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The Kenwood Press Letters to the Editor: 12/15/2008 |
Letters to the Editor for December 15, 2008
Hey, mail thief! About that vacation rental Dear Editors, This letter is in response to William Triggs’ letter of Dec. 1 regarding the ongoing problems with his vacation rental on Kenilworth Ave. Triggs’ rather narrow focus on one particular incident misses the point entirely, as if there is some material difference between the admitted 25 or so post-wedding drunks at his place or 35. Whether or not it can be proven at a legal level is irrelevant to the much larger question and we can thank him for unwittingly giving the problem the air time it deserves. What is at stake here is nothing less than the quality of life to which each of us, who have chosen to live in this pristine area, has a rightful expectation. Most of the neighbors of the Kenilworth Ave. area can unfortunately attest to the pejorative impact Triggs’ rental business has had in changing the very character of our neighborhood. The resulting constant stream of strangers paying $1,400 per night brings with it people with no vested interest in their impact on those around them because they will never see us again. Triggs, from his roost in San Francisco, is not there to oversee them and hence we have the equivalent of a bed and breakfast operation in a place in which it would never be approved under that aegis. It is allowed to operate without license, regulation or any on-site supervision whatsoever. The result is not just this one incident, but many over the years. In May of this year he rented his place to over one hundred high school prom revelers from San Francisco who drove up here at two in the morning, many of whom were behind the wheel drunk, high and bellicose, flipping their lighted cigarette butts into the bushes. People behind the wheel on our road who have been drinking have, in fact, become the norm since Triggs’ rental activity has taken over our lives, given the wine country’s inherent itinerary. It is bad enough to take your life into your hands on Highway 12; it is quite another when walking one’s kids or pets under peril of being side swiped on one of Kenilworth Ave.’s many blind hairpin turns. And it goes on and on. All of which brings us to the point. If you are concerned with development in this valley then you need to pay attention to this matter. It represents the potential for all of the negative aspects of development to occur on a micro level right next door to your own individual castle. How is this possible? Sonoma County has no transient occupancy ordinance. Virtually every other destination location has such laws to protect against what Triggs’ place has become – the poster example of what you do not want. Any homeowners association has prohibitions against this as well for very good reasons. We, however, need to rely on the County to protect us from such abuses. I call on everyone concerned to let your voices be heard that the County needs an enforceable ordinance preventing short-term transient rentals of less than thirty days in rural residential neighborhoods. Let your elected officials know how you feel before you find yourself living next door to your own personal version of Triggs. You won’t like it. Richard Koretz Kenwood |