SHORT TERM RENTALS IN ESTES VALLEY - VOICE YOUR OPINION

One of the hot-button issues in Estes Valley (and the rest of Larimer County) is the proliferation of Short Term Rentals (“STRs”) in our residential neighborhoods. Areas zoned residential are especially subject to being significantly impacted by STRs popping up in our neighborhoods.

Larimer County, including the Estes Valley area, is in the process of reviewing County and Local regulations concerning STRs, and we are being asked for our input as residents of Estes Valley. Some of you may already have been involved in meetings and discussions about STRs.

If you have not yet completed the STR surveys (below), please submit your responses and comments by filling out the surveys before August 28. The current plan is for planners to draft revised regulations during September 2022.  Even after the August deadline, you should keep aware of what is happening by using some of these Larimer County links.

A very major concern is how STRs may remove properties from long-term rental availability that could alternatively supply housing for persons in our workforce.

Other significant neighborhood concerns about STRs include traffic, parking, wildfire risk, noise, personal safety, trespassing, and impacts on property values, just to name a few. In fact, vacation rentals were recently cited as causing 60% of our fire department calls over the past 5 years.

STRs can even impact the interface with wildlife when persons are staying in a neighborhood and have no long-term responsibility to respect the character and safety of the neighborhood. For instance, certain actions can attract bears into our neighborhoods with unfortunate long-term consequences -- for both humans and the bears.

To have YOUR input, there is a longer survey (perhaps 20-30 minutes) and a shorter survey (perhaps 5 minutes). The longer survey has the advantage of allowing you to be more specific in your preferences.

You can submit both surveys by August 28. They provide spaces for your personal comments and suggestions.

If you have not already done so, please take the time to complete these surveys. They may help protect your neighborhood and other areas close to you.

The links to both surveys are below. For information on the STR study you may want to first review information on this website link that contains a copy of a slide presentation from August 9 explaining information about STRs:

https://www.larimer.gov/planning/short-term-rentals

(Note: The slide presentation is Power Point. Microsoft has a free viewer download if you do not have the Power Point program. It is NOT necessary to have Power Point in order to complete the surveys.)

In addition, that Planning site includes a link to a “Short-Term Rental Background Information and Questionnaire” that is very helpful, containing definitions and links to other explanatory information.

HERE ARE THE LINKS TO THE SURVEYS:
The Longer Survey (perhaps 20-30 minutes)

The Shorter Survey (perhaps 5 minutes)

This is VERY important to have good input from Estes Valley residents -- either full time or seasonal. Please be aware that STR owners also are completing these surveys, so it is essential that non-STR owners also have their say.

Please forward this information to friends or neighbors in Estes Valley who may not receive our Newsletter but who have concerns about STRs.  "Sharing" buttons are below.

A Final Word --

Thank you for participating in this survey request.

We have been focused on National and State political issues for some time, but we must never lose sight that Local issues impact us directly every day.