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  1. Minke says

    Living in a place with lots of short-term rentals and a couple right across the street from me I can agree that some renters are noisy and nuisances, and they’ve resulted in the loss of about 6 year-round apartment rentals on my one block. Back in the day we knew all of our neighbors–not any more. I know several young people who have struggled to find longterm places to live, and friends who are retiring are moving away because they can sell for huge sums and purchase elsewhere for half or less. On the other hand, knowing the landlords they are making lots of money on the short-term rentals and since they are local that contributes to the local economy. My feelings are definitely mixed on this issue.

    • Dan X says

      That’s quite a stretch in assuming the landlords “contribute to the local economy.” Do you have any evidence they spend the money made on STR’s in LP? Those STR landlords are profiting off the investments and care and maintenance made by those who actually life there full time. It’s a form of exploitation of the full-time owners/residents.

  2. Contrarian says

    I understand the concerns of people about STRs. And it is true that STR owners are being vilified. Yes, some are out of region folks with no connection to the community. But many are not. And they provided a needed service for people who can’t afford $250+ a night at the big hotels. The real issue is that there just isn’t enough housing. Zoning regulations often cause this by giving preference to single family homes – rather than density – and by imposing onerous parking regulations that are not really needed. People who work in service jobs to feed and sell to the tourists do not all need a single family home, but they do not somewhere to stay. Long-term renters are looked down upon as transients and vagabonds but I have been renting for 20 years and I spent most of my free time volunteering in my community. I am hardly the only one.

  3. MK says

    Lake Placid needs tourists, and MOST people are not attracted to hotels charging the ridiculous prices they do up here. It shouldn’t cost a thousand bucks for a long weekend up here. Many locals own str properties….it’s not just out of towners, and locals need the extra income to afford ever increasing living costs. We can blame str’s for the housing crises but the reality is, almost all of the country suffered crazy inflation with housing over the past few years. And yes, some properties have had loud short term renters but guess what? Long term renters and home owners can be bad neighbors too. Limiting more affordable vacation options will decrease tourist revenue, it will hurt locals. You want to help with affordable housing? Lower taxes!!!! Stop with the crazy assessment increases that are feeding the very trends people say are killing the community.

    • Ryan says

      Funnily enough, these days STR are more expensive than hotels, especially for a weekend long stay. So your point is irrelevant…

      • carol girardin says

        It is not irrelevant. If 3 couples want to spend the week skiing they all chip in and spend time with each other. They can cook their meals and save. Many families rent when there is a wedding for a family member. The rowdies and trouble makers are off their lists to rent again.

        • Erick Reed says

          Nope, it is irrelevant, much like your comment about chipping to cook and spending time with each other. You can do the same at hotels, which are the better option these days. Unless you’re trying to profit off soaking up all the housing.

    • Dan says

      I agree with your comment regarding hotel prices. We USED to visit Lake Placid regularly but no more. Even then we would visit during the weekdays as the hotel rates were really ridiculous on the weekends especially if a special event was taking place.

      • Dan X says

        Hotel rates are rising across the country, not just LP. That’s because more people are traveling and labor costs have skyrocketed. If you can’t afford it then you’ll have to move on. I can’t afford Nantucket, that doesn’t mean I’m going to try to gather 10 friends to split the cost of jamming into someone’s LTR studio apartment because I “just have to” vacation there. Nonsense.

  4. Dom says

    Lake Placid could end up cannibalizing themselves with this, pushing potential purchasers and tourists away – resulting in decreased revenue for the town. I’d think about this long and hard before instituting any rules that could be detrimental to the Lake Placid economy in the long-term.

  5. Minke says

    One thing there is no question about is the fact that short-term rentals reduce the number of available longterm rentals. It is not vilifying anyone to point this out. There is abundant evidence that Lake Placid has a severe housing shortage for working people that are needed to staff the restaurants, hotels, shops, etc. that allow the town to thrive. Individual property owners are the main beneficiaries of short-term rentals, but there are losers too. Resort communities, like Lake Placid, will eventually have to rezone and pass other regulations to allow higher rise apartment buildings and other dense housing or face increasing worker shortages.

  6. Chris says

    You will and are doing the same thing other resort towns do. You’re pushing locals out. Then you have no one to work. So what if it helps ONE particular job. Im in the service industry. And finding workers started getting worse before covid. There’s no where to live. She’s wrong. It is getting worse and worse. You’re thinking about the quick buck and not the future. Everyones already understaffed. Even the Iron Mans are harder. You have no one. You think the winter games coming up will work? You guys only care about the now and the people who keep snagging these short rentals (a lot of the same real estate agents and other buyers) are ruining these towns futures? YOU WILL LOSE ANY HEALTHY WORK FORCE! And then what? Its already getting worse. Noisy tourists aren’t the big problem.

    • native01 says

      You are absolutely correct!! Spoken as an Adirondack native of 60+ years that started my working years in the service industry.

  7. Steve says

    I believe the situation will eventually self-correct. We’ve been vacationing in Lake Placid for many years and it has gotten to the point where it has outpriced itself. For what I spend in LP this past summer for 5 days, I could have gone to the Caribbean (seriously), and will be exploring elsewhere next year. It’s no longer a reasonably priced get away. Unless the market corrects, it won’t be so crowded anymore, and housing and rooms will open up.

  8. Nathan Jeffery says

    I feel it’s less of a noise and rowdiness issue. The greater concern is that it’s not affordable for year round residents to live here due to short term rentals. This inturn impacts the regions available workforce as a double negative. We are happy to call anyone and everyone neighbor who are dedicated to year round residence! I fear we are headed for what So Cal is experiencing with whole towns with no true residents all bought and owned by short term rental agencies. Scarry times!

  9. Matt says

    How bad is the housing problem? I just learned of a situation with someone who was living (renting) and working in LP. On September 1, 2022, this person was given 30 day notice by their landlord because the landlord wants to turn the rental unit into an STR. Is this good for an already difficult rental housing market? This is not a statement in favor or against STR‘s. It’s a fact, it occurred, and it’s just one example of shrinking availability of housing in the area.

    • DX says

      This is why zoning needs to be put in place banning all STR. Residential neighborhoods and hotels are zoned to existing in completely separate areas for good reasons.

  10. Jack Carney says

    I agree with Mr. Leon, Lake Placid resident interviewed for this article, that this pro-con STR debate serves as a distraction from the underlying and key issue, the lack of rentsl housing for individuals who wish to live in the Adks full-time. The solution — large State & Federal housing grants thst would allow local communities to purchase available land and existing housing for construction/conversion by private contractors of/into ling-term rental housing. Undoubtedly a controversial suggestion in a pro-market environment but a discussion well-worth having to help us get beyond the predictable ideological constraints.

    • AdirondackAl says

      Jack makes a good point. The market maximizes profits, and eventually will self-correct to address the need for workers, but not after much dispruption to communities. The market alone does not produce good places to live. Interim government support for long-term rental units is a viable option. And note, this issue is not just in LP but throughout the Adirondacks, and the country as well.

    • native01 says

      Seriously??? We commute for EVERYTHING! Affordable groceries, health care, a good take out order, everyday needs. Where are YOU from???

  11. Dan says

    Any of you folks in favor of STR, including those who are converting their one or multi-family housing to this format, I bet you wouldn’t want to live next to such places! Having had the misfortune of living next to a NYC-based absentee owner who exploited my very nice neighborhood by renting his large house on AirBNB, I can without hesitation declare that such properties are major nuisances. These are essentially nothing more than unregulated “stealth” hotels, operating in violation of zoning and other laws. I read all the comments here and am quite surprised at the number of people defending this ridiculous practice. Most people who take these “STR’s” are groups of multiple families, who have several dogs in tow, and who otherwise would not be able to afford or even be accepted into conventional, quality hotels. The fact is, there is no shortage of hotel rooms. There is however a shortage of hotel rooms that will allow over-occupancy in a single room so the cheapskate groups can avoid paying the fair rate. The vast majority of these situations seem also to be dog-related. I know there are many people who are obsessed with these creatures and insensibly hold them in higher regard than human beings, but sadly many owners do not train or control their animals. For several weeks in a row this past summer, my “neighbor” rented to groups of 2-3 large families (all packed into a single family house), with 2-4 dogs, which spent days and nights howling and barking incessantly. During the evening hours, until 2 or 3 am when they eventually passed out drunk, the “adult” renters spent most of their time getting drunkenly blitzed in the back yard, shouting, fighting, laughing, playing loud music, shooting fireworks, etc. with total disregard for the people who actually LIVE in the neighborhood and weren’t on vacation. This behavior would not be tolerated at a proper hotel, and these fools know it, hence the AirBNB. Bottom line, the majority of STR customers are using these properties in a manner that they know would never be acceptable at a hotel, due to the large number of persons jamming into the house, dogs, drunken “partying” and so on. The Town is right to review their zoning laws in this matter, if they have any sense at all, they will ban ALL short-term rentals, as many municipalities across the country are doing now after wising up from countless bad experiences and resident complaints. It’s bad for everyone, except the slumlord types who are exploiting their nice neighborhoods, which were never designed for this purpose, for short term profit. Just because something CAN be done doesn’t mean it SHOULD be done. The best guarantee for long term growth and a quality community is strictly enforced zoning, and prohibitions on idiotic practices like STR. Would Lake Place allow someone to install a trailer home on a vacant lot downtown? If not, it’s because of zoning. Zoning works, and should be enforced, for the welfare of ALL the permanent residents and visitors. You homeowners who have invested in LP and think STR are a good thing will be in for a big surprise someday if this continues to expand and your whole neighborhood gets converted. Just look to Saratoga Springs as an example of the mayhem you can come to expect on your street in a few years. Thank you.

  12. mom23ADK says

    I am curious, are most of these STR owned by individuals or by investment companies like Black Rock/BSH/Vanguard etc? Any data on that? And Dan, I feel for you and understand where you are coming from. There has to be a balance, but how?

  13. LGDee says

    STRs in Lake George/Diamond Point are supposedly by permit with only certain areas allowed, but there is ZERO enforcement and it disrupts life on my cul-de-sac when a house that should be a single family home is filled with up to 11 cars packed with “guests” who have no respect for those who do live here year round. From noise, light pollution, speeding cars on a 20mph street to higher home prices that drive up property taxes this has to stop.

  14. Anon says

    I’m not sure why Jason Leon thinks that private property owners should be stuck subsidizing the affordability of housing for other people. This is exactly what happens when government regulations (and potentially new taxes) limit who you sell your house to, and therefore depresses the price of it.

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