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Editor, Asbury Park Sun,

I will be voting no on municipal ballot question #3 to abolish Asbury Park’s short-term rental ordinance, which protects us from investors coming in and converting our housing stock into short-term Airbnb-style rentals. The problems with such investor-owned Airbnb housing are obvious:

First, it takes existing year-round rentals off the market, making rentals more scarce and thus driving up rents. Anyone concerned with Asbury Park losing its youth culture, its urban culture, its art culture, and our other community’s identities being watered-down at best or completely erased at worst, should vote in a clear and resounding NO on this ballot question.

Outside investors using a house solely for Airbnb-type rentals takes away what makes a neighborhood a community, and what makes houses into homes — neighbors. I am not in agreement with commercial landlords [most of whom don’t even live in Asbury Park], whose sole interest is making a profit without caring about a community’s soul.

Secondly, if you are concerned about affordable housing, you should vote no on municipal ballot question #3. If it passes, generations of Asbury Park families, as well as many of you young, new renters, would be displaced. Why? Because your landlord will be able to earn more money from daily/weekly rentals than the monthly rent he receives from you. So…out you go. Airbnbs greatly reduce the number of affordable long-term rental units.

Thirdly, ending Airbnb restrictions is an invitation to rowdy behavior as investors seeking a financial return are going to have less of an interest in who uses their short-term rental than a full-time resident, who’d want to keep their home in good shape and have good relations with their neighbors. A neighborhood becomes alien, unfamiliar and downright frightening to long-time residents who would no longer know who is residing next door from week to week.

Finally, a vote for municipal ballot question #3 is a vote against all of the hard work we have done to turn our school district around and empower our children. A yes vote would decimate school enrollment through forced displacement. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, in the year 2000 people spent 30 percent of their income on rent. By 2017, the number is close to 50 percent.

So, it’s no surprise that for some children in Asbury Park’s School District, living in their lifelong home is no longer sustainable, unless their parents can afford the huge rent increases. As a result, our students are in constant danger of being pushed out of the district. Many have already had to move somewhere else. How do we expect a child living in day to day fear of displacement due to rent increases to still come to school ready and equipped to learn and succeed? To me, our children’s future is too big of a price to pay just so a few out-of-town investors can line their pockets a little more.

As an Asbury Park resident and homeowner of 20 plus years, I will be voting no on municipal ballot question #3 to keep our neighborhoods safe, stable, and affordable.

Angela Ahbez-Anderson

Asbury Park Board of Education President

First Avenue

Asbury Park

[This letter represents the opinion of its writer and is not representative of any opinion of the Asbury Park Sun staff. All readers are welcome to submit Letters to the Editor to news@asburyparksun.com for our consideration. For guidelines on letter-writing and submission, click here.]

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