Agenda 05-02-2019 - 8-a - Minutes

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12 1 Commissioner Dorosin asked if the Board of County Commissioners wanted to build an 2 inclusive playground, where would it go. 3 Dave Stancil said possibly Fairview Park or Efland Cheeks Community Center, due to 4 public transportation access. 5 Chair Rich asked if a senior's playground has ever been discussed. 6 Dave Stancil said one of the trends taking off is having full comprehensive age treatment 7 for play apparatus. He said the master plan for Twin Creeks includes a play facility that is 8 designed to accommodate activities that interest those of all ages (e.g. spray ground to bocce 9 ball). He said nature play is increasing in popularity. 10 Chair Rich said she has watched seniors in front of the senior center, who are all 11 seeking active movement. 12 Dave Stancil said intergenerational interaction is beneficial to everyone. 13 14 15 Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitor's Bureau Anthony Carey, Chair 16 17 Anthony Carey thanked the Board for letting him serve on this board, and thanked Chair 18 Rich for being the BOCC representative from the Board of County Commissioners. He said 19 Laurie Paolicelli, Visitor's Bureau Director, does a great job of gathering and assimilating data. 20 He said he is a hotelier, and is concerned by the massive influx of AirBnBs. He said the VB has 21 discussed this greatly, and feels some regulations may be necessary. He said the number of 22 there were 132,663 AirBnB listings in Orange County in 2018, with 109,836 being for the entire 23 home. He said this averages 301 whole homes for rent for the year, which is like 3 hotel rooms 24 per night. He said they do not have a grasp on this information when they are putting business 25 plans together, as AirBnBs are not part of the data. He said these travelers fly under the radar, 26 but should be paying occupancy tax. He said the VB subscribes to a report called Air DNA, 27 which shows a lot more usage than AirBnB shows. 28 Anthony Carey said as an Orange County resident, he is very concerned about health 29 and safety issues with the AirBnBs. He said since AirBnB is a booking site, it is not held 30 responsible for poor behavior or inappropriate use of the land. He said with not having 31 businesses regulated, there are side deals going on to bypass AirBnB. He said Laurie Paolicelli 32 as a County employee cannot join the Hoteliers in this battle, but she recommended that the 33 group approach the Chamber of Commerce, which several groups have done. 34 Anthony Carey said, in a few weeks, the impact of tourism on the County will be issued, 35 and is expected to be $200 million. He said foot traffic is down within the VB, and while the 36 presence on Franklin Street still seems necessary, but a new space is being pursued. He said 37 the new Wegman's store may be an option. 38 Commissioner Marcoplos said the AirBnB issue a thorny one, but it does have some 39 benefits: having an option for lower income travelers; allowing seniors to remain in their homes 40 as they rent out a portion; etc. He said he hopes there is a good solution. 41 Anthony Carey said he thinks so, and he loves the idea of host homes. He said the 42 group is not opposed to owner occupied, single room use, but rather a whole home being 43 vacant to make revenue without any safety issues taken into account. 44 Chair Rich said people staying in AirBnBs are still spending money in the County, which 45 is a revenue stream, but the records of tax dollars does not match the data coming in regarding 46 activity. 47 Commissioner Dorosin asked if, in 2020, it still make sense to have a physical VB 48 presence versus online, and having hard copies of things in places like hotels, etc. 49 Chair Rich said this is discussed at every VB meeting, and that recommendation is 50 always being discussed.