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To the Editor:
The topic of conversation surrounding rental property has increased nationally and in Oswego. There are three topics that need to be further evaluated about rental property by the village of Oswego going forward.
First, the village of Oswego should be welcoming to those who are seeking to build property for those who prefer to rent long term of greater than 30 days on an annual or semiannual basis. We have people and families who do rent in our community and are just as much a part of our community as those who own property here.
Secondly, the Village of Oswego must reconsider the ramifications of allowing very short-term rental properties in our neighborhoods and further explain why this is good for our community. The many new neighborhoods in Oswego were never built with this understanding and those of us who own homes here are the ones who pay the local taxes while investing in our community. Many have lived here long term and invested a great deal of money into our homes. Why would anyone want people coming in and out of our neighborhoods under such conditions and how does this improve our neighborhood communities? Additionally, who will enforce the added registration being discussed and oversee these new short-term rentals polices at the village?
Third, as highlighted on a recent “60 Minutes” news program, private equity firms on Wall Street are now getting into the home rental business nationally. They are paying cash on the spot for homes, sight unseen, and turning them into high-priced rental properties. As highlighted, this has driven up home values and rental fees, which can be good on one hand, but also pose issues of driving home values too high to afford for younger families like most of us here in Oswego.
The village of Oswego needs to spend more time studying these issues and what does this mean to us short and long term as a community. If ignored, the unknown consequences could be challenging for us all in the future with regret that no one studied such issues from the start.
David Edelman
Oswego