I hope the city

3:31:56will carefully examine how many

3:31:57affordable housing units this ordinance

3:31:59would actually create and whether a

3:32:01reasonable regulation could address its

3:32:03concerns without eliminating the

3:32:04important type of temporary housing. I

3:32:07have more to say, but I recognize I'm

3:32:09out of time. So, thank you.

3:32:10>> Thank you.

3:32:11>> Thank you. Would you leave your

3:32:12testimony with Mr. Lucas, please? Thank

3:32:14you for your testimony.

3:32:16>> Terrell Williams.

3:32:22>> Oh, you're going to read on his behalf?

3:32:26Oh, well, you know, we got to put you on

3:32:29the list.

3:32:29>> You on the list already?

3:32:33>> Okay,

3:32:34>> we'll end up calling you.

3:32:35>> Okay,

3:32:36>> that's M.

3:32:40Um,

3:32:42Bri W,

3:32:46[snorts]

3:32:47[clears throat]

3:32:50>> welcome.

3:32:52>> That last name sounds a little familiar.

3:32:56your name and address for the record,

3:32:57please.

3:32:58>> Uh, Brie Wingate, 1500 LC GarcA

3:33:01Boulevard and connected.

3:33:03>> I'll be sure.

3:33:04>> Thank you.

3:33:05>> Dear chair and members of the

3:33:06legislation committee, my name is RE

3:33:08Wingay and I'm the co-chair of 429. I

3:33:11work for University and live in Newton,

3:33:13Connecticut. I'm a [clears throat] proud

3:33:14member of Here Local 34.

3:33:17Let's face it, I make more than most

3:33:19residents in the city, yet I still can't

3:33:21afford to purchase a home in my

3:33:22neighborhood. Competing with non-owner

3:33:25occupied short-term rentals has been

3:33:27challenging to say the least. Being born

3:33:29and raised in New Haven and a community

3:33:31leader, I take ownership of my

3:33:33neighborhood and the and being the

3:33:34solution to the existing issues in our

3:33:36city. Non-owner occupied short-term

3:33:39rental owners are not subject to the

3:33:41realities that we face here on a daily

3:33:42basis. They do not contribute to the

3:33:45social fabric and the advancement of the

3:33:47lifelong residents of the Haven who like

3:33:49myself cannot compete with these

3:33:51developers. While I understand that New

3:33:53Haven is developing, who are we

3:33:55developing for? Are we merely developing

3:33:58from an economic standpoint and leaving

3:34:00the existing community behind?

3:34:03Regulations must be put in place as we

3:34:04are facing an affordability and housing

3:34:06crisis in New Haven. And we cannot

3:34:08continue to lose brilliance, talent, and

3:34:11leadership that our residents hold due

3:34:13to the fact that they cannot afford to

3:34:14live here because New Haven is not for

3:34:16sale.

3:34:18>> Thank you.

3:34:19>> Thank you.

3:34:20>> Thank you.

3:34:23Damian

3:34:25P A G L

3:34:32>> welcome.

3:34:33>> And then after um Damian A Cynthia

3:34:36Johnson.

3:34:38[clears throat]

3:34:39>> Good evening. Your name and address for

3:34:40the record, please.

3:34:42>> Damian, 21 Wood Street.

3:34:46Thanks for the opportunity to speak.

3:34:49I grew up in Westville,

3:34:52one of six kids. My family has been part

3:34:54of this neighborhood for generations.

3:34:57Um, growing up our house has always had

3:35:00people stay with us. Um, we've had

3:35:01visiting professors from Kenya, from

3:35:04Korea, from Hawaii. Um, my parents

3:35:07worked with the church and six of us

3:35:10money was uh was tight. So, welcoming

3:35:13guests wasn't just about hospitality. It

3:35:15helped my parents pay for their

3:35:16mortgage. [clears throat]

3:35:18And here I am generation later doing

3:35:20something very similar. [snorts]

3:35:23When we had the opportunity to buy the

3:35:24house uh right next door to where I grew

3:35:26up and never imagined uh we'd be able to

3:35:29own it, it felt like a dream come true.

3:35:33We took our loan, we took out loans. We

3:35:35invested years of work and [snorts]

3:35:36substantial money renovating it. We made

3:35:38those commitments believing that we

3:35:40[clears throat] could operate it as a

3:35:41short-term rental while keeping it

3:35:43available for our family.

3:35:46Being required to switch to a long-term

3:35:48rental would be financially devastating

3:35:50for us. And it would mean losing the

3:35:52ability to use a home that's become such

3:35:54a important part of my family's life.

3:35:58Because this house isn't just an Airbnb,

3:36:00it's our family home, too. Our children

3:36:03stay there when they're home from

3:36:04school. We celebrate holidays

3:36:08and we host family gatherings. We're

3:36:10also there every day caring for the

3:36:12property.

3:36:13our neighbor came here today to just to

3:36:16also testify

3:36:18um all the positive experiences that

3:36:21they've had uh had with um guests.

3:36:25My [snorts] kids help the neighbors show

3:36:28us no. We borrow landscaping equipment.

3:36:31Um we look out for one another.

3:36:35Uh our Airbnb also serves people in the

3:36:38neighborhood, neighbors who have

3:36:40visiting families.

3:36:42uh a family from Marble Road uh doing a

3:36:45renovation uh called being able to stay

3:36:47in the neighborhood a lifesaver.

3:36:51Um

3:36:53I understand New Haven's housing

3:36:55challenges. My parents spent their lives

3:36:56[clears throat] involving in the church

3:36:58outreach and my children and I um

3:37:01organized coat drives for people in

3:37:02need. I know people from my childhood

3:37:04who are experiencing home homelessness

3:37:07today. So affordable housing matters to

3:37:10me. These aren't just statistics. These

3:37:13are people. But I hope the city can

3:37:16recognize

3:37:16>> 30 seconds.

3:37:17>> Thank you. But I hope the city can

3:37:19recognize the difference between

3:37:20properties and the people who operate

3:37:22them. I support reasonable regulations,

3:37:24licensing, accountability. I ask you to

3:37:27consider the alternatives that protect

3:37:29housing while allowing responsible

3:37:30existing operators to continue. Buying

3:37:33the house next door to where I grew up

3:37:35was a dream come true. And now the very

3:37:37thing that made that dream possible

3:37:39could be taken away. I believe we can

3:37:41address affordable housing without

3:37:43losing sight of the families and

3:37:44neighbors affected affected by these um

3:37:47decisions.

3:37:49>> Thank you.

3:37:50>> Thank you for your testimony.

3:37:56So Cynthia Johnson

3:38:07is Cynthia Johnson coming

3:38:14>> she

3:38:17>> um

3:38:19Peter Fy fo u

3:38:23>> I'm Sorry.

3:38:26>> Okay.

3:38:26>> Thank you.

3:38:27>> Thank you.

3:38:29>> Good evening,

3:38:30>> friends, neighbors, older people.

3:38:32>> Your name address for the record,

3:38:34please.

3:38:34>> Peter Fosac, 169 Alden Avenue, 425.

3:38:42I support a ban on non-owner occupied

3:38:44short-term rentals because it's common

3:38:46sense. In January, WFSB reported that

3:38:50Connecticut remains hundreds of

3:38:52thousands of units short when it comes

3:38:54to our housing stock, particularly

3:38:56affordable housing. While New Haven has

3:38:58taken substantial steps to address the

3:39:00crisis, like bolstering LCI and BF FRC

3:39:03and collaborating with tenant unions and

3:39:06on blight enforcement and

3:39:07anti-retaliation,

3:39:09there's still tremendous work to be done

3:39:11to make our city affordable,

3:39:12sustainable, and flourishing for all.

3:39:15Everybody who's testified tonight has

3:39:17admitted that. But that includes most

3:39:20importantly addressing the imbalance of

3:39:22power [clears throat] at play between

3:39:24profit maximizing corporations and

3:39:26individual actors seeking to cut costs

3:39:28and eliminate maintenance while raising

3:39:30rent. Local homeowners whose

3:39:32neighborhoods are degraded by that kind

3:39:34of negligent profit seeking. Aspiring

3:39:36homeowners whose purchase opportunities

3:39:38are taken off the market when they're

3:39:40turned into vacation rentals. and

3:39:41tenants who simply want a safe and

3:39:43affordable [clears throat] place to live

3:39:44with stability.

3:39:46Going forward, the city must coordinate

3:39:48closely with its residents, particularly

3:39:51our unionized tenants, to develop and

3:39:53deploy municipal social housing

3:39:55initiatives that can truly and

3:39:56permanently fill the gap. But in the

3:39:58immediate term, there are measures to be

3:40:00taken as well. Most simply, by

3:40:03eliminating non-owner occupied

3:40:05short-term rentals, we can free up

3:40:07hundreds of housing units across the

3:40:09city. That'll include many affordable

3:40:11apartments in neighborhoods whose

3:40:12residents are feeling major displacement

3:40:15pressure in no small part due to the

3:40:16rise of corporification rentals in this

3:40:18town. And why should we as a city not

3:40:22take this? Why shouldn't we as a city

3:40:24take this step to ensure that more of us

3:40:27will be able to keep our roots in New

3:40:28Haven rather than face displacement so a

3:40:31multinational corporation andor a

3:40:33potentially absentee owner can make

3:40:35money on out oftowners coming to visit?

3:40:38Doesn't it make more sense to prioritize

3:40:40our residents given the high cost of

3:40:42living, stagnant wages, and shortage of

3:40:45housing supply that we're grappling

3:40:46with? This measure will be a meaningful

3:40:49move towards the ultimate goal of

3:40:50addressing the power imbalance currently

3:40:52present in the housing market. this

3:40:54measure.

3:40:56If a slumlord knows that they can get

3:40:58rid of their tenants altogether and

3:41:00instead rely on transient out of town

3:41:02vacationers who have far fewer rights

3:41:05and/or interest when it comes to the

3:41:07housing in question and enforcing uh its

3:41:10quality, then why would they bargain

3:41:11with the tenant union trying to make

3:41:13them perform maintenance or challenge

3:41:15unjustified rent increases? If we hope

3:41:18to get any kind of handle on the

3:41:19situation and hope to hold the worst

3:41:21actors in town accountable so that the

3:41:23best can afford to continue operating,

3:41:25then this measure should pass. Thank you

3:41:27for your consideration. Have a good

3:41:32>> Diane Pan.

3:41:37Okay,

3:41:40>> I'm trying guys. No disrespect you.

3:41:44>> No, we can say it right. We don't even

3:41:46say it, right? It should be

3:41:49[laughter]

3:41:52>> welcome.

3:41:53>> Thank you.

3:41:54>> Your name and address for the record,

3:41:56please.

3:41:57>> My name is Diane Passi or Pashi, 31

3:42:00Willard Street, New Haven.

3:42:03As I listened tonight, I realized that

3:42:07Nair B&B is not a singular thing. It is

3:42:12[clears throat] many different things.

3:42:13The one I came to talk about tonight is

3:42:16not corporate. It's not um absentee

3:42:20landlord.

3:42:22They live right next door.

3:42:24Um my neighbor already spoke today.

3:42:28And when I was listening to him to him

3:42:30speak, I remembered when I first came to

3:42:33Willard Street. [clears throat] Now

3:42:35that's in Westville, but it's in

3:42:38historic suburban Westville. My house

3:42:42was built in 1853. I believe his was

3:42:44built in 1872.

3:42:47>> Microphone, please.

3:42:50>> Can you hear me?

3:42:52>> Sorry.

3:42:54So, I put almost as much money into my

3:42:58house as my mortgages because the house

3:43:03was in such disrepair. The one next door

3:43:06to me, even more. And so so much money

3:43:10had to be put into that house to make it

3:43:14liveable, to make it expand. And the

3:43:16whole reason that we're proud of living

3:43:20in historic suburban Westville is

3:43:23because these houses are

3:43:28reestablished, made livable. And the

3:43:31only way to be able to do that for some

3:43:34people is to be able to make it into an

3:43:38Airbnb,

3:43:40especially when they can take more time

3:43:43in a year to entertain family, invite

3:43:48[clears throat] people um for a wedding

3:43:52or for a family reunion or just to um

3:43:57visit

3:43:59people in the hospital. You can't

3:44:02[clears throat] do that in a hotel

3:44:04because you're going to be spending so

3:44:05much money on food in restaurants where

3:44:09in a an Airbnb you can cook, you've got

3:44:12a kitchen, you've got a bathroom that's

3:44:15private to you.

3:44:17I don't think we're all talking about

3:44:19the same place. Corporate Airbnb is a

3:44:24totally totally different thing. and

3:44:26that hotels or luxury apartment

3:44:29buildings um like downtown are renting

3:44:33out

3:44:35>> that I would object to. But the kind of

3:44:38Airbnb that I'm familiar with that my

3:44:41neighbor owns, I'm 100%

3:44:44u behind it and I think that this bill

3:44:47should not pass. [snorts] Thank you.

3:44:50>> Thank you for your testimony.

3:44:54I think this is a JT T

3:44:58B U R G O S

3:45:02VOS.

3:45:05>> She left. Okay. Emma,

3:45:10take

3:45:12take the wrong

3:45:23>> [clears throat]

3:45:24[snorts]

3:45:25>> And after Emma is Leslie Radcliffe.

3:45:29[clears throat]

3:45:31>> Good evening.

3:45:32>> Good evening.

3:45:33>> Your name and address for the record,

3:45:34please.

3:45:35>> My name is Emma Tangarum.

3:45:37Uh, dear chair, members, uh, chair and

3:45:40members of the legislation committee, my

3:45:42name is Emma Tangarum and I live in

3:45:44North Haven. I grew up in Hampton and

3:45:47became a public school teacher in New

3:45:48Haven.

3:45:50Being at NHPS for the last few years

3:45:52really showed me how much trauma so many

3:45:55of our youth in New Haven are dealing

3:45:57with and how much it is affecting our

3:46:00students, especially when it comes to

3:46:02their health. There were times that my

3:46:04students weren't able to sleep at home

3:46:06and so they would need to take naps

3:46:08during school time just to be able to

3:46:10function. I know firsthand how much

3:46:13housing instability plays into their

3:46:15everyday health and well-being. As a

3:46:18teacher, I was struggling to get by on

3:46:20my own. I wanted to live in New Haven

3:46:22where I work, but I couldn't find

3:46:24anything affordable. So now I am living

3:46:26in North Haven, but I still pay more

3:46:29than 50% of my income on rent. I know I

3:46:33am not alone and that these

3:46:35circumstances are unsustainable.

3:46:37I left the New Haven public school

3:46:39system so that I could further my

3:46:41education and hopefully be able to do

3:46:44more to address the structural

3:46:46inequalities that are plaguing our kids

3:46:49because I want all young people to be

3:46:51able to live with decency and dignity. I

3:46:54am organizing to help make more

3:46:56possible, but I hope we can build a

3:46:58community where every young person is

3:47:01afforded the opportunity to learn and

3:47:03thrive. Of course, this ordinance will

3:47:06not fix the housing crisis overnight,

3:47:09but banning non-owner occupied

3:47:11short-term rentals is one step of many

3:47:13that we must take. Thank you.

3:47:18>> Thank you for your testimony.

3:47:21>> Leslie,

3:47:24Leslie, we have

3:47:28Shaw.

3:47:29>> Good evening.

3:47:30>> Good evening.

3:47:31>> Your name and address for the record,

3:47:32please.

3:47:33>> All right. My name is Lesley Radcliffe,

3:47:35resident homeowner at 20 King Place, New

3:47:37Haven, Connecticut. I am in opposition

3:47:39to this ordinance. The representatives

3:47:41who pushed the Airbnb ordinance are from

3:47:43Dwight Worester Square in East Shore.

3:47:45These are neighborhoods that

3:47:46traditionally have not had many

3:47:48affordable price rental units to start

3:47:51with. Uh 1,500 starting for onebedroom

3:47:54up to 3600 for three bedrooms. There are

3:47:56approximately 61,000 housing units in

3:47:59New Haven with 56,000 92% occupied. That

3:48:03leaves about 5,000 unoccupied for

3:48:05several different reasons. There are

3:48:07approximately 728 active Airbnb

3:48:10short-term rentals with a total of,00

3:48:13available. The neighborhoods with the

3:48:15most Airbnb short-term rentals are in

3:48:18fact Dwight, Worester Square, East Rock,

3:48:20but also include Fair Haven Heights, the

3:48:22other side of the Q River and downtown.

3:48:25Neighborhoods not having high short-term

3:48:27rental activities are the Hill,

3:48:29Pittsville, Newville, and Fair Haven.

3:48:31This ordinance is promoted by New Haven

3:48:33Rising, an affiliate of Yale Union's

3:48:36Unite Here as part of their

3:48:38affordability agenda. New Haven Rising

3:48:41has a direct interest in hotel

3:48:43organizing. The representatives who

3:48:45propose this ordinance are affiliated

3:48:47with the union. Um they argue that the

3:48:50proliferation of Airbnbs and short-term

3:48:52rentals artificially shrinks housing

3:48:54inventory and prices out working

3:48:56families. and that the ordinance says

3:48:58the city seeks to preserve the quality

3:49:00of its residential neighborhoods.

3:49:02Short-term rentals don't shrink housing

3:49:05inventory. Failure to bring those 5,000

3:49:07unoccupied units in New Haven online

3:49:10leaves a big dent in the city's housing

3:49:12inventory. Airbnbs don't price out

3:49:14working families. Higher rents already

3:49:17established in the Dwight Worcester in

3:49:19East Shore have already priced out those

3:49:21working families way before the 728

3:49:24Airbnbs came online. What evidence is

3:49:26there that short-term rentals reduce the

3:49:28quality of residential neighborhoods?

3:49:31The ordinance is not clearly is clearly

3:49:33not in the best interest of homeowners

3:49:35like myself who do not have Airbnbs or

3:49:38the city. But will this ordinance will

3:49:41this ordinance reduce the tax rates for

3:49:43current homeowners? No. Will any of this

3:49:45bring about more affordably priced

3:49:47rentals? No. So, who really benefits? I

3:49:50encourage you to consider what is

3:49:52benefiting the city, not just a few

3:49:54neighborhoods. over the benefits to the

3:49:56union. Inclusionary zoning ordinance has

3:49:59not made a down dent in the housing

3:50:01shortage. Accessory dwelling units

3:50:03ordinance has not made a dent. Hundreds

3:50:05of units have gone up in the hill. It's

3:50:09the downtown area and they're not

3:50:11affordably priced. Let's stop putting

3:50:13solutions on paper. Getting those 5,000

3:50:16units online and available is what will

3:50:18help address our housing needs. not

3:50:20using city personnel and residents tax

3:50:23dollars to regulate an unnecessary

3:50:25regulation. I know a few hundred empty

3:50:27units in the Hill neighborhood, nine on

3:50:29my street alone that Airbnb is not

3:50:32interested in. Let's start with them.

3:50:34Thank you.

3:50:35>> Thank you.

3:50:36>> Thank you.

3:50:36>> Thank you for your testimony.

3:50:38>> Did you have a question for her?

3:50:39>> Yes, please. Can we get the testimonies?

3:50:42I know there's a lot of data presented

3:50:43very quickly.

3:50:44>> I will

3:50:46miss you have the email address to send

3:50:49it to. Okay. Thank you.

3:50:53>> After you,

3:50:55you'll have Janice Parker.

3:50:58>> Good evening. Your name is for the

3:50:59record. Yousef Iben Sha, former alder of

3:51:03the 23rd Ward,

3:51:05>> 1505 Chapel Street, New Haven,

3:51:07Connecticut.

3:51:09Good evening, alders, and thank you for

3:51:11your service. This is not an easy job.

3:51:14Uh I am

3:51:18in favor of this ordinance. Uh the

3:51:21neighborhood that I live in that I

3:51:23served in for a decade and a half has

3:51:26turned into a hotel community. I've seen

3:51:29people in the building that I live in

3:51:32which uh probably compromises about uh

3:51:36maybe 10 units, half have been turned

3:51:39into Airbnb. And I tell you when those

3:51:43uh apartments were converted uh the

3:51:46whole atmosphere of the building just

3:51:48changed. The transients

3:51:51um just disturbed me and it just

3:51:55disturbed uh many that uh that knew me

3:51:59that came to see me. You know, who are

3:52:01these people? You know, um uh what's

3:52:04going on? New Haven is not a city of

3:52:06hotels. It's a city of neighborhoods. It

3:52:10is [snorts] what the fiber of this city

3:52:12is all about. When I served this board,

3:52:15we enacted a landlord uh licensing uh

3:52:19ordinance uh through LCI. Uh we uh did

3:52:24that because we had issues with regard

3:52:27to what was happening with the housing

3:52:30stock here and the administration by

3:52:33landlords here. Um nothing really has

3:52:37changed. We need oversight.

3:52:40Anything that's happening in this city

3:52:42needs uh the help of uh our public

3:52:47elected officials and uh the power that

3:52:50we have to regulate those things that we

3:52:55can. [cough] Is this the answer to

3:52:59everything that we have here in New

3:53:01Haven? Is this the answer to all of the

3:53:03problems? Probably not. We probably need

3:53:06to do more. I actually think we may need

3:53:09to uh look at some uh some zoning

3:53:12ordinances uh to to help regulate some

3:53:15of this. Um but we need to do something

3:53:18and we need to do something now. I know

3:53:21my neighborhood is not the same since um

3:53:24Airbnb has grown online at least in the

3:53:27dwelling that I live in and in the

3:53:30dwellings around in and around my

3:53:32neighborhood. So I urge um my colleagues

3:53:38uh to

3:53:39>> 30 seconds

3:53:40>> support this um this Thank you very

3:53:43much.

3:53:44>> Thank you.

3:53:45>> It's good seeing you. Thank you for your

3:53:46testimony.

3:53:48>> Janice Parker ask a question of

3:53:51>> Oh, I'm sorry.

3:53:52>> There's a question. We're not going to

3:53:53do this too much because we got to get

3:53:54through this.

3:53:55>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you.

3:53:56>> Yes. Hi,

3:53:57>> I'm Alder. I'm just you stated on Chapel

3:54:00Street 1505. Can you just just very

3:54:03briefly what what kind of numbers are

3:54:05you talking about for the Airbnbs that

3:54:06you see in neighborhood?

3:54:07>> Um I live uh in a building where I

3:54:11believe there's I think 10 apartments

3:54:14and I think probably half

3:54:18now are Airbnb.

3:54:21>> Thank you for that. And and and I think

3:54:23that's significant because I mean I had

3:54:27five neighbors leave and if you [snorts]

3:54:29know anything about how they renovate um

3:54:33you know soon as they leave they

3:54:36do a smashbang job and make everything

3:54:39new in these apartments because guess

3:54:42what? It's a money grab. They're making

3:54:43them a hotel, right? So they want to

3:54:46make them as beautiful as they possibly

3:54:48can while the other apartments are

3:54:51substandard. They don't put as much into

3:54:54them. Um so I mean this is what's this

3:54:56is the reality. This is what's

3:54:58happening. I'm a renter so I'm living

3:55:01this. Um

3:55:03>> thank you sir.

3:55:04>> That's my answer.

3:55:06>> Thank you. Thank you.

3:55:09>> Who's next on the queue?

3:55:10>> Janice Parker. After Janice, we have

3:55:14Ellen

3:55:16Alder Ellen Koopa.

3:55:20[clears throat]

3:55:21>> Good evening. Your name and address for

3:55:23the record.

3:55:23>> My name is Janice. I live 635. How are

3:55:28you?

3:55:29>> Huh?

3:55:31>> Right into that.

3:55:32>> Okay.

3:55:34>> All right. Um I want to speak about the

3:55:37housing crisis and why I support home

3:55:39ownership having opportunity to use

3:55:41Airbnb. I'm looking from four different

3:55:44perspective of a landlord, a homeowner,

3:55:46a resident concerned about the

3:55:48affordability [cough] who has worked in

3:55:51a hotel. First, I know firsthand what it

3:55:54means to be a landlord. In 2009, I owned

3:55:58a house and I had a tenant that stopped

3:56:00paying. Although she stopped paying my

3:56:02bills, I still had to pay. I took extra

3:56:05shifts. I worked really hard and it

3:56:08costed me so much money to get her out.

3:56:1020 months later, when I finally got her

3:56:12out, I still had to spend more money to

3:56:14redo the apartment and to um make it up

3:56:17to code to be able to renovate.

3:56:19Question, when is New Haven going to

3:56:20pass a law to protect landlords from

3:56:22non-paying tenants come there? Could

3:56:25there be a time limit, maybe 90 or 120

3:56:28days afterwards, that they can vacate

3:56:31the premises and find them somewhere to

3:56:33go? because the longer they stay, the

3:56:34longer we're without money. And most of

3:56:36us that own houses work, too. We depend

3:56:39on the rent. The experience is one

3:56:42reason why I understand why some

3:56:44homeowners use Airbnb. Small landlords

3:56:47can face financial hardship, lose their

3:56:49property because of non-paying tenants.

3:56:52Before taking away the option, I want

3:56:54the city leaders considering homeowners

3:56:55who depend on short renters to afford

3:56:58their home because they have to compete

3:57:00with the mega landlords just to stay.

3:57:03Third, I want accountability about new

3:57:05apartment buildings going up in New

3:57:06Haven. And affordability doesn't always

3:57:09mean that people can afford them. I

3:57:12applied for Prince Street. They told me

3:57:14$2,200 for a onebedroom and another $250

3:57:18just to park. It would have cost me

3:57:20$24.50 a month just to live. Calling

3:57:23apartment affordable doesn't always mean

3:57:25that we can afford it. Fourth, I worked

3:57:27in a hotel before. I recognize hotel

3:57:30workers and organizations such as New

3:57:31Haven Rising fighting for the concerns

3:57:33of the people. I also know that people

3:57:36have different reasons for choosing

3:57:37Airbnbs instead of hotels, including

3:57:39comfort space, personal and having to

3:57:42pay for expensive lunches and breakfast.

3:57:45But we look around in the city of New

3:57:47Haven. In the last five years, there's

3:57:49been almost six brand new hotels and

3:57:52they are competing against each other.

3:57:54People are staying in um North Haven

3:57:58instead of New Haven because it's less

3:58:01to stay a mile or two away.

3:58:05We can listen to hotels. Um,

3:58:08I support Airbnb because I have

3:58:10experienced the good, the bad, and the

3:58:12ugly of owning property and trying to

3:58:14keep up with my bills. I also want the

3:58:16city leaders to work with the developers

3:58:18and to investors to make affordable

3:58:21housing affordable. We really need

3:58:23housing policies to help renters find

3:58:25home, help homeowners keep their homes,

3:58:28and help develop accountable for the

3:58:31housing opportunity they bring to the

3:58:33city. Thank you.

3:58:35Thank you.

3:58:38>> Thank you for your testimony. Right

3:58:40before um right chair calls the next

3:58:43person, I don't know if anybody

3:58:45remembers Steve Austin, the

3:58:48million-dollar [clears throat] man

3:58:50with his bionic ears.

3:58:52>> Yes,

3:58:53>> I'm picking up chatter.

3:58:55And so I'm going to ask that if you are

3:58:57having a conversation, just step out in

3:58:59the hall. I [laughter] can hear you.

3:59:02Then our recording devices can hear you

3:59:04also. Thank you all for hanging in there

3:59:06with us. We're we're not even halfway

3:59:08through, but we're gonna keep pushing.

3:59:11Next, vice

3:59:12>> chair,

3:59:14former

3:59:17and after Ellen, it's um Bradley

3:59:20Fleming.

3:59:22>> Good evening.

3:59:23>> It's good to see you.

3:59:24>> Good to see you all.

3:59:25>> Your name and address for the record?

3:59:26>> Ellen Koopo. I live at 20 Brown Street.

3:59:29Um, Chair Burllo and distinguished

3:59:32members of the legislation committee.

3:59:34Um, I'm proud to be here this evening as

3:59:37a resident of Worcester Square. Um, a

3:59:40former alder 8, um, and a leader of my

3:59:44union here, Local 34. Um, I'm thrilled

3:59:48that the board of Alders is considering

3:59:51this legislation. Um, I know all too

3:59:54well how much our city is struggling

3:59:56with the high cost front. Uh, not to

3:59:59mention the high cost of living. Um, I

4:00:01hear it in conversations in my

4:00:03neighborhood and in my workplace and I

4:00:06feel it in my own life. Uh, struggling

4:00:09makans being raised two children. Um,

4:00:13[clears throat]

4:00:14and that struggle has only gotten worse.

4:00:17Uh, now that residents are competing

4:00:19with investors looking to turn homes

4:00:22into hotels for more profit. I live on

4:00:25ground street directly across from three

4:00:28properties that maybe management

4:00:30recently purchased. Uh not long after

4:00:33the lock boxes showed up. Now we have

4:00:36visitors rolling suitcases up and down

4:00:39my street instead of neighbors that I

4:00:41know. The character of our neighborhood

4:00:45is changing and it's alarming. Worcester

4:00:48Square is losing the tight-knit

4:00:50community feel where everyone knows each

4:00:53other and I don't like seeing that slip

4:00:56away. The city has an amazing

4:00:59opportunity right now. New Haven must

4:01:01lead in making homes available for

4:01:04people to rent, live in, and build a

4:01:07life that they can be proud of. This

4:01:09year, our landlord raised our rent by

4:01:12over 10% with another 10% increase

4:01:15slated for next year. I know that some

4:01:19of that covers rising tax costs, but a

4:01:22large part is simply based on what

4:01:25surrounded properties are going for.

4:01:28When Wayne moved in, our neighbor paid

4:01:31$900 a month for a one-bedroom

4:01:33apartment. That same apartment with no

4:01:37changes to it now goes through $2,400

4:01:39[cough]

4:01:41a month. I cannot imagine how I could

4:01:45afford that. This crisis is real and

4:01:49this legislation is a real solution.

4:01:52[clears throat] It is not the only

4:01:54solution, but until all of Connecticut,

4:01:56not just the cities, but the suburbs as

4:01:59well, build affordable housing, I want a

4:02:03city where everyone can afford to live,

4:02:05no, where no one is without a home and

4:02:08where we look out for each other as

4:02:11neighbors. I don't see what's neighborly

4:02:14about renting out an apartment to

4:02:16visitors for hundreds of dollars a

4:02:18night. I don't see what's neighborly

4:02:21about displacing long-term residents and

4:02:24converting those apartments into

4:02:25short-term rentals. Thank you for the

4:02:28time and I urge you to pass this

4:02:30legislation. Thank you.

4:02:32>> Thank you. to seeing you again. Thank

4:02:36>> Bradley Fleming.

4:02:40>> Supermarket.

4:02:43>> Thank Thank you. Uh Bradley Fleming, 78

4:02:46Nickel Street. Thank you all for hosting

4:02:48this all night slumber party, listening

4:02:51to our lengthy testimony. Um I didn't

4:02:55prepare remarks. Uh I

4:02:58so first of all, born and raised in New

4:03:00Haven. Um, I own one house in New Haven

4:03:04that I live in. Um, and so I thought

4:03:06when I heard about this last week that I

4:03:08was exempt because I'm an owner

4:03:10occupier, but I have to rent out

4:03:13bedrooms in my unit, not the other unit,

4:03:16which my wife would never let me do,

4:03:18even if we had extra bedrooms. Um, when

4:03:22we bought our house a couple years ago,

4:03:24it was already an Airbnb with the owners

4:03:26living in the other unit. And we thought

4:03:28that was perfect because it

4:03:31[clears throat] enables family,

4:03:33particularly my mother-in-law, to visit

4:03:36from Oklahoma and help with child care

4:03:38as we start our family. She comes for a

4:03:40month or two at a time a few times a

4:03:43year. Um, and you know, we're able to

4:03:45Airbnb at the rest of the time to help

4:03:47cover, you know, our housing costs. uh

4:03:51the you know unintended result of this

4:03:53for us not being allowed to do it. You

4:03:55know either we rent it out to a

4:03:58full-time tenant and our mother-in-law

4:04:00can't come. She can't afford she's

4:04:02retired on fixed income. She can't stay

4:04:04in a hotel for a month or two. We don't

4:04:06have she's not going to stay on our

4:04:07couch. You know, we don't have room for

4:04:09her in our unit. So, um yeah, I I feel

4:04:13like everyone's in agreement that we

4:04:15want more affordable housing. Um, but

4:04:18this isn't going to do anything for

4:04:20that. Um, no one's rent is going to go

4:04:23down as a result of this passing. You

4:04:25know, these couple hundred units, like a

4:04:27lot of people said, is just a drop in

4:04:29the bucket. It's not going to create the

4:04:33intended result to fix the issue of

4:04:35affordable housing. Um, but you know,

4:04:38it'll make it so that I my mother-in-law

4:04:42can't come stay with us and help the

4:04:44child care. Um, what else? Trying to

4:04:48remember. Yeah, I mean it seems like the

4:04:49real winner is the the hotel industry

4:04:52because they're eliminating the

4:04:53competition. A lot of people have said,

4:04:55you know, when I travel, I like going to

4:04:57Airbnbs as opposed to hotels to bed

4:05:00sometimes, but, you know, why not let

4:05:03people choose where they want to stay? A

4:05:05lot of people save money. You know, we

4:05:07have a threebedroom. um instead of

4:05:09getting three hotel rooms, it's a lot

4:05:11cheaper to have your family uh come. Um

4:05:14like some other people said, you know,

4:05:16I'd have to cancel a bunch of people

4:05:18that have reservations. Um tell them

4:05:21they can't come anymore. Um yeah, I

4:05:24think it just, you know, I don't think

4:05:26the intent is for I hear a lot of talk

4:05:29about corporate mega out of town

4:05:32slumlords and I'm born and raised in New

4:05:34Haven. I have one house with two units

4:05:37and I just want to be able to use it for

4:05:40family and help cover the exorbitant

4:05:43taxes

4:05:44um you know mortgage uh all the expenses

4:05:48of home ownership. Thanks.

4:05:50>> Thank you.

4:05:51>> Thank you.

4:05:53[clears throat]

4:05:54>> Next we have I think this is Sherry at

4:05:58Sh

4:06:00R I with the last name and Okay.

4:06:05Smith. [laughter]

4:06:07[clears throat]

4:06:07>> Welcome.

4:06:09Your name and address for the record.

4:06:10>> Good evening.

4:06:13>> Sharie Swami Nazan, 129 Church Street,

4:06:16right across the block 504. I am here to

4:06:19testify in favor of the legislation. I

4:06:22chose Yale to do my PhD among several

4:06:25competing offers due to the

4:06:26industry-leading contract for graduate

4:06:28workers and I am currently offered one

4:06:31of the highest graduate worker stipens

4:06:33in the country. And yet when I looked

4:06:36for housing options in the spring

4:06:37preceding my enrollment here, I faced an

4:06:40extremely limited inventory with regards

4:06:43to any affordable housing with even

4:06:45basic amenities. And all of these

4:06:47listings were managed by a few

4:06:48monopolistic real estate firms who

4:06:51seemed to dictate what the market rent

4:06:52was, which was far from affordable for

4:06:55the medium New Haven resident. This is

4:06:58only worsened by the impacts of

4:07:00short-term rentals on housing

4:07:02affordability and many large landlords

4:07:04in New Haven like Mandy Management and

4:07:06the luxury apartments that market to

4:07:09academic workers at Yale actively list

4:07:12apartments on Airbnb including in the

4:07:14building that I live in which is right

4:07:15across city hall when these could be

4:07:18used to house residents at much fairer

4:07:20prices. I'm happy to have the place I

4:07:22currently live in, but I have to set

4:07:24aside 100% of my bi-weekly stipen

4:07:27paycheck for rent and utilities. This

4:07:30puts my financial situation incredibly

4:07:32vulnerable in the event of any

4:07:34emergency, and I am entirely dependent

4:07:36on Wiz paycheck to pay my rent. The

4:07:39graduate worker and postto population at

4:07:41Yale bolster the city's life and

4:07:43economy, and the city should ensure that

4:07:45we can still live here without having to

4:07:47spend an entire paycheck on rent.

4:07:49Banning non owner occupied short-term

4:07:51rentals in New Haven is just one step we

4:07:53can take to help improve housing

4:07:55affordability for everyone in the city.

4:07:57Thank you.

4:07:59>> Thank you for your

4:08:02>> Z.

4:08:10Good evening.

4:08:12>> Good evening.

4:08:12>> Your name and address for the record,

4:08:14please.

4:08:16My name is Zach Carlini and I live at

4:08:171013 State Street, New Haven,

4:08:19Connecticut. I'm here to speak in favor

4:08:22of the ban on non-owner occupied

4:08:24short-term rentals because we are

4:08:26experiencing a housing crisis here in

4:08:27New Haven.

4:08:29As rent prices skyrocket and the unless

4:08:31population continues to grow, apartments

4:08:33are being taken off the market to list

4:08:35them for temporary renters instead of

4:08:37the people who live here. When I first

4:08:39moved to New Haven in 2023, I lived with

4:08:42one other person in a Mandy management

4:08:44owned 550 foot apartment on Chapel with

4:08:47a monthly rent of about $1,550.

4:08:50After living there for only a year, the

4:08:52rent was jacked up to $1,800 and we were

4:08:55forced to move out.

4:08:58I was lucky. Even with a I had a good

4:09:00union job and I still couldn't keep up.

4:09:04Now, I can't have a stable home here in

4:09:06this city because every year I have to

4:09:09hold my breath to see how much the month

4:09:11the monthly rent is going to go up by

4:09:13before I know if I'm going to be able to

4:09:15stay in my apartment. I'm scared to buy

4:09:18furniture because I don't know if I'll

4:09:19be able to bring it with me in a move.

4:09:21But there are two residences on my block

4:09:24which seem to often sit empty and

4:09:26they're permanently listed on Airbnb.

4:09:29From my research, I know that the same

4:09:30host who listed those two residences has

4:09:3310 other listings in the area.

4:09:36Those units could be putting a roof over

4:09:38the heads of people who need them while

4:09:40at the same time helping to keep rent

4:09:42down for all of us, but instead they're

4:09:44being used sporadically for short-term

4:09:46rentals.

4:09:48The FAQ on the Airbnb website has a

4:09:50section titled, "What are the benefits

4:09:52of becoming an Airbnb host without

4:09:54owning property?"

4:09:56They tout the practice as a way to make

4:09:58additional money without the long-term

4:10:00commitment of property ownership. But

4:10:03New Haven residents deserve a long-term

4:10:05commitment.

4:10:07We deserve apartment buildings that are

4:10:09used to house our neighbors and

4:10:10residents rather than temporary

4:10:12visitors.

4:10:14We deserve a housing market that does

4:10:16not depend on the whims of uncertain

4:10:18investors.

4:10:19We deserve to have our limited space

4:10:21managed and used by people who are fully

4:10:23committed to this city.

4:10:26>> [laughter]

4:10:26>> If New Haven regulated short-term

4:10:28rentals to ensure that our city's real

4:10:30estate was used for the benefit of all

4:10:31of our residents instead of just a few

4:10:33wealthy investors, then we could have

4:10:35more stable and predictable cost of

4:10:37living that would help us feel secure in

4:10:39our homes. The cost of our rent would be

4:10:41unchanged from the yearly fluctuations

4:10:43in the tourism market and it would be

4:10:45low enough that more of the workers that

4:10:46our city depends on could afford to live

4:10:48here with us.

4:10:50we [clears throat] could have a city

4:10:51that put people over poverty

4:10:53>> to ensure that we could all keep up.

4:10:55Thank you for your time.

4:10:56>> Thank you for your testimony.

4:10:58>> Thank you.

4:11:01>> Um Stephanie Epson.

4:11:07[clears throat]

4:11:13[clears throat]

4:11:15>> Good evening.

4:11:16>> Good evening.

4:11:17>> Your name and address for the record,

4:11:18please. My name is Stephanie Upson. I do

4:11:22not I was born in New Haven um and

4:11:25formerly lived in New Haven but do not

4:11:27currently. So I'll be speaking on behalf

4:11:29of um of another resident um Theres

4:11:33Rogers who lives at I want to say 534

4:11:38Orange Street. Um

4:11:41I wish I could afford a place in New

4:11:44Haven. Um, I'm also a public servant

4:11:47working in transportation trying to

4:11:49improve safety for folks that are taking

4:11:53um that are biking or walking, but um

4:11:55being a public servant um like many

4:11:59other like many teachers doesn't really

4:12:02afford me the opportunity to buy any um

4:12:05market rate housing that's available.

4:12:08So, I'd like to begin uh saying that I'm

4:12:10in support of this ordinance. Um because

4:12:15I find platforms like Airbnb are

4:12:18distorting the local supply of housing

4:12:20um and they're systematically pricing

4:12:22out local residents um out of their own

4:12:25neighborhoods. I usually don't read, but

4:12:28I'm going to read because I got some

4:12:31yeah information to share. Uh so real

4:12:34estate investors begin by purchasing

4:12:36properties um specifically to list them

4:12:40on these platforms like Airbnb

4:12:42effectively converting them into

4:12:44long-term housing stock um or into an

4:12:48unlicensed hotel. And this is where the

4:12:51friction starts to begin within our

4:12:54within our housing market because the

4:12:56housing market operates on a finite

4:12:59supply of actual physical space. Um, so

4:13:03once these platforms turn um, long-term

4:13:08housing into short-term supply, they're

4:13:11kind of metaphorically demolished in the

4:13:13eyes of anyone that is a long-term

4:13:16resident or from the community looking

4:13:19to be here long term.

4:13:21Um, and this is actually

4:13:24disproportionate. the the impacts of

4:13:26short-term rentals um does affect

4:13:29different zip uh different zip zip codes

4:13:33to a different um yeah different type of

4:13:36impact. Um

4:13:39the ownero occupied rentals are are

4:13:43normally rent out a room or um I'm not

4:13:47going to really focus on that but more

4:13:49the absentee landlord and the corporate

4:13:52investors that have purchased these

4:13:54properties are um highly likely to

4:13:58convert them into uh tourist lodging.

4:14:01And this is a whole part of their

4:14:04business model, which is to capitalize

4:14:07on home prices.

4:14:08>> 30 seconds.

4:14:09>> Oh man, that's not enough time. Um, they

4:14:13go into buying a home knowing that they

4:14:15can price them out for what they're

4:14:17going to get back in the tourism realm.

4:14:20So this bids up um this bid up this bids

4:14:25up the underlying value of the land and

4:14:28essentially kind of keeps local families

4:14:31not competing against other local

4:14:33families but competing against um

4:14:35corporate investors.

4:14:38Um I also want to say key point on the

4:14:40social cohesion that having short-term

4:14:44stays does remove the social cohesion

4:14:47that's essential for uh survival. It's

4:14:49not just a softness that I'm talking

4:14:51about. This is people helping people,

4:14:53generations helping generations. And

4:14:55when you um bring in short-term stays

4:14:59and reduce the social capital of a

4:15:02place, which New Haven is rich for, um

4:15:05you're essentially, yeah, taking away a

4:15:08lot of people's liveliness. This is also

4:15:10a paradox because the people that run

4:15:12this show, that run New

4:15:14>> Haven,

4:15:17>> we do appreciate you. Thank you.

4:15:19>> If you would just finish that thought.

4:15:21>> Sure. It's a paradox. It's

4:15:23self-defeating. The people that run New

4:15:25Haven that make it charm, that make it

4:15:27desirable, all of us here in this room

4:15:30make it desirable. um this having

4:15:33short-term stays and having platforms

4:15:36like Airbnb come in and um make a lot of

4:15:40money or exploiting the life that we've

4:15:44created here that people find so warm

4:15:46like so welcoming and want to be a part

4:15:48of it defeats us. It removes us. It

4:15:52takes us out of our homes essentially.

4:15:55>> Thank you.

4:15:56>> Thank you.

4:15:57>> Thank you,

4:15:59>> Dolores Cologne.

4:16:12That's what she said.

4:16:14>> Um,

4:16:18I don't know if this is J, Ju, or Juh.

4:16:25The address is 1205 Forest Road.

4:16:32Anyone here from 1205 Forest Road?

4:16:36Okay, we gonna keep it moving.

4:16:40Peter

4:16:42on set.

4:16:44[clears throat] I think that's Peter. Fo

4:16:54>> Josh Stanley

4:17:07Good evening.

4:17:08>> Good evening. Your name and address with

4:17:10the region.

4:17:12>> My name is Joshua Stanley.

4:17:15I am a resident uh at 16 Ker Place and a

4:17:20proud constituent of the mighty 26th

4:17:22ward. Mighty.

4:17:25>> That's [laughter] right.

4:17:27I'm also the uh [laughter] secretary

4:17:30treasur of unite here local 217 a union

4:17:33that represents hotel and food service

4:17:35workers.

4:17:38I'm here to say that we have started

4:17:39something with this conversation and I

4:17:42stand here uh speaking in favor of this

4:17:45proposed regulation.

4:17:48something that I think should be taken

4:17:50to more cities across Connecticut. And

4:17:54speaking on behalf of my union, Local

4:17:56217, we are proudly supporting this

4:17:58propon proposed ordinance that begins to

4:18:01address the most important issues, lower

4:18:04rents, higher pay.

4:18:07Like hundreds of thousands of workers

4:18:09across Connecticut, New Haven's working

4:18:11class is drowning in the rising cost of

4:18:14housing, which hugely outpaces already

4:18:16high national increases.

4:18:18that New Haven is simultaneously

4:18:20thriving. Yale's undergraduate body has

4:18:23grown 25% since 20 2017, more before

4:18:27that in my time here. Hospital tourism

4:18:30has become a key industry and New Air

4:18:32Haven has emerged as a national biotech

4:18:35hub. These are the drivers of tourism

4:18:39and the rise of tourism is indisputable

4:18:42also outpacing national growth.

4:18:45But while we have made sure uh as our

4:18:49union with tough negotiations that

4:18:50involved strikes of the New Haven Army

4:18:53and the Greenwich hire in 2024, the

4:18:55hospitality jobs can be good jobs that

4:18:59allow workers to live with dignity. Good

4:19:01hospitality jobs are not growing

4:19:04alongside this rise in tourism. The full

4:19:07picture is as [clears throat] follows.

4:19:08Hospitality workers are not sharing the

4:19:10profits of New Haven's boom and instead

4:19:12are being priced out. This ordinance is

4:19:15the start of addressing both of these

4:19:18parts by limiting short-term rentals to

4:19:21unoccupied properties. And this

4:19:23ordinance it passed will we believe get

4:19:25housing back on the market and we hope

4:19:28too they will get more hours for good

4:19:30jobs. I would also say as a homeowner um

4:19:34in the mining 206

4:19:37um that you know seeing the immense

4:19:40increase in uh the the cost of housing I

4:19:44I I cannot account for it other than

4:19:46because of short-term rentals. Uh I I

4:19:50know that um I I I bought my house from

4:19:52a former uh union researcher uh which is

4:19:55how I was able to afford it because it

4:19:58was uh priced $100,000

4:20:01above. We were out $100,000 by other

4:20:05developers and I know that what they

4:20:07were planning on doing with our property

4:20:08was cut turning it into short-term

4:20:10rentals and that that is what it will

4:20:13become of the city and we have to start

4:20:15to bleed.

4:20:17Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you

4:20:18for your testimony. How's that pave

4:20:21street?

4:20:24>> Anita Smith. [laughter]

4:20:29>> Vanita Smith.

4:20:33She must have left [clears throat] one

4:20:35more time. Bonita Smith. Okay, keep on

4:20:39going. Morgan

4:20:42Bendon,

4:20:44196 James Street.

4:20:48Morgan Bendon

4:20:51196 James Street. Okay, keep going.

4:20:56Brandon Daly,

4:21:00928 Chapel Street.

4:21:04Brandon Daly, 928 Chapel Street.

4:21:11Miles Wilson Toeer

4:21:15281 Auger Street.

4:21:18>> Here he comes.

4:21:19>> Okay.

4:21:24>> Good evening.

4:21:27>> Your name and address for the record,

4:21:28please. [clears throat]

4:21:32[snorts]

4:21:35My name is Miles Wilson Toiver and I

4:21:38live at 281 Aucker Street, Hampton,

4:21:40Connecticut.

4:21:42I support a ban on nonowner occupied

4:21:45short-term rentals because my family, my

4:21:48students, and my community is suffering

4:21:52while all this development comes to New

4:21:54Haven. We need change.

4:21:57I'm concerned about my students and

4:21:59their families. As music and art

4:22:01teachers, we're the people kids come to

4:22:04and and confide in. I hear it all. We're

4:22:07putting so much on these kids and a lot

4:22:09of what they're struggling with is

4:22:11around lack of resources.

4:22:13What I hear is that parents are working

4:22:15longer hours and more jobs to make ends

4:22:18meet while the rent is rising and the

4:22:21bills just don't stop coming. It's

4:22:24affecting them and they are our future.

4:22:27When household finances are stressed, no

4:22:30matter how hard parents might try to not

4:22:32show it, the kids are stressed. When

4:22:36caregivers are pulled in so many

4:22:37directions, working multiple jobs, or

4:22:40picking up extra shifts to cover bills,

4:22:43it means time away from their kids. I

4:22:46see the look of disappointment on my

4:22:48kids' faces when they have a performance

4:22:52and their parent doesn't show up. I know

4:22:55it hurts the hearts of parents, too,

4:22:57when they can't be there and they miss

4:22:58these moments. Over 1,000 short-term

4:23:02rentals were listed in New Haven this

4:23:03summer, costing renters up to 29.9

4:23:07million over the last three years.

4:23:09Imagine if families had more affordable

4:23:11housing and weren't worried about rising

4:23:13rents or their landlord deciding to turn

4:23:16their homes into an Airbnb for more

4:23:18money.

4:23:23But it doesn't have to be this way. We

4:23:26live next to one of the wealthiest

4:23:30universities in the world.

4:23:33I went to this institution

4:23:36and witnessed the extreme wealth

4:23:38surrounded by food deserts and

4:23:41povertyridden communities firsthand.

4:23:45There is so much more that can be done

4:23:47to put our kids on a more hopeful path.

4:23:51We need to do many things to confront

4:23:54the affordability crisis to lower rents

4:23:57and increase wages.

4:23:59Banning nonowner occupied short-term

4:24:02rentals is one step that could help us

4:24:05here and now to reign in runaway housing

4:24:09costs and take some strain off our

4:24:12communities and our families. Thank you.

4:24:18>> Thank you for your testimony.

4:24:23>> Um Stacy Simpson.

4:24:28Stacy Simpson, 573 Dixel Avenue.

4:24:34Okay, [clears throat and cough]

4:24:35keep on going. Pastor Darling Dailyaly.

4:24:41[clears throat] Pastor Darling Daly

4:24:46addressed.

4:24:48All right, I'm going to keep them

4:24:49moving. Paul Selzer

4:24:59>> [clears throat]

4:25:01>> Good evening.

4:25:04>> Your name and address for the record.

4:25:10>> Um, my name is Paul Seltzer and I live

4:25:12at 95 Lion Street. Uh, I'm speaking in

4:25:15support of a ban on non-owner occupied

4:25:18short-term rentals because I want

4:25:21affordable rental prices and real

4:25:23community with long-term residents like

4:25:25me and my family.

4:25:28I live on Lion Street in Worcester

4:25:30Square and uh I live with my wife and my

4:25:33eight-month old baby. My wife and I have

4:25:36been in our neighborhood for almost 10

4:25:39years. Um, and we think it's just a

4:25:42wonderful place to live and it's been a

4:25:45really wonderful place to raise our son.

4:25:48Recently, we've been seeing Airbnbs

4:25:51popping up on our street uh and around

4:25:54Worcester Square very, very quickly.

4:25:57I've seen an Airbnb two doors down from

4:25:59us that charges what amounts to five

4:26:02times our monthly rent for its

4:26:04short-term rentals.

4:26:06When we renewed our lease last year, our

4:26:08rent once again went up. One of our

4:26:12biggest fears is that if our landlord or

4:26:14the other landlords in our neighborhood

4:26:17see the amount of money they could make

4:26:19from short-term rentals instead of

4:26:21leases for long-term residents, we'll be

4:26:24forced to move from our apartment. With

4:26:27rents going up across the city and

4:26:29housing being as scarce as it is, we

4:26:32don't know what we would do in that

4:26:34situation.

4:26:37With more affordable and safe housing in

4:26:39the city, I think we could have stronger

4:26:41communities in our neighborhoods. And I

4:26:44know and and I'm friendly with some of

4:26:47my neighbors uh on Lion Street, but many

4:26:50of my so-called neighbors actually

4:26:53change from week to week

4:26:54>> [clears throat]

4:26:54>> uh because they're Airbnb renters just

4:26:57here to eat pizza and walk around Yale

4:27:00and then leave.

4:27:02I feel sad and I feel angry to think

4:27:04that the fabric of our communities are

4:27:06tearing so that Airbnb can make even

4:27:09more money while real working families

4:27:12face higher prices and fewer places to

4:27:14live. I want Wester Square and the

4:27:17entire city to be a place where families

4:27:19can afford to live and feel a real sense

4:27:22of community. Passing this ordinance

4:27:24will help ensure my son can grow up in a

4:27:27true neighborhood, not just a house

4:27:29among unlicensed hotel rooms. Thank you.

4:27:33>> Thank you for your testimony.

4:27:36>> Margaret Reed.

4:27:40Margaret Reed.

4:27:44[clears throat]

4:27:45Margaret Reed. Okay, keep moving.

4:27:49Claire

4:27:54Close enough.

4:27:55>> All right.

4:27:5733.

4:27:59[laughter]

4:28:03>> Good evening.

4:28:04>> My name is

4:28:06>> My name is Clara Dwey. I live at 33 El

4:28:09Street in New Haven. Uh I'm a young

4:28:11working professional living in New Haven

4:28:13and I'm a community organizer with

4:28:15Sunrise New Haven and New Haven Rising.

4:28:17Uh I support this legislation fully. We

4:28:20have a housing crisis and we need to

4:28:22prioritize long-term residents before

4:28:24tourists and investors. I've experienced

4:28:27personally what it's like when you have

4:28:29a neighbor living next to you feeling uh

4:28:32you can trust them and have that person

4:28:35turn into just a short-term rental and a

4:28:37series of people that just come in and

4:28:39out. I'll also add because a lot of my

4:28:42time is spent doing climate organizing

4:28:44in the city. I am concerned about um the

4:28:48climate crisis, hurricanes, floods,

4:28:50storms, and the number one way to be

4:28:52ready to ready to weather an emergency

4:28:55is to know your neighbors. And um to me,

4:28:59that seems like a really important thing

4:29:00that women shouldn't sacrifice um in the

4:29:04name of profits. So, I'm in support of

4:29:06this legislation. Thank you.

4:29:08>> Thank you.

4:29:11Camila,

4:29:14you live at 98 Street.

4:29:20>> We're going to just give one testimony

4:29:22to both of you.

4:29:24>> Okay, great. Thank you. Your

4:29:25[clears throat] name and address for the

4:29:26record and welcome.

4:29:27>> Camila, 98 Olive Street.

4:29:30>> Alex Rodriguez, 98 Olive Street.

4:29:33So, were you uh in support of the uh

4:29:36proposal legislation to limit short-term

4:29:38rentals like Airbnbs because we do not

4:29:40believe that one personal corporations

4:29:41to be able to rent apartments as hotel

4:29:44rooms um if they do not reside on the

4:29:46property. We support this for the

4:29:48following reasons. Number one, lack of

4:29:50access to landlord to fix the buildings.

4:29:52So, all buildings owned by Urban

4:29:54Neighbor, a company that owns other

4:29:56properties in New Haven. Uh there's been

4:29:58no point person uh on site to address

4:30:00when we have issues. We've asked to

4:30:02submit uh concerns through our online

4:30:04portal and it becomes very frustrating

4:30:05to us when things go unanswered for

4:30:07weeks on end. Uh number two, there is a

4:30:11an area of uncertainty and unsafety um

4:30:13in in in the building. So our building

4:30:15has about 31 units. Um half of those are

4:30:18Airbnbs. So there's 14 Airbnbs units in

4:30:22our 38 unit building. Uh which means

4:30:24that half of the people are not actually

4:30:26tenants. They come and go every every

4:30:28week. There's, you know, different

4:30:29people everywhere. Um, and this is, as

4:30:32folks have been saying, it's not going

4:30:33to build a sense of community and it's

4:30:34not good to build a neighborhood. The

4:30:36building feels like a hotel.

4:30:38>> We bring these concerns your way because

4:30:42uh when there is no on-site landlord to

4:30:44address these issues, uh, it, you know,

4:30:47problems like uh, Camila just raised uh,

4:30:51arise in addition to f um, foul odors

4:30:55and trash that we've observed at our

4:30:57property. Uh sometimes Airbnb visitors

4:31:01leave trash in their units uh

4:31:04specifically in our hallway. We smell

4:31:07those foul odors as we're leaving the

4:31:10building and coming in our building. Uh

4:31:13barriers to parking. Airbnb visitors

4:31:16have taken our paid parking spot uh on a

4:31:20regular basis and we've had to call towe

4:31:23companies on them so that they uh move.

4:31:27Um and lastly, missing packages. Um

4:31:30Camila uh has had uh three packages

4:31:33stolen uh because of the um semi- ready

4:31:38access that

4:31:41visitors of Airbnb visitors have to our

4:31:44building and just the general rowdiness

4:31:47that we've observed from the top floor

4:31:50of our building. We live on the second

4:31:52floor. We raise these concerns to our

4:31:55landlord Urban Haven Court and they're

4:31:57not always addressed. And so we ask you

4:32:01to please uh support this ordinance

4:32:04tonight.

4:32:05>> Second.

4:32:06>> Thank you. Uh we ask you to support this

4:32:08ordinance tonight because we love New

4:32:11Haven. We love our building uh apart

4:32:13from the concerns that we've shared with

4:32:15you tonight and we want to remain here a

4:32:19long time. Uh so please support this

4:32:21legislation. Thank you.

4:32:24>> Thank you for your testimony.

4:32:26>> Um [clears throat] to Bell

4:32:32to Bell 310 Shelton Avenue.

4:32:41>> Come on down. We're going to call the

4:32:42next person. Come on. Come on.

4:32:45[laughter]

4:32:54>> [clears throat]

4:32:57>> Welcome to both of you. [laughter] Your

4:33:00name and address for the record, please.

4:33:02>> My name is Sakira Bell. She her and I

4:33:04live at 310 Shelton Avenue.

4:33:06This is Alexander Granbell. [laughter]

4:33:09I support a band on short-term rentals

4:33:11in New Haven CT. I was born in the city

4:33:14and lived here for 21 and a half years.

4:33:16In 2008, I lived with my mom and my

4:33:19family of four, sometimes five, when we

4:33:21had a dog in a house on Elliot Street. I

4:33:24played with my friends in the summer

4:33:26when some kind neighbor would take off

4:33:28the lid of our fire hydrant until the

4:33:30winter where mountains of ice and snow

4:33:31made our fortress in the street through

4:33:33the week. My grandma lived here, too.

4:33:35She raised my mother and her six sons

4:33:37here with my grandpa, who later joined

4:33:39the military. Today, my grandma lives

4:33:41alone in North Carolina, refusing to

4:33:43come back to the city because there's

4:33:45nothing here for her. She told me a

4:33:47story of a time the city of New Haven

4:33:49put her and the rest of my family in the

4:33:50newspaper because they had become

4:33:52homeless. Photos showed her and her

4:33:54seven kids, my uncles and mom sharing a

4:33:56single hotel room, saying the city

4:33:58didn't care about children or families.

4:34:01When we talk about my future, we talk

4:34:02about growing our own tomatoes and

4:34:04cabbage. And I tell her, "One day I'll

4:34:06have a house here for us to grow our

4:34:07garden and for her to go home, somewhere

4:34:10she can sit up and be surrounded with

4:34:11family and community." She always asks

4:34:14me when, and I just have to tell her

4:34:15someday. I think about my family of five

4:34:18now living in a shared space with two

4:34:20other families who can't afford their

4:34:21own. Kids, grandkids, elders, pets. I

4:34:24think about my brothers struggling to

4:34:26find an affordable place together, meet

4:34:28their qualifications of two and three

4:34:29times the rent and the growing number of

4:34:31mothers, elders, students, and brothers

4:34:33who share that struggle. Growth for the

4:34:35city should mean growth for the people.

4:34:37But we see that that is not the case. As

4:34:39lux luxury housing spikes in the city,

4:34:41so too does our homeless community. When

4:34:43corporations decide to upgrade,

4:34:45promising renewed leases, but end up

4:34:46displacing families, they choose to go

4:34:48with the more lucrative, less

4:34:50humanitarian option, renting short-term

4:34:52to anyone who can pay bigger bucks

4:34:54upfront. Our families lose work from

4:34:56lack of traffic or funding and still

4:34:58must pay increasingly higher taxes and

4:35:00rent all year round. The city relies on

4:35:02us to drive its buses, build and work

4:35:04its stores, and operate its businesses,

4:35:06but refuses to listen to us when we say

4:35:08we can't keep up. I fear for my future.

4:35:11Right now, our local representatives are

4:35:13required to live in the district they

4:35:15govern. But the increasing wealth gap of

4:35:17the predominantly white 1% and the rest

4:35:19of the city's residents paint the clear

4:35:21picture future of governing body driven

4:35:23by income rather than the true

4:35:25representation of the wider population.

4:35:27This city should be led by its people.

4:35:29Its people deserve every opportunity to

4:35:31lead and that opportunity must start

4:35:33with having somewhere to live in New

4:35:35Haven.

4:35:37>> Thank you.

4:35:38>> As a daughter, granddaughter, sister,

4:35:40friend, future leader, and resident, I

4:35:42urge this ban to pass. Thank you.

4:35:46>> Thank you very

4:35:51Sam.

4:36:04Good evening.

4:36:05>> Good [clears throat] evening.

4:36:06>> Your name and address for the record,

4:36:07please.

4:36:09>> Hi, my name is Terrence Samarth, 95

4:36:11Ottawan Street. I'm a fourth year

4:36:13graduate worker at Yale. I'm also a

4:36:15proud member of Local 33, the fighting

4:36:17for academic workers at the university.

4:36:19I want to echo something that somebody

4:36:20said before. We should talk about what

4:36:22is real. Rents are up 53 53% since 2020.

4:36:26There were over 1,000 short-term rentals

4:36:28listed on platform sites this summer, up

4:36:3060% from three summers ago, and over

4:36:331,000 public school students are

4:36:34unhoused. This ordinance is guided by a

4:36:37simple premise in this crisis. Home

4:36:39should be homes. Hotels should be

4:36:40hotels. An extra apartment, for example,

4:36:43should be an apartment, not a hotel

4:36:45room. Dr. Casemiro, we talked earlier,

4:36:47would likely be permitted, for example,

4:36:49under this ordinance to rent out the

4:36:51extra bedrooms he has at all times, and

4:36:53even his own apartment when he's away,

4:36:55as long as that home remains his primary

4:36:57residence. For the luxury apartments on

4:36:59Airbnb in Access 2011, Winchester loss,

4:37:03Piermont, Parkside, Maddox, 20, Olivan,

4:37:06Worcester, West Village, Liberty, the

4:37:08TAC, and many others in New Haven would

4:37:10no longer be able to list their vacowned

4:37:12units on Airbnb. Nor can Mandy

4:37:15Management, who has converted numerous

4:37:16apartments in Worester Square, list

4:37:18their Airbnb fees as well. We've built

4:37:20over 4,500 units of luxury housing in

4:37:23New Haven since 2006. We did that

4:37:25because we wanted to house people, not

4:37:27to build hotels in our neighborhoods.

4:37:30But the lack of structure rental

4:37:31regulations has a introduced a purpose

4:37:33incentive and undermined the progress

4:37:36that we've tried to make around housing

4:37:37in New Haven.

4:37:39And studies across the country show

4:37:42regulations do affect affordability.

4:37:44Cities that adopt short-term regulations

4:37:46see slower rent increases than those

4:37:47that don't. In LA, rents dropped by 2%

4:37:50compared to rent nearby cities and in

4:37:52Irvine by 2.7%.

4:37:55Across the country, the growth in

4:37:56Airbnbs in the late 2010s accounted for

4:37:58a fifth of the national growth in rent.

4:38:01Indeed, the model from that study is

4:38:03extrapolated to local short-term rental

4:38:04growth here in New Haven to estimate

4:38:06that rents have increased by about 29.9

4:38:08billion over the last three years

4:38:10because of short-term rental. Cities

4:38:13that adopt short-term rental regulations

4:38:14see an increase in housing availability

4:38:16on a long-term market compared to those

4:38:18that don't. As studies in Canada and

4:38:20across the US have shown, this can be

4:38:22attenuated sometimes by a midterm market

4:38:24demand that can be a good thing to be

4:38:25able to house travel nurses who were

4:38:27here for more than 30 days and other

4:38:28workers like such. And we also know that

4:38:31neighborhoods that are more affected by

4:38:32shorter rental regulations see more

4:38:34improvement to quality of life than

4:38:36those less affected, including, for

4:38:37example, New York, reduced crime, and

4:38:39even reduced route complaints. We don't

4:38:42need Airbnbs to become affordable homes

4:38:45overnight. That's not how the housing

4:38:47market works. More housing on the market

4:38:49means people who can afford it can move

4:38:50up the ladder, opening up homes to low

4:38:52on the lower end to more people. And it

4:38:54means we can more efficiently allocate

4:38:56short-term demand to to hotels,

4:38:58including the permanent extended stay

4:39:00residents in on park streets, which

4:39:01hopefully will soon open, which would

4:39:03include kitchens. And hopefully, Spre

4:39:05could even construct a hotel around the

4:39:07corner where they held an empty hole in

4:39:08our downtown for years, bringing more

4:39:10tourism, economic activity, and finance

4:39:12to our downtown. For all these reasons,

4:39:14I urge you to commit to support this

4:39:16witness.

4:39:18>> You talk fast. [laughter]

4:39:22Thank you very much for your testimony.

4:39:23Do you have a question? All the marks

4:39:25you seem quite knowledgeable. Thank you.

4:39:26I just um one of the difficult things is

4:39:28trying to identify where these Airbnbs

4:39:30are on town so we can visualize them,

4:39:32understand them. You um quickly the

4:39:34names of a bunch of high-end apartments

4:39:38for instance in that list which are

4:39:41those all currently doing Airbnbs. Your

4:39:43fear is they will do Airbnbs.

4:39:45>> They're currently doing Airbnbs. that

4:39:48>> at least the last four months these

4:39:49apartments buildings have officed at

4:39:51least one unit on Airbnb largely through

4:39:53a master lease program with companies

4:39:55like Landing.

4:39:56>> Just say those last two

4:39:58>> there there are some companies that rent

4:39:59out a bulk set of units in their

4:40:01apartments and they when they become

4:40:02vacant they have an agreement for a set

4:40:04of years to put them on Airbnb

4:40:06[clears throat] through another company.

4:40:08>> Thank you. Thank you Mr.

4:40:10>> Thank you. Mr. Would you be able to

4:40:14forward that testimony if he hasn't

4:40:16already to

4:40:17>> the port [clears throat]

4:40:18>> for to all the

4:40:20>> you you've already submitted written

4:40:22testimony.

4:40:24>> Thank you.

4:40:24>> Thank you.

4:40:27>> Next we have Melissa Mason. And after

4:40:31Melissa, we have Ian

4:40:35[snorts]

4:40:39>> SKert.

4:40:41>> Thank you. [laughter]

4:40:46>> Good evening. [cough]

4:40:47[clears throat]

4:40:49>> Yes.

4:40:50>> Your name and address for the record and

4:40:52we will have no more board more

4:40:54bragging. [laughter]

4:40:59>> Oh.

4:41:02Good evening. I'm Melissa Mason. I

4:41:04reside at 165 Cohairy Drive.

4:41:08Uh good evening, uh Chairman Furlow and

4:41:11members of the legislation committee. Um

4:41:14I'm here to urge your support uh for the

4:41:18ordinance amendment um establishing

4:41:20short-term rental license program and

4:41:22banning uh non-owner occupied short-term

4:41:25rentals. And I want to just share um for

4:41:29me what it means personally. Right. So

4:41:3210 years ago uh shortly after our

4:41:35daughter was born uh my husband and I

4:41:37were fortunate enough to uh be able to

4:41:40buy our home in uh what is the most

4:41:43diverse neighborhood I have ever lived

4:41:45in. I think we [clears throat] grew up

4:41:46in North Haven Connecticut.

4:41:49Um we bought it from a retired in we're

4:41:5326. Sorry. We bought it from a retired

4:41:56teacher who had raised her daughter in

4:41:59the house and was moving down south um

4:42:01to live with her. Our realtors, I think

4:42:05this might be rare, but our realtors

4:42:07introduced us to the seller who was

4:42:11relieved to know that her cherished home

4:42:13was going to a young family ready to

4:42:16make our own memories.

4:42:18with many homeowners growing older and

4:42:21selling in um in our neighborhood.

4:42:23Several new families have moved in, but

4:42:26we also do have some short-term rentals.

4:42:29With home prices soaring and high

4:42:31interest rates, it seems almost

4:42:33impossible to imagine trying to buy a

4:42:36home now. The house across the street

4:42:39from us just went up for sale.

4:42:42It's selling at almost three and a half

4:42:45times it sold for in 2019.

4:42:50I'm watching that house closely because

4:42:53the conditions right now make it far

4:42:55more likely that a family looking to buy

4:42:58a home gets outbid by an investor.

4:43:02I'm worried that suddenly we'll be

4:43:04living across from an unregulated,

4:43:07unmonitored

4:43:08hotel owned by somebody who will not

4:43:11live there and use it as an income

4:43:14generator. I, like thousands in this

4:43:17city, want neighborhoods where kids can

4:43:19play freely and walk home from bus stops

4:43:21without worrying about uh constant

4:43:24rotation of people moving in and out

4:43:26week after week.

4:43:28However, given the current market

4:43:30conditions and lack of regulation of uh

4:43:33non-owner occupied short-term rentals,

4:43:35there's nothing stopping this from

4:43:37happening anywhere in this city, making

4:43:39it even harder to near nearly impossible

4:43:42for families to afford to live here.

4:43:45Um, I just want to thank Alder Douglas,

4:43:48Martin Elli, and Moore for taking action

4:43:50and proposing this ordinance amendment.

4:43:52And uh I urge this committee to

4:43:54hopefully vote in favorably on this

4:43:56critical step toward making the city

4:43:59once again an affordable place to live.

4:44:01Thank you.

4:44:02>> Thank you.

4:44:02>> Thank you for your testimony.

4:44:04>> I'll

4:44:13even

4:44:16>> Yeah, we know who you are.

4:44:18>> Morrison.

4:44:19your name and address.

4:44:21>> My name is Ian Scott. I live 42

4:44:24Cleveland Road.

4:44:25>> Um,

4:44:27uh, dear chair, members of the

4:44:29legislative committee. I'm going to be

4:44:32very brief. Um,

4:44:35uh, and I'm testifying in support of

4:44:38regulating Airbnbs. Um, uh, my wife and

4:44:42I bought our home in Westville back in

4:44:451997.

4:44:47It was extremely affordable. I'm

4:44:50embarrassed to say how much how little

4:44:52it cost us. Uh it's nearly three times

4:44:56that cost today. Uh at that at today's

4:44:59price, we could have never afforded to

4:45:01buy that house. I don't see how any

4:45:04young family today can afford to buy a

4:45:07house. And so I am worried and concerned

4:45:12what the future of my neighborhood and

4:45:14city will be if affording rent of buying

4:45:19a home is so far out of reach for so

4:45:22many people.

4:45:24Um

4:45:26that's I want to leave it at that. And

4:45:29uh I just one more more comment is that

4:45:31um uh [clears throat] we put a lot of

4:45:33money into the house as much as we paid

4:45:35for it and we we didn't we didn't able

4:45:39to do that not because we were renting

4:45:40out short rooms short-term rentals it's

4:45:43because loans were very cheap and you

4:45:46know 10 years ago 15 years ago 20 years

4:45:48ago and that uh helped. So, I think what

4:45:51we hear tonight, people may be a little

4:45:53bit disingenuous about saying how, you

4:45:56know, they need to uh rent out their,

4:45:58you know, short-term loans, short-term

4:46:00rentals in order to pay for their uh

4:46:02loans. They kind of renovate their

4:46:04spaces. Thank you.

4:46:06>> Thank you for your testimony.

4:46:10>> Kenzie Morrison.

4:46:14>> Good evening.

4:46:15>> Hi. Good evening.

4:46:16>> Your name and address for the record,

4:46:17please. Uh, Kenzie Morrison, 996 and a

4:46:20half State Street. It is a real address.

4:46:23Yes.

4:46:24Uh, I live in Newsworth at the public

4:46:26library just like Pastor Kenny. Um, I'm

4:46:29just going to emphasize three really

4:46:30quick points. Housing is a life or death

4:46:33death issue for a lot of my patrons. I

4:46:36help people get vouchers. That's a long

4:46:38wait. There there's not enough

4:46:41affordable housing to fill those

4:46:42vouchers before they expire. And having

4:46:46housing is a pivot point on which uh a

4:46:48lot of people's lives, you know, rest. A

4:46:50lot of services depend on you having a

4:46:52permanent address in order for you to

4:46:54receive that. A lot of the services that

4:46:56we, you know, create and promote and

4:46:57want more people to to have. Uh the

4:47:00second thing, um this space is not

4:47:04something unusual or that's never been

4:47:06done before. We to go back to the very

4:47:09beginning of this this meeting, uh a lot

4:47:11of neighboring towns have this

4:47:13ordinance. What does that mean? is a lot

4:47:14of these companies then will target New

4:47:16Haven and they already have we talked

4:47:17about a raise of 60% more Airbnbs

4:47:20because like you know West Haven Orange

4:47:22neighboring towns have this ordinance in

4:47:24place so they can't have the Airbnbs

4:47:26there. They're going to move here. Every

4:47:29home every apartment building house

4:47:31that's on that site is one less uh house

4:47:35home for a resident in New Haven. One

4:47:38less like life transformed by adequate

4:47:41and fair housing. And as public

4:47:44servants, I think it's our duty to

4:47:46provide the most for the people who are

4:47:48most vulnerable in this city. So, thank

4:47:51you.

4:47:52>> Thank you. [clears throat]

4:47:57>> Um, David Briggs.

4:48:08>> Good evening.

4:48:10>> Your name and address for the record,

4:48:11please. Mr.

4:48:19Uh David Briggs, uh 38 Co Avenue, East

4:48:22Haven, and I uh I'm uh strongly in favor

4:48:28of this proposed legislation.

4:48:30Uh I was born and raised in New Haven

4:48:34and grew up on Ferry Street. Even though

4:48:36I had to move to East Haven as a

4:48:38teenager, New Haven still remains an

4:48:40extremely important part of who I am. No

4:48:42matter where I may happen to currently

4:48:44live, I have and will always consider

4:48:46New Haven to be my real home. My roots

4:48:49will remain forever strongly planted

4:48:50here. For many years now, I've been

4:48:52wanting to be involved in making

4:48:54positive change in the community here

4:48:56because so many of the most formative

4:48:58experiences and challenges I have faced

4:49:00were right here in New Haven. Uh,

4:49:02growing up on Ferry Street during the

4:49:04height of the crack cocaine epidemic was

4:49:07incredibly difficult and frightening.

4:49:10Uh, I witnessed far too many of my

4:49:12family and friends fall victim to

4:49:14substance abuse. [snorts] The fact that

4:49:16my family was finally able to move out

4:49:19never fully sat well with me and it made

4:49:22me feel a type of survivor's guilt. Um,

4:49:26as as I continue to worry to this day

4:49:28about all the close friends and family

4:49:31who I left behind and who continue to

4:49:33struggle back here at home, uh, housing

4:49:36plays a big part of that of that issue

4:49:38that people continue to face today. The

4:49:41cost of decent and safe housing

4:49:43continues to go up, preventing many

4:49:45people from finding stability.

4:49:47Short-term rentals increase the price of

4:49:49rent and housing in New Haven, making it

4:49:51harder and harder to get by. It should

4:49:54be more affordable for our communities

4:49:56to live here. And I speak from personal

4:49:58experience when I say that residents of

4:50:00Fair Haven would benefit greatly from

4:50:02having safe and affordable housing. I

4:50:05still to this day have very close

4:50:06friends and family here in Fair Haven

4:50:08who are struggling to pay rent. A lot of

4:50:11my friends are raising kids and have

4:50:13families of their own right here. They

4:50:15are struggling to

4:50:17afford school, food, and very basic

4:50:21necessities that they need to provide

4:50:22for their families.

4:50:24I worry every day now that we are

4:50:27creating a society that is catering ever

4:50:29more exclusively to the ultra rich and

4:50:32wealthy, leaving the rest of the vast

4:50:36majority of us normal people to

4:50:39essentially rot and die. Uh I care

4:50:41deeply about my community as I care

4:50:43about all people everywhere and I am

4:50:46very worried that regular everyday

4:50:48people are being purposefully left

4:50:50behind. I strongly urge our political

4:50:53leaders to completely and wholesale

4:50:56>> perfect

4:50:58uh to completely yeah to completely and

4:51:00wholesale reject all corporate

4:51:01influences and start governing first and

4:51:03foremost protect and uplift the poor and

4:51:06workingclass people who continue to

4:51:08struggle. We need to start caring about

4:51:10the average everyday people around us.

4:51:12People who are poor, people who are

4:51:13strangers, their lives still matter

4:51:15immensely. This legislation is a step in

4:51:17the right direction to put everyday

4:51:18people over profits and to make sure

4:51:20more people can have a stable roof over

4:51:22their head. I hope we can continue to

4:51:23pass legislation like this which

4:51:25prioritizes the needs of the poor over

4:51:27the needs of the wealthy. As I truly

4:51:29believe that our society and democracy

4:51:31are only as strong as our most

4:51:32vulnerable communities. Thank you.

4:51:35>> Thank you.

4:51:35>> Thank you for your testimony.

4:51:37Next we have Joel Fishman.

4:51:40>> Let's see what the sign says. Staff just

4:51:43left.

4:51:43>> Right behind you.

4:51:45>> She left. Okay.

4:51:50Brian [clears throat]

4:51:51>> Brian

4:51:56address

4:51:57178 Ellsworth.

4:52:03>> Thank you.

4:52:05>> Then we have

4:52:07Benjamin Santa,

4:52:10>> 196 Crown Street.

4:52:19>> Good evening.

4:52:19>> Good evening.

4:52:20>> Your name and address for the record

4:52:22once we get settled.

4:52:24>> It is Benjamin Sanders, 196 Crown

4:52:26Street. Um, good evening everybody.

4:52:29Thank you for setting aside this time

4:52:31for us to come and do this public

4:52:34comment. Uh, I'm here today in support

4:52:36of the ordinance to regulate these

4:52:38non-owner occupied short-term rentals.

4:52:41Um, I support this ban on non-owner

4:52:43occupied short-term rentals because I

4:52:44have heard firsthand how friends and

4:52:46colleagues can no longer afford to live

4:52:48and work in New Haven. Many of them are

4:52:50either struggling to pay everinccreasing

4:52:52rents or just end up giving up and

4:52:55leaving New Haven altogether and having

4:52:56to come into the city um from somewhere

4:52:59else that's more affordable. Um, I did

4:53:03not grow up in I did not grow up in New

4:53:06Haven. However, I've come to love making

4:53:08New Haven my home. Um, I moved I moved

4:53:12to New Haven in uh 2020 and I rented

4:53:15ever since. And the cost of housing was

4:53:18truly shocking then coming from Boston.

4:53:21My first apartment was 46% of my monthly

4:53:24income which was truly unsustainable and

4:53:26nearly forced me to move that first

4:53:28year. Um thankfully we had a raise that

4:53:30brought that down to about 32%. Um since

4:53:34then however although my salary has

4:53:37increased um the rent has also increased

4:53:39and now we're back up to around 36 to

4:53:4137% of my income uh going straight to

4:53:44rent. And that's all that's even after

4:53:48having a chance to actually negotiate

4:53:51with my landlord, excuse me, my property

4:53:53management group to not increase as much

4:53:56as they had wanted. Um, and I was very

4:53:59thankful that they were actually willing

4:54:00to do that. But I do know that there's

4:54:03already Airbnb units in the building.

4:54:06So, I can't even imagine what would what

4:54:09would stop them from just being able to

4:54:11turn my unit into something that they

4:54:13have rent on a short-term basis. Um,

4:54:15actually had one of my close friends

4:54:17stay in that unit, I want to say 2023,

4:54:21and I had a chance to look over some

4:54:23text while I was waiting to testify. And

4:54:25the review for that was with the quality

4:54:28of the Airbnb and the cost next time I'd

4:54:31rather stay in a hotel. And being steps

4:54:34from the Omni and the New Haven Hotel, I

4:54:36can imagine that would just might be a

4:54:38much more pleasant experience. Um, if we

4:54:41had more affordable housing, we would be

4:54:43able to sustain a city of people who can

4:54:44afford to work and live in New Haven.

4:54:46Our residents would be able to enjoy all

4:54:48the benefits and resources of the city

4:54:50because they could afford to live here

4:54:52rather than being forced to commute in.

4:54:54Um and on one other note uh there was a

4:54:58lot of commentary uh from other

4:55:00residents about how like Airbnbs are

4:55:03supporting like families with young kids

4:55:05or elderly coming to visit. I see the

4:55:07people that are coming in for this

4:55:09Airbnb in the building carrying luggage.

4:55:11I can't imagine families with young kids

4:55:14hauling the luggage or the elderly

4:55:16hauling luggage down several flights of

4:55:18stairs. I'm sure they would much more

4:55:19appreciate walking a couple steps down

4:55:21the street and having an accessible room

4:55:23in the Omni or the New Haven Hotel.

4:55:25Thank you.

4:55:29>> Thank you for your testimony.

4:55:32Uh, okay. We've come to the conclusion

4:55:35of our list. So, [snorts] I will ask if

4:55:38there's anyone [clears throat] here who

4:55:39wishes to testify on the ordinance

4:55:42amendment for the municipal toristers

4:55:44list or

4:55:47on the um establishing a short-term

4:55:50rental license program. Anyone from the

4:55:54public who wishes to testify?

4:56:04Oh,

4:56:06[clears throat] okay. Okay. Sure. We'll

4:56:09uh we'll just go Yeah, we'll

4:56:13we'll just go right now. I'll I'll call

4:56:16you. Okay.

4:56:18>> Uh good evening. Your name and address

4:56:19for the record.

4:56:20>> Hello. Uh my name is Mana Bay and thank

4:56:24you for this opportunity for me and

4:56:26actually for all of us to speak. Um

4:56:30because listening these testimonies of

4:56:32all of us, I hear that we have something

4:56:35in common and we are all concerned about

4:56:39a rental uh market being controlled and

4:56:42disregulated by large corporations. And

4:56:45I I feel that this has been like in

4:56:48every single message or every single

4:56:50this was part of every single testimony.

4:56:53uh but I feel that this regulation as it

4:56:56is written uh in this point uh does not

4:56:59really solve the problem and instead of

4:57:02pun uh instead it punishes people who

4:57:05like me rent just one uh one apartment

4:57:09on Airbnb which is in the same building

4:57:12as as where where I live. So I live in

4:57:15second floor and and the apartment that

4:57:17I I read on the Airbnb is is in first

4:57:20floor and it is very convenient

4:57:22situation for us because we can host

4:57:24family for longer periods. We have two

4:57:26kids and our mothers wants to come from

4:57:28different uh places

4:57:31uh as my sister and her children. Uh so

4:57:35this has been very convenient for us. It

4:57:37also allow us to renovate house very

4:57:41slowly. Um so we can change the basement

4:57:44and we can change the attic or anything

4:57:46we we [snorts] need to um in in the slow

4:57:50pace as we can do with two kids. Um so I

4:57:54feel that this regulation targets small

4:57:56home home owners rather than large

4:58:00corporations and investors who are I

4:58:02feel contributing to this fear that our

4:58:05community has. Um so I believe that this

4:58:10should be regulated but um I think we

4:58:13should really like think and concern

4:58:16what the regulation actually should be

4:58:19and how it affect um our community

4:58:22members and if it really uh targets the

4:58:26problem uh that is uh on the rental

4:58:29market.

4:58:30>> Thank you.

4:58:31>> Thank you. Do they need Mr. Lucas? Do

4:58:33they need to sign in?

4:58:35>> [clears throat]

4:58:36>> that be great.

4:58:37>> Uh can can we get this [clears throat]

4:58:40>> if you could just hand that to snap and

4:58:42then put your name and address there. Uh

4:58:48so I feel

4:58:51so I'm I'm so there's I'm going to do

4:58:54this section and then I'll come over

4:58:56there because I saw them first

4:58:59and if [clears throat] you would just

4:59:00come.

4:59:02Um, are y'all going to say the same

4:59:04thing that's been said? [laughter]

4:59:07>> Okay. We want to hear everyone who wants

4:59:10to testify, but

4:59:12>> I'm just saying.

4:59:12>> Okay.

4:59:13>> All right. [laughter]

4:59:15>> Thank you for coming this evening. If

4:59:16you give us your name and address for

4:59:17the record and talk right up to that

4:59:19microphone, please.

4:59:22>> Okay.

4:59:22>> And you'll have three minutes.

4:59:24>> So, yeah, I know. So, my name is

4:59:26Deshonda Cruz. Um, I am a resident of

4:59:29New Haven. I better not say my address.

4:59:32Um, so I [clears throat] know I'm gonna

4:59:35be all over the place. So, um, I am a

4:59:37single mother of three. They're back

4:59:39there. I'm still here cuz it was telling

4:59:42me to let's go. Um, so the course of

4:59:45living is really hard for me.

4:59:48Um, as I was looking on the

4:59:52um

4:59:54the uh national low income housing

4:59:58collages. Somebody sent me this. The

5:00:01price is between 36 and $50 to live. I

5:00:05cannot afford that. And if I do, that

5:00:08mean that my children will be raising

5:00:10themselves at home. I will have to work

5:00:12overtime and

5:00:15it will be a it will it will be a mess.

5:00:18Let me put it like that. um to tell all

5:00:22my business I am currently on section A

5:00:26but I don't plan to be on section A all

5:00:28my life. This is just something

5:00:30temporary that I need. And the reason

5:00:33why I got this cuz I used to live in a

5:00:35projects on uh Franklin Street a few

5:00:38years ago and everybody got vouchers. So

5:00:41that's the reason why I am up here. I

5:00:43know it will be very difficult difficult

5:00:46for me as a single mother of five, but I

5:00:49only [clears throat] have three living

5:00:50at home with me. Um, I am currently of a

5:00:55single mom with one kidney, so it's

5:00:57really hard because I get tired easily.

5:00:59But that doesn't mean that I can't come

5:01:01up with another strategy to survive for

5:01:03me and my children. Um, I do believe and

5:01:06I know for sure that the prices are

5:01:09going up in New Haven, Connecticut. I

5:01:12love New Haven, Connecticut so much. And

5:01:14I know I don't know everything, but I

5:01:16know that y'all know what type of power

5:01:18y'all hold in our city to make a change

5:01:23for the people that's been living here

5:01:25since years and the new people. I don't

5:01:30um have too much to say about the

5:01:32Airbnb, but at this point right now and

5:01:34the place that I'm at, I wish I would be

5:01:37able to have a Airbnb because maybe my

5:01:39kids would pick up if they had money to

5:01:41do something to do with money. That's a

5:01:43little jokey joke, but at the same time,

5:01:45I'm serious. Um, so it's a lot of single

5:01:49mothers out here that's struggling. I am

5:01:52um a person that has not been homeless

5:01:55for 12 years. I used to live in a house

5:01:58uh when I was younger with my abuser

5:02:02that abused me three times in ways that

5:02:05a child should not ever experience. And

5:02:08when I first had my second child, I went

5:02:11into the shelter. That didn't work. But

5:02:14through the grace of God, like I said,

5:02:16I've been in a place

5:02:18with stable condition with me and my

5:02:22three kids. And I am 100% sure if it

5:02:26wasn't for that voucher, it would be

5:02:29hard for me. But like I said before, I

5:02:32am striving to be an entrepreneur for I

5:02:34will not have to rely on things from the

5:02:38state or the government

5:02:40government because I'm also on staff

5:02:42too. And it's not easy, but as a single

5:02:45mom, I am 100% sure. And I put my trust

5:02:48in each and every one of y'all and the

5:02:50people that comes after y'all to do what

5:02:52y'all have to do for our city cuz we

5:02:54need help. And it's not easy. It's not

5:02:58easy. So, as much as I wanted to leave,

5:03:01I knew I had to stay because I am

5:03:03speaking up on a lot of I am speaking up

5:03:07on the behalf of a lot of people that's

5:03:10here as a single parent or having health

5:03:14issues,

5:03:16everybody.

5:03:17So, um that's my testimony and y'all

5:03:20will hear from me more. I've been in the

5:03:22back cuz I've been afraid to use my

5:03:24voice. But it's time for me to speak up

5:03:27because I know my voice matters and I

5:03:30know I'm here to help a lot of people.

5:03:35>> Thank you.

5:03:36>> Thank you.

5:03:37>> Thank you for your testimony. If you

5:03:38would just give us at least your name.

5:03:40>> I'm going to [clears throat]

5:03:42>> Oh, but we still need your name that you

5:03:43testify. So, just write it down there

5:03:45with Mr. Lucas. Uh, come on down.

5:04:03Good evening.

5:04:03>> Good evening. Thank you so much for your

5:04:05time.

5:04:05>> Sure. If you just pull that mic right in

5:04:07front of you and your name and address

5:04:09for the record, please.

5:04:10>> My name is Nick Mortimer and I live at

5:04:1243 Tilton Street, number two, uh,

5:04:14Newman, Connecticut. I am here in

5:04:16support of the ordinance to regulate

5:04:18short-term rentals. Uh I am a graduate

5:04:20worker at Yale University and I have

5:04:22lived in New Haven here for two years.

5:04:24Uh but I come from Arizona where I lived

5:04:26in Tucson and there I became distinctly

5:04:28aware of the growing houseless

5:04:30population. Uh in particular many would

5:04:32suffer and even die in the extreme

5:04:34weather during the summer uh while

5:04:36housing was simply unattainable for

5:04:38many. Um, and at the same time, wherever

5:04:40I lived in Tucson, I could always find

5:04:42an empty home nearby, occupied only

5:04:45rarely as an Airbnb was set up in place

5:04:48of stable housing. Um, upon moving to

5:04:50New Haven, I was dismayed that here too,

5:04:53Airbnb and other short-term rentals turn

5:04:56what would be my potential neighbors

5:04:58into empty space. In fact, the density

5:05:00of short-term rentals here is worse, and

5:05:03housing prices are much higher. Uh, and

5:05:05I fear at the current rate,

5:05:07houselessness in New Haven, which is

5:05:08growing, will only continue to

5:05:10accelerate. Um, I'm here to say that I

5:05:13emphatically support a full ban on

5:05:15non-owner occupied short-term rentals in

5:05:17New Haven, uh, in the hopes that I can

5:05:19neighbors into stable homes. Um, and

5:05:21just as an addendum, uh, there was a

5:05:23gentleman who provided testimony earlier

5:05:26tonight who said that, uh, there was,

5:05:28you know, this future where we'd be

5:05:29living, uh, in Airbnbs with with the

5:05:32owners nearby and that was somehow

5:05:34disgraceful. But, you know, my own

5:05:36family stayed in an Airbnb here that

5:05:38would be protected by this regulation.

5:05:40Uh, where we got to spend time with the

5:05:42person who was renting the place. She

5:05:44was very nice and I don't find that to

5:05:46be a scary future. I actually find that

5:05:47quite nice that you get to meet the

5:05:49people in the city when you move

5:05:50[clears throat] here. Thank you.

5:05:52>> Thank you.

5:05:55[snorts]

5:05:58>> Were there more over there?

5:06:00>> Yes.

5:06:01>> Okay. Come on. And then how many more

5:06:03over there? Are there one, two,

5:06:06>> three,

5:06:07>> three, and then four?

5:06:10>> Four.

5:06:11>> Okay, we have about 29 minutes.

5:06:15Um, give us your name and address for

5:06:17the record, please.

5:06:18>> Good evening. My name is Robin Musa. I

5:06:20live at 435 Orchard Street.

5:06:22>> Thank you.

5:06:23>> Um, I am pro the ordinance. Um, I work

5:06:26full-time as a special education care

5:06:28professional. My partner works full-time

5:06:30doing IT work [clears throat] uh

5:06:32remotely for the university we both

5:06:33attended. And we collectively struggle

5:06:36every paycheck to pay all of our bills,

5:06:38utilities, groceries, um the repairs on

5:06:41the shared car um that we have that was

5:06:44Yeah.

5:06:45>> Sorry.

5:06:47Um

5:06:50living paycheck to paycheck, it's very

5:06:52difficult to not only pay our bills, but

5:06:54also aspire to save to buy a house

5:06:56someday um in a in the city and that

5:06:59feels increasingly impossible. Uh last

5:07:01year, one of my closest friends, with

5:07:02whom I moved to New Haven, um was

5:07:05devastated because they were considering

5:07:06moving back to Colorado to move with

5:07:08their parents, leaving behind their

5:07:09community, their career, which they

5:07:10adore, um because they were just

5:07:13terrified of trying to find a place to

5:07:14live alone in the city. It is so

5:07:16expensive. Um, I have other friends

5:07:18still that don't have um secure families

5:07:20with secure housing that they can go

5:07:22back to and they've been considering

5:07:23living in their cars, which sounds like

5:07:25a radical solution, except um at the

5:07:27apartment I used to live in just a block

5:07:29away from where I live now, there was a

5:07:30young woman with whom I had kind of a

5:07:33friendship who used to park the car that

5:07:34she lived in front of our house because

5:07:36she was terrified that she would get

5:07:38towed and then completely lose access to

5:07:39safety and housing. Um, as an educator,

5:07:43I want to be able to envy my students.

5:07:44because I want to look at them and see

5:07:45the future that we build and be excited

5:07:47for them and their future. But to be

5:07:49completely honest, I fear for them. I

5:07:52fear for when they graduate and they go

5:07:53off in the job market on their own,

5:07:54turning 18, maybe not having stable

5:07:56families themselves, and

5:08:00entering into a job market where they

5:08:01won't necessarily be able to afford to

5:08:03live in our neighborhoods. And I think

5:08:05that's terrifying. Um, I think this

5:08:07ordinance is part of a larger solution.

5:08:09Obviously, um it's not the entire thing,

5:08:12but it is a step towards the new haven I

5:08:14want to live in, where we support the

5:08:16well-being of our communities and our

5:08:18friends and our families and our

5:08:19children more than we support another

5:08:21market for the ultra rich to um gain a

5:08:25profit at the cost of ourselves and each

5:08:27other. Thank you for your time.

5:08:30>> Thank you

5:08:30>> for your testimony. Uh let's quickly go

5:08:35to these. Um are you are you together

5:08:39over there or you're all separate?

5:08:42Are

5:08:43>> we have separate testimonies?

5:08:44>> Okay, this is what I'm going to do

5:08:45because we're going to expedite time

5:08:47because we still need to deliberate on

5:08:48this. Will you two come up and just sit

5:08:52and then we'll have one testimony at a

5:08:54time and then we'll have you sir come up

5:08:58after and then I'm going to have to ask

5:09:00again if anyone else wants to testify

5:09:03and um I hope you stay silent.

5:09:07[laughter]

5:09:08[clears throat]

5:09:10I'm joking, you know, just everyone has

5:09:12a voice and we want to hear everyone

5:09:14tonight. We've been here for five hours

5:09:16listening to testimony.

5:09:18Uh, so each of you one at a time if you

5:09:20would give your name and address for the

5:09:22record and we'll be glad to hear you.

5:09:24>> Thank you for being here. My name is

5:09:25Rebecca Shallon. I live at 367 Orange

5:09:27Street.

5:09:28>> Nope. Just one at a time. Sure.

5:09:30>> Um, let's go to 36 Orange Street. Um,

5:09:33writing in support of the ordinance to

5:09:35regulate short-term rentals. I support a

5:09:37ban on the non-owner occupied short-term

5:09:39rentals because the people who work in

5:09:40New Haven deserve to be able to live in

5:09:42New Haven. I've lived in New Haven for

5:09:44the past three and a half years while

5:09:45attending school. And this month, my

5:09:47lease um was up for renewal. And I

5:09:50remember breathing a sigh of relief when

5:09:53I saw the number for my new monthly rent

5:09:55was only $132 more because somehow we

5:09:58live in a city now where an annual

5:10:00increase of $1,584 split between two

5:10:03people is something to be grateful for.

5:10:05And I'm lucky enough that my spouse and

5:10:07I are able to handle that kind of rent,

5:10:08but for how much longer? And how many

5:10:11friends do we have who are going to move

5:10:13away by that point? By the time we've

5:10:15reached our breaking point. Um, notably,

5:10:17I have a friend in the city who's

5:10:18escaped an abusive household by moving

5:10:20to New Haven. Now, despite having two

5:10:23jobs and two roommates, they are

5:10:25considering moving back into their

5:10:27abusive household due to financial

5:10:29difficulty. And that story is nowhere

5:10:32near unique. Housing affordability isn't

5:10:35just common sense. It's an enabler for

5:10:37happier and healthier lives. and many

5:10:39people have spoken on community in this

5:10:42area. But I also want to speak to the

5:10:43students. As a graduate student here, I

5:10:45know so many people who would love to be

5:10:47here if there was possibility to stay.

5:10:50And those people could actually invest

5:10:52in the community that educated them. and

5:10:55giving them that opportunity is what's

5:10:57going to also help New Haven continue to

5:10:59thrive rather than having our part part

5:11:03of our market which is the people who

5:11:06came here to learn moving away.

5:11:09>> Thank you.

5:11:12>> We [clears throat] just need your name

5:11:13and address for the record.

5:11:15>> Yes. Uh good evening all. My name is Sed

5:11:17Raz. Pronouns they them. Address 367

5:11:19Orange Street. Uh New Connecticut

5:11:21apartment 416. I just want to say uh

5:11:24first of all, thank you so much for your

5:11:26endurance. I know it's been a long

5:11:27night. Uh I support this ordinance to

5:11:29ban short-term rentals at non-primary

5:11:31residences. I've been living in New

5:11:33Haven for uh three and a half years now,

5:11:35and I've fallen in love with the city

5:11:36and its communities. I was originally

5:11:38here just to observe and support my wife

5:11:40who spoke just now, but the testimonies

5:11:42tonight have given uh that have been

5:11:44given tonight have moved me to speak as

5:11:46well, although I'll keep it brief. Uh

5:11:48over the course of the night, people in

5:11:50opposition have said things uh such as

5:11:52the following. Short-term renters

5:11:54benefit from kitchens and multiple

5:11:56bathrooms. I ask you, do permanent

5:11:58residents and long-term renters not

5:12:00benefit more? Short-term renters support

5:12:03local businesses? Do long-term residents

5:12:05not patronize local businesses as well?

5:12:08People have said that this ban doesn't

5:12:09do anything to build affordable housing.

5:12:10Affordable housing is important and

5:12:12should be built. That is not what this

5:12:14legislation is about. Should we not try

5:12:16to help people unless we can do it on

5:12:17every front in one piece of legislation?

5:12:19If you have the chance to create new

5:12:21long-term residences immediately, why

5:12:23wait until new buildings are

5:12:24constructed? Both can be done. I've

5:12:26heard people speak tonight as if this

5:12:27ban would prevent them from renting

5:12:29their properties out at all and would

5:12:31destroy the investments that they have

5:12:32made. This is plainly false. It makes

5:12:34their investments less profitable

5:12:35because they now have to rent to members

5:12:36of our beautiful community rather than

5:12:38operate them as unregulated hotels with

5:12:40no union protections for the people who

5:12:42really do the hands-on work to maintain

5:12:43them. I've heard people argue that

5:12:45owning an Airbnb helps them afford rent

5:12:47on their personal dwelling. But I asked,

5:12:48is bringing down the rent not what we're

5:12:50trying to do with this ban? Earlier,

5:12:52somebody said that this ban is pitched

5:12:54based on its potential, as if that's a

5:12:56bad thing. But all legislation that ever

5:12:58did good for anybody is pitched based on

5:13:00its potential. Its potential to improve

5:13:01lives. I see nothing wrong with that.

5:13:03Thank you so much.

5:13:04>> Thank you. Thank you both for your

5:13:06testimony,

5:13:08[clears throat]

5:13:09>> sir.

5:13:11Oh, we need you. Yeah, if you would just

5:13:14sign sign in there. [clears throat]

5:13:18>> Good evening. [snorts]

5:13:19>> Hi.

5:13:21>> And your name and address for the

5:13:23record.

5:13:24>> I'm Jim Owen. I live at 222 Alden Avenue

5:13:27and I'm in Adams for

5:13:29>> the mighty 25.

5:13:31>> I'm also involved in New Haven Rising

5:13:33and I helped hand out the petitions that

5:13:37that people signed. Um, I I was struck

5:13:41by the testimony of about four of the

5:13:46local Airbnb owners. U

5:13:50the guy that that uh owns uh

5:13:55just rents out two bedrooms in his

5:13:58apartment sometimes and sometimes rents

5:14:00out his apartment.

5:14:02I don't remember if that was the same

5:14:04person that also owned a unit below him

5:14:06and rented that one out. I'm struck by

5:14:09the the woman who's a teacher and wants

5:14:12to retire in in eight years

5:14:16uh or four years. I guess she's four

5:14:18years into her her plan of she's bought

5:14:22a relatively small house and it sounds

5:14:24like she's done substantial

5:14:25improvements.

5:14:27Uh, I'm struck by the the the man who

5:14:31spent $250,000

5:14:34to renovate a very dilapidated property

5:14:38and created four

5:14:42um seemingly nice uh units that he rents

5:14:45out as an Airbnb. Those units couldn't

5:14:48possibly be rented out as affordable

5:14:51rents unless they're subsidized by

5:14:54somebody.

5:14:56um uh uh the nurse the the nurse that

5:15:00that rents out uh to uh visiting nurses.

5:15:04I thought he was spot on. Um now I'd

5:15:08like to say some things. I speak in

5:15:10support of affordable housing. If Yale

5:15:13University would invest its fair share

5:15:15in New Haven public school system,

5:15:18that's approximately $110 million per

5:15:21year in li of taxes. New Haven could

5:15:24significantly improve the quality of

5:15:26education provided to our children and

5:15:29afford to reduce property taxes on all

5:15:31taxable property, including rental

5:15:33properties, thereby allowing or

5:15:35requiring landlords to reduce rents

5:15:38commensurately.

5:15:40Alternatively, New Haven could spend the

5:15:42extra $110 million annually to subsidize

5:15:47and build affordable housing at the old

5:15:50Winchester factory site instead of the

5:15:52currently planned market rate and luxury

5:15:55apartments.

5:15:58Regulation of Airbnb short-term rentals

5:16:00is also important to eliminate corporate

5:16:04largescale Airbnb,

5:16:07but not to punish the several smallcale

5:16:11local owners of one or a few three or

5:16:14four units. The relatively small scale

5:16:18of these local

5:16:20>> the relatively small scale of these

5:16:22locallyowned Airbnb prison businesses

5:16:25seems to actually benefit [snorts] the

5:16:27local economy and the community more

5:16:30than it hurts the overall affordability

5:16:32of rents in New Haven. Creating many

5:16:35more

5:16:36affordable subsidized housing units

5:16:38instead of more market rate and luxury

5:16:41units will provide the affordability

5:16:44that many New Haven residents require

5:16:46and all of us deserve.

5:16:49Creating affordable housing necessarily

5:16:51requires public subsidies to reduce the

5:16:54construction costs.

5:16:56So, I would like to see

5:16:59many more affordable

5:17:02housing units created and and and also

5:17:07to regulate to prevent corporate uh

5:17:12um destruction of of needed housing, but

5:17:16not to hurt the local the local owners.

5:17:20Thank you.

5:17:22>> Thank you for your testimony. And can I

5:17:24send this to to uh

5:17:26>> public testimony? Yes.

5:17:28>> Okay. Thank you.

5:17:34>> Is there anyone else uh wishing to

5:17:38testify?

5:17:42[laughter]

5:17:42>> Come on down.

5:17:45>> Good evening. Give us your name and

5:17:46address for the record.

5:17:47>> Uh [snorts] hi, I'm Marita.

5:17:51>> I read somebody else's testimony. Okay,

5:17:52who

5:17:53>> went earlier? Um, my name is Arita

5:17:55Cherry. I live at 239 St. John Street in

5:17:57the wonderful ward 8. But yes, um, I am

5:18:00here in support of the ordinance. Um, I

5:18:03am the secretary treasurer of Local 33

5:18:05Unite here, the union of graduate

5:18:06post-docctoral workers at Yale. Um, and

5:18:09I support this ordinance because I have

5:18:11experienced how short-term rentals uh,

5:18:13and greedy landlords have made it

5:18:15increasingly difficult for myself uh, as

5:18:17well as my neighbors to continue living

5:18:19in our neighborhoods. Um, I moved into

5:18:22an apartment in Worcester Square in

5:18:232018. Um, and that has been my home ever

5:18:26since. Uh, but every time my lease is up

5:18:28for renewal, I'm filled with dread. Uh,

5:18:31uh, worried that my landlord will, uh,

5:18:34jack up the rent to an unaffordable, uh,

5:18:37rate, uh, and that I would be displaced

5:18:39from a neighborhood I grown to love. Um,

5:18:41and in the last few years, I've seen um,

5:18:44as New Haven and Worcester Square in

5:18:45particular have become culinary

5:18:47destinations. Um, I've noticed more and

5:18:49more uh, buildings on my street be

5:18:51converted to short-term rentals. And

5:18:53when I've checked Airbnb and Verbbo, uh,

5:18:55my dread skyrockets as I realize that my

5:18:58landlord could bring in my monthly rent

5:19:00in just a fraction of the time um, if

5:19:02they decide to uh, stop providing

5:19:05housing to a long-term tenant like me

5:19:06and treat the building like a hotel

5:19:08instead. Um I know many folks uh have

5:19:12testified earlier about needing to put

5:19:14regulations on corporate landlords. I

5:19:16100% agree with that. Um and I think

5:19:20like that is the most important thing

5:19:21that we can do. Um I know there might be

5:19:24some number of small landlords who are

5:19:26affected as well. Uh but I think we need

5:19:28we need as much regulation as we can get

5:19:30that can actually tackle uh the issue of

5:19:33corporate landlords that do not maintain

5:19:35their properties properly and do not

5:19:37actually rent. long-term um rent

5:19:40long-term tenants like me. Um so in the

5:19:43last four years when I've spoken with my

5:19:44members about what they need to live and

5:19:47work in dignity um the cost of living

5:19:49has come up repeatedly. Um and I've

5:19:52heard many similar stories of anxiety

5:19:53and fear of displacement from many of

5:19:55them and this is heartbreaking. Uh we

5:19:57are highly skilled, highly educated

5:19:59research professionals. Um and while

5:20:01demanding more from our employer through

5:20:03collective bargaining is necessary to

5:20:05improve our standard of living. Uh the

5:20:07increase in tourism to our city um to

5:20:10our city should not make us worried for

5:20:12our ability to live here. Uh so I

5:20:14support stronger regulations on

5:20:15short-term rentals and stronger

5:20:17regulations on corporate landlords in

5:20:19the city. Thank you.

5:20:20>> Thank you.

5:20:22[clears throat]

5:20:23>> Anyone else from the public wishing to

5:20:24testify on either of our two voting

5:20:27items this evening? Anyone else from the

5:20:29public wishing to testify for the third

5:20:31and final time? Anyone else wishing to

5:20:33testify on any of the two items? I would

5:20:37entertain a motion to close the public

5:20:39hearing.

5:20:40>> I make a motion that we close the public

5:20:43hearing.

5:20:45[laughter]

5:20:45>> All in favor of closing the public

5:20:47portion of this meeting, please say I.

5:20:50>> I.

5:20:52>> Any opposed? Any abstaining?

5:20:55Okay, the [clears throat] public portion

5:20:57is now closed. Thank you everyone for

5:20:59your testify. Okay, we're going to slow

5:21:02this down just a little bit. Um,

5:21:10[snorts]

5:21:17>> yeah. Yes. Uh, is there a motion for the

5:21:21first item,

5:21:23the ordinance amendment of the New Haven

5:21:26Board of Ordinances or orders to the

5:21:29city of New Haven Code of Ordinances,

5:21:32article 5,

5:21:34section 29-118,

5:21:37municipal total list.

5:21:41[laughter]

5:21:42>> I'm just because we Okay,

5:21:43>> because we [clears throat] talked about

5:21:44this literally five hours ago. Make the

5:21:47motion [laughter] for number one. Um,

5:21:50Mr. Chair,

5:21:52>> you move this. You move item one.

5:21:54>> Move item one.

5:21:55>> Second.

5:21:56>> Second.

5:21:57>> Moved and seconded. Discussion on item

5:22:00one, please.

5:22:03>> Madam, vice chair. So, I move this item

5:22:06as um you know, our city grows with the

5:22:10number of cars and with the different

5:22:12storms that come up um we need to

5:22:15provide the city with um options of

5:22:19being able to have cars moved. Um but at

5:22:24the same time um utilizing

5:22:28service providers that um have respect

5:22:31for our um residents and when they don't

5:22:34making sure that they um are able to um

5:22:38basically turn them in as not needing to

5:22:42be a um a provider for us. But I do

5:22:45[snorts] um support making sure that we

5:22:48provide this city with the tools that

5:22:50they need in order to um clear our

5:22:53streets especially during this um snow

5:22:56time.

5:22:57>> Thank you, Madam Vice Chair.

5:23:01>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm speaking in

5:23:02favor of this item. Um I had the

5:23:05privilege of riding around with

5:23:09operators during one of the winter

5:23:10storms. Uh I was actually in the night

5:23:12of war 26. uh going up and down those

5:23:15hills uh with this large truck. Um and

5:23:19it was really something to see the snow

5:23:20come down so fast and see the the work

5:23:22that the truck did and Jordan the

5:23:24operator to clear those streets. But

5:23:26when people were parked on the street,

5:23:28it made it uh difficult. And there were

5:23:30some instances in our city where the

5:23:33parked cars actually prevented the truck

5:23:37from making a pass and it caused some

5:23:40trucks to get stuck. So in a densely

5:23:43settled city like New Haven, plowing is

5:23:48actually really difficult and residents

5:23:50will say a lot about why doesn't that

5:23:52get plowed faster?

5:23:53>> Well, we really do need the cars off the

5:23:55streets if we're going to plow our

5:23:57streets so that people can go on with

5:23:59their lives as soon as possible. That's

5:24:01really important. And so this ordinance

5:24:03says that to get mobilized as part of

5:24:07that effort, you no longer need to have

5:24:09a lot with a 100 parking spaces. You

5:24:12only need 50.

5:24:14>> And that means many more toing operators

5:24:16can be part of the mobilization.

5:24:19>> It also says that you don't have to hire

5:24:22a company based in New Haven. They could

5:24:24be within few miles of the city of New

5:24:27Haven's limits. that has the potential

5:24:31potential legislation potential to

5:24:33dramatically increase the number of

5:24:35towing trucks that are operating in the

5:24:38city during snow emergencies. Now, this

5:24:40is not a popular thing. People get

5:24:42ticked off when their cars are towed.

5:24:44However, there is a greater good. We

5:24:47need to clear our streets if people are

5:24:49going to [cough and laughter] be able to

5:24:50go to work, go to take their their sick

5:24:52mother to the hospital, do the things

5:24:55that we need to do in our lives. And so

5:24:57as unpopular as the topic of towing and

5:25:00parking might be, [clears throat]

5:25:02uh actually in times of emergency, we

5:25:04really need this into extra capacity. Um

5:25:06and so that and the other changes that

5:25:09we already discussed in the question and

5:25:11answer session, I think make this a much

5:25:14needed improvement to our city ordinance

5:25:15in this matter. And I encourage

5:25:17colleagues vote yes on this item. Thank

5:25:19you, Madam Chair.

5:25:20>> Thank you, Mr. Chair.

5:25:22>> Mr. Chair.

5:25:22>> Yes.

5:25:23Uh, thank you, Alder Marian. Alder

5:25:25Theodore.

5:25:26>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Alder Marian, you

5:25:29said it very well. I was going to say I

5:25:31also had the chance to ride in a plow

5:25:32truck during the second big storm and it

5:25:35is shocking how disruptive it is when

5:25:38even just one car is parked on the

5:25:39street. It completely changes the width

5:25:41that they are able to plow. Um, which

5:25:44leads to kind of days long of trying to

5:25:47clear that part of the street after. The

5:25:49other thing I'll say is if you leave

5:25:51your car out and it gets plowed in,

5:25:53that's also a huge pain. Getting towed

5:25:55is a pain. Um, but I think it's a a

5:25:58really important step. I like that we

5:26:01are still prioritizing the local tow

5:26:06um companies until it's an emergency. My

5:26:10question I was getting at it wasn't

5:26:12completely clear to me within the

5:26:14language about the process of how the

5:26:17pivot is made and I know sometimes we do

5:26:20have those process or processes

5:26:22explained. So that's why I asked but I

5:26:24think if the rest of you all are

5:26:26comfortable with what's included here in

5:26:28the details I'm super happy to move

5:26:30forward. Thank you very much Mr. Chair.

5:26:32>> Super happy. Okay.

5:26:34>> Um you all know what time it is, right?

5:26:36>> Okay. Okay, we're going to go to Alder

5:26:38Evelyn Rodriguez. Hopefully, this will

5:26:40be the final comment.

5:26:43>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I just want to

5:26:46also support this item and acknowledge

5:26:50[clears throat] a couple of things that

5:26:51are so important. While it's a painful

5:26:53experience to have your car told, that's

5:26:57something that none of us would want for

5:26:59anyone.

5:27:00um at least this um ordinance at least

5:27:04allows us the opportunity that if

5:27:07there's a concern that there's a

5:27:09complaint form that's already I just

5:27:11want to bring that up and also that now

5:27:15there's a payment with no barrier and I

5:27:19think that's really important because I

5:27:22know personally how people can

5:27:24experience pain when they go to obtain

5:27:27their cars And there's really no

5:27:32opportunity here. There's not going to

5:27:35be a barrier. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

5:27:39>> Okay. So, everyone realizes we are

5:27:41voting on the secretary to list

5:27:44>> everything else that has been not

5:27:46everything

5:27:48to

5:27:50>> sorry that

5:27:53reducing the size of the lot that you

5:27:55need to have to participate in.

5:27:57>> Yes. But really important, right? But

5:27:59the the price of towing and so many

5:28:01other stuff is we voted on that already.

5:28:04>> Um so if there's no other comments on

5:28:06this, no other discussion, I should say.

5:28:09All in favor say I.

5:28:12>> Any opposed? Any abstaining? The eyes

5:28:15have it. Um now for our second item

5:28:18regarding establishing a short-term

5:28:21rental license program item, vice chair,

5:28:24>> I move item [clears throat] two. Second

5:28:27move.

5:28:28>> Seconded discussion on item two. Madame

5:28:31vice chair.

5:28:32>> Um although I truly truly agree that

5:28:36regulation needs to be

5:28:40um had around the um short-term rental.

5:28:45I do feel as though that we need to look

5:28:49at the mom and pops versus corporate.

5:28:55That's where that's that that's very

5:28:57important. Sitting here for five hours

5:29:00listening to all the various testimonies

5:29:03and listening to people say that they're

5:29:07basically renting out their first floor

5:29:09so they can keep their whole house.

5:29:11That's real. That's important. And I

5:29:15don't want to sacrifice that person to

5:29:18get to corporate. So, we got to figure

5:29:20out a way

5:29:22to to split this We got to figure out a

5:29:25way how you you you use your primary and

5:29:30maybe you know just like in the um uh

5:29:33the um the inclusionary zone right you

5:29:37if they build four or more they have to

5:29:40have a certain percentage affordable. So

5:29:43maybe we need to look at a number around

5:29:46that because we have to regulate these

5:29:48big corporate places [snorts]

5:29:51who come and they take all these

5:29:53apartments off the housing list and

5:29:55really put our people in the situation

5:29:58where they have nowhere to live. We have

5:30:01to address that. But that mom and pop

5:30:04who saved up their coins to buy that

5:30:06house next door so their family can

5:30:09visit and then they use it for a Airbnb

5:30:12for whatever time until their family

5:30:15comes back. That's something totally

5:30:17different. So that's that's how I feel

5:30:21about that. I don't know what the answer

5:30:23is to that, but we got to figure out how

5:30:27do we split that because there are two

5:30:31totally different um situations here.

5:30:34You got people who are, you know, trying

5:30:37to save their lives and then you got

5:30:39these big crazy companies who are trying

5:30:43to push us all out. So, I move this. I

5:30:47agree regulation needs to happen, but we

5:30:50have to figure out it can't just be your

5:30:53primary residence. It can't. So, I don't

5:30:56even know what that all is what I just

5:30:58said as far as Robert's rules, but

5:31:01that's okay. That's how I feel.

5:31:04>> Thank you. Thank you, Madam Vice Chair.

5:31:06And I got you.

5:31:07>> All right.

5:31:09Um, I'm going to So, let me let me just

5:31:12make a statement first before we hear

5:31:14from [cough]

5:31:17>> No, I'm sorry. No,

5:31:19>> but [laughter] stay right there. You're

5:31:21You're fine. Just can't say anything.

5:31:25Um,

5:31:27let me just say first, and I I I hear

5:31:30what you say. Um, but let me just say

5:31:32first that tonight,

5:31:34uh,

5:31:36is it a chair's prerogative? Maybe so.

5:31:40But I am not going to entertain any

5:31:42amendments tonight because it is 11:56

5:31:48>> and so I'd like to hear a discussion

5:31:49about it and then we'll vote to the full

5:31:52board. But I suspect that there'll be

5:31:55some amendments

5:31:56>> by time that hits the floor. But what we

5:31:59would need to do is um

5:32:04we got to take some steps back.

5:32:06>> There needs to be some research. Um I am

5:32:09dismayed

5:32:11that

5:32:13court counsel did not give an opinion

5:32:17and so um that needs to be rectified

5:32:21and that it was said several times that

5:32:24he didn't have the time to look at an

5:32:26ordinance that came before this

5:32:28committee. Um,

5:32:31and so I'm just wondering why.

5:32:35[clears throat]

5:32:36Uh, and so I'm looking at staff and

5:32:40staff is telling me be graceful and be

5:32:42polite and that's what I intend to do.

5:32:44Uh, but I but I am dismayed at that. And

5:32:47so it it kind of hinders us

5:32:50>> in a way also of going forward

5:32:52um with making any kind of amendment

5:32:56because we don't have that opinion from

5:32:59court counsel which I'm sure we will

5:33:01have by the time we get to our second uh

5:33:04reading. And so having said that, I I

5:33:08would push back on making any

5:33:11substantive amendments until we get

5:33:14[clears throat] that that in and then uh

5:33:17we have what 3 weeks uh before this hits

5:33:20our second reading and we have plenty of

5:33:22time to discuss it. Um, so I'm going to

5:33:25go to other alders because what I don't

5:33:27want to do also is keep this in

5:33:28committee.

5:33:30Um, because that would be

5:33:33[clears throat] another six-hour

5:33:34session, I think. Uh, so uh I'm going to

5:33:39go

5:33:41to Alder Marshand and then I'll look

5:33:44around for others who would like to have

5:33:47discussion.

5:33:49>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I share your

5:33:52dismay.

5:33:53Um, but I'm speaking it with an

5:33:55enthusiastic support for this ordinance

5:33:58amendment. Uh, I think that

5:34:02the phenomenon of short-term rentals is

5:34:06uh is an issue for us now and has the

5:34:10potential to be a bigger problem in the

5:34:11future. I think the approach that is

5:34:14taken by the makers of this ordinance is

5:34:16sensible. It it it is logical and I

5:34:19believe it's enforcable. I think uh the

5:34:23area where I would be concerned about

5:34:25modifying it and it's really a needle

5:34:27that would need to be threaded is if you

5:34:31if we decided that we wanted to amend it

5:34:34to allow someone for example who wants

5:34:36to rent out the unit downstairs as

5:34:39opposed to a room in their existing

5:34:40unit. That from a practical and a common

5:34:45sensical standpoint seems to make sense.

5:34:48But in my view, it potentially opens the

5:34:50door for some of the the the evasive

5:34:55techniques of non-natural persons and

5:34:57LLC's getting in their feet in the door.

5:35:01And so if this ordinance amendment is

5:35:04going to work and it's going to be an

5:35:05effective regulation of this short-term

5:35:07rental phenomenon, we can't make it easy

5:35:11for a non-natural person to sneak their

5:35:14way in to use a front person to actually

5:35:18figure out how to con the system and to

5:35:21get around our intention, which is to

5:35:23say if you own the property, you ought

5:35:25to be able to rent out space in the

5:35:27property. Uh, so I would be I'm just

5:35:30cautious about doing that and that would

5:35:33that that would have to be very

5:35:35thoroughly and thoughtfully done and

5:35:37thoroughly constructed and and wouldn't

5:35:40be able to do it myself at 11:52 at

5:35:42night. Um, but that's a concern I have

5:35:45about going in that direction. I think

5:35:48that the simplicity of the ordinance

5:35:50that's in front of us is that it is

5:35:52clear and it's enforcable and it will

5:35:55have an effect. I believe that the

5:35:56effect will be primarily meritorious

5:35:59that is that the right word beneficial.

5:36:02I'm getting tired [snorts] um to to the

5:36:05public good. Will there be some

5:36:07individuals who will be fa who will face

5:36:10some really difficult choices? Yes,

5:36:12that's true. They will have to change

5:36:14their business models. But there it's

5:36:17not like they go from one business model

5:36:19to no business model. There is another

5:36:22business model available to people. They

5:36:24can rent out the room. they can rent out

5:36:26the room to someone for a longer lease.

5:36:29Um

5:36:31that's something that existed for many

5:36:34many decades before this whole Airbnb

5:36:37and verbal phenomenon emerged in the

5:36:40last few decades and people were able to

5:36:42figure it out and so I think there is a

5:36:45pathway forward for people but and I

5:36:47also think that the the fact that the

5:36:49ordinance gives an implementation date

5:36:50of March

5:36:52gives time to people to figure out the

5:36:55transition that they will need in order

5:36:58to pivot. from one way of renting out

5:37:01these additional spaces in the

5:37:03properties uh that would be compliant

5:37:05with the ordinance. So, um I think that

5:37:08the way it's presented to us this

5:37:10evening is thoughtful. It's got the it's

5:37:14got the strength of being fairly

5:37:15straight quite straightforward I would

5:37:17say. I think that helps its

5:37:19enforcability. Uh I think the issue is

5:37:22important and I is likely to increase

5:37:24urgency and so I would urge colleagues

5:37:27to join me in voting yes on a favorable

5:37:29referral to the board of owners. Thank

5:37:31you Mr. Chair. [clears throat]

5:37:34>> Alder

5:37:36Evelyn Rodriguez.

5:37:37>> Thank you.

5:37:41>> Thank you Mr. Chair. Um as I listened

5:37:44today

5:37:46as I listened today

5:37:49to close to over 90 people

5:37:53not including some that left were not

5:37:55able to testify today and then the

5:37:58additional written correspondence that

5:38:00we have before us. It is clearly evident

5:38:04that many many people that came before

5:38:07today are

5:38:10in um are in approval

5:38:14of

5:38:16this um proposal that we have before us.

5:38:21It is concerning um because we have so

5:38:25many people from all walks of life

5:38:27looking at the issue of housing and

5:38:30everything that's going on in our city

5:38:32regarding everything that we're trying

5:38:35to do in New Haven. We want to bring

5:38:38people, tourism,

5:38:40art, everything. It's medical,

5:38:44hospitalizations.

5:38:46People need a place to be. So, I think

5:38:48this this that's before us, this

5:38:52document that is being worked at is

5:38:55definitely something that we're going to

5:38:57have to consider and we're going to have

5:39:00to do something. But that this as is

5:39:03right now, we really need to look at

5:39:06everything that was said here tonight

5:39:09and we do need to come up with some good

5:39:11amendments. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

5:39:16>> I'm a little confused. So, are you in

5:39:18favor? You said

5:39:19>> I am in favor. I am in favor. Yes, Mr.

5:39:22Chair.

5:39:22>> Thank you, Alder Rodriguez. Any Alder

5:39:25Theodore.

5:39:27>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I also will speak

5:39:29in favor, but am excited to talk about

5:39:31amendments when the time comes. Um, I

5:39:33want to first thank everyone who came

5:39:35out and testified and are still here

5:39:36past midnight.

5:39:38>> That's that's

5:39:39>> Sorry. Um I

5:39:43>> I um we need a process and regulation

5:39:47for this and it's not good that we

5:39:49didn't have one but it's so important

5:39:50that we have one now and um I absolutely

5:39:55agree that we need to take on the

5:39:57corporate landlords and I think they're

5:39:59they are different than corporate

5:40:01landlords but even the folks who are

5:40:02owning multiple homes in the city I

5:40:04think um those homes should be on the

5:40:08normal rental market or should be sold

5:40:10to people who are going to live in them.

5:40:12I think the only kind of amendment I

5:40:14would be open to is one that touches on

5:40:17those multif family owner occupied units

5:40:20where people are considering or using

5:40:23short-term rentals for maybe one unit in

5:40:26a multif family home. Um I understand

5:40:30the concerns around enforcability. I

5:40:33guess one thought I had is you know the

5:40:35way it currently is written like could

5:40:38someone convert a multif family to a

5:40:40single family and like will there be

5:40:42ways in pitch which people rent out one

5:40:45floor

5:40:46of their home where it almost functions

5:40:49as if there's two units but it's all

5:40:51under one single family. So I think like

5:40:53it does feel like there are going to be

5:40:54workarounds [clears throat] either way

5:40:56that we need to really be on top of. Um,

5:40:59but

5:41:01yeah, I'm I'm really excited about this.

5:41:03I'm excited to move it forward and

5:41:04grateful to everyone who's been working

5:41:06on it.

5:41:07>> Thank you, Mr. Chair.

5:41:08>> Thank you both. There are any further

5:41:10discussion from committee members or

5:41:12remarks?

5:41:13>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I guess I

5:41:15would say that I'm less enthusiastic

5:41:17about moving it forward. Um, my feeling

5:41:21tonight is that I would concur with

5:41:24>> moving it forward favorably. moving it

5:41:26forward favorably or moving it out of

5:41:28committee at this point.

5:41:30>> Okay.

5:41:31>> Um I [clears throat] think that the

5:41:33issue being raised is paramount. You

5:41:35know, affordability is paramount. Um you

5:41:37know, the heartfelt um testimony is

5:41:40heartbreaking about people's inability

5:41:42to afford rents and then deal with

5:41:43rents.

5:41:45I

5:41:48um I guess I'm just concerned that we

5:41:50really need a measured approach to get

5:41:52this right. Um, I concur completely with

5:41:55what um the deputy chair said and I I

5:41:57think it's more than threading a needle.

5:41:59I think it's um really needing to think

5:42:02about [snorts] what you were talking

5:42:04about which is when it's um that you own

5:42:07one premises and there's a family in one

5:42:10unit and they're using Airbnb for the

5:42:13others to support the to support their

5:42:16finances to allow heard international

5:42:18families talking you know to allow their

5:42:20family to come. I think it's also an

5:42:21issue when you did it next door. Um

5:42:23[clears throat] I was quite um taken by

5:42:26the testimony about Winchester Avenue.

5:42:28Um I don't think the one of at least one

5:42:31of the um owners who testified at

5:42:34Winchester Avenue, they're not living

5:42:35there at all, but the finances allowed

5:42:37them to renovate to create curb appeal

5:42:40um to to bring something, you know, back

5:42:42into the market which they could then

5:42:43sell to somebody else who could then

5:42:44rent and it's now ready to go. I mean,

5:42:46the the the investment is substantial.

5:42:49Um, I guess I'm just um concerned about

5:42:53the lack of legal opinion we have. I'm

5:42:56um my ears were peaked by attorney Ben

5:42:58Tractton, an attorney I respect very

5:43:00much so, who had quite serious things to

5:43:02say about um the legality of what we're

5:43:05doing. I'm I'm not as familiar as others

5:43:08with how this really works. Um but I um

5:43:12am concerned that we need to continue to

5:43:14have some public group discussion about

5:43:16this as a committee um more than just

5:43:18the amendment process given how

5:43:20important this was and how much is at

5:43:22stake for so many people who spoke um

5:43:25financially, emotionally and personally.

5:43:27Thank you Mr. Chair.

5:43:31>> Thank you. Uh any further discussion

5:43:34from members of the committee?

5:43:39Um,

5:43:41let me just say that I think overall,

5:43:45um, outside of what we heard this

5:43:46evening from Corp Council, that Corp

5:43:48council is on board and so that's why I

5:43:51was a little bit surprised on that

5:43:54comment, but um, but they are on board

5:43:57with this and they have reviewed it this

5:44:00perhaps not um, this particular

5:44:04attorney, but but it has been vetted and

5:44:07gone through and Um and so we will be

5:44:10getting um that statement before our

5:44:14second reading from court counsel. Uh

5:44:17it's just always good to have that in

5:44:18committee. We also heard which um I

5:44:22don't think Alder Marian mentioned but

5:44:24it did receive a favorable report from

5:44:26city plan as well which um we don't have

5:44:31the actual report but director Brown did

5:44:34mention that um it did pass last night

5:44:38through city plan favorably.

5:44:40Um,

5:44:44okay. Uh,

5:44:47it's a big decision,

5:44:50but um, but I think we're going in the

5:44:51right direction.

5:44:54And so I'm going to ask [clears throat]

5:44:57all who are in favor of giving this a

5:45:00favorable recommendation to the board of

5:45:02alers say I.

5:45:04>> I.

5:45:05>> Any who are opposed?

5:45:07>> Opposed.

5:45:09to opposed.

5:45:11Um, any obstaining?

5:45:14Okay, the eyes have it. Is there

5:45:20>> Sorry.

5:45:21>> I'm so sorry.

5:45:23>> Mr. Chair,

5:45:24>> you better let me run this meeting.

5:45:26>> Very late. I apologize.

5:45:27>> Okay. So, the good thing to do is just

5:45:28let me talk and we'll be fine. Okay. Um,

5:45:32Alder, Vice Chair,

5:45:34>> I make a motion that we adjourn. Second.

5:45:38All in favor say I. I.

5:45:40>> Any opposed? Any abstaining? Okay, we

5:45:43are journed. Thank you so much.

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