Herrin for Mayor's BOROUGH BRIEFS Newsletter #2-August 19, 2017 |
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Welcome to the second issue - all about airbnb, the arts and, yes, a bit more about parking. To sign up for this newsletter, just email me or visit our website! ~Dianne Dianne@Herrinformayor.com |
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How Should We Respond to the Sharing Economy? |
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Right now, there are 18 airbnb locations in the Borough ranging from $39-$1,000 per night. In many ways, the sharing economy is a great thing. Visitors spend money, supporting jobs and the local economy. Guests often feel "like a local," and for some airbnb hosts (our neighbors), the income can be crucial during hard times. The hospitality industry, however, views it as unfair competition, and with another possible hotel on our horizon (at Gay and Walnut Sts.), the Business Improvement District (BID) is raising the issue of how to respond. Municipal regulations weren't created with the sharing economy in mind, leaving airbnb hosts in a grey area of the law. Are they operating a business that should pay the 6% state hotel occupancy tax? Do the homes need fire escapes, sprinklers and other safety features that the building code requires for hotels? What kind of insurance coverage should hosts carry? Should guests be granted temporary parking permits? |
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Communities across the country are responding very differently to these questions, with some passing restrictive laws and others creating collaborative initiatives that embrace the sharing economy. For example, NY City made it illegal to host a temporary renter in a multiple dwelling unit for less than 30 days, while San Francisco legalized airbnb and put criteria in place to create a more level playing field with the hospitality industry. San Francisco requires hosts to register and get a business license, limits airbnb rentals to 90 days/year, and prohibits landlords from evicting long-term tenants just to create makeshift airbnb hotels. Here in West Chester, we should follow a collaborative approach. The sharing economy is here to stay, and the most progressivie communities are working to make it a viable part of their economies. More than half of airbnb users are aged 18-34, and 30% are 35-54 years old. Attracting millenials to live and work here will contribute to our economic success! |
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PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION COMES TO THE BOROUGH! This month, Borough Council created a Public Arts Commission to support the reach and impact of public art, and advise on the merits of new art installation applications. There is a lot to applaud about public art! It's free. It's open to everyone. You can view it alone or in groups. It can tie us to our history - and our shared future. The Arts Commission could also help keep public art alive once it's here - through signage, lighting and interpretive programs. Right now, there is a new public arts project already underway! The Care Center Foundation on S. Matlack Street is commissioning world-reknowned muralist Paul Santoleri to create a mural on the back of its building, to uplift the children who need the Care Center for daycare and Early Head Start programs. The Foundation is fundraising to pay for the mural and undertake some much-needed building improvements. You can donate here, and note that it's for the Mural Arts Project! <img height="22" src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5e9922_0769ff30a359428f90b3864c78f4b682.png_256" width="22"> [Above photo shows a Santoleri mural along the Manayunk Towpath.] |
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Downtown Parking Meters: Should We Raise Rates? |
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| | At the recent parking stakeholder meetings, in-town business owners uniformly opposed raising meter rates. The draft Master Parking Plan recommends raising rates from $1.50 to $2.00 per hour and expanding Saturday meter enforecement hours during the day to encourage short-term on-street parking and incentivize longer-term garage parking. While retailers need short-term parking for shoppers, they uniformly oppose this approach, saying it would negatively and significantly impact business and alienate shoppers from coming to the Borough due to a "non-welcoming nature." Rather, they suggest some or all of the following: - A graduated meter pricing scheme that offers cheaper short-term parking and progressively increases rates the longer the car stays in the space.
- A similar graduated pricing scheme with an easier-to-use kiosk in lot 10 (Growers'
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| | Market lot) for daytime retail and restaurant customers. - Reserved short-term parking with cheaper short-term rates on the lower level(s) of the garages, with improved wayfinding signage.
- A grace period after a meter expires to create a more welcoming presence for visitors.
The retailers will certainly continue to make their interests known to the Borough Council Parking Committee in future meetings, and I support their recommendations. They know best what their customers need, and this is a viable way to support the economic viability of our fantastic downtown! Creating a welcoming presence for visitors and shoppers is in all of our best interests. [Above photos show public meter art in Philadelphia (l) and DC (r). The DC sculpture serves as a bike rack!] | | |
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