When we bought our home in Lake Placid, it was an older house that needed a lot of work. We wouldn’t have been able to afford the repairs without the option of short-term renting part of the year. During our renovation process (which never really ends), we use local services constantly — contractors, painters, plumbers and electricians — and source materials locally. We’re proud to support local businesses and take every opportunity to invest in our community. As one of our contractors said on social media, we are “very cognizant about keeping it local” and have “made a positive impact on several small businesses and local tradespeople (and their families)” by prioritizing local services.

Many small businesses, including the restaurants and shops frequented by our guests, will be hurt if short-term rentals (STRs) are further restricted in Lake Placid. The moratorium on new permits and the possibility of further restriction of short-term rentals should be of great concern to all of us.

Adirondack communities have a long history of locals living side-by-side with seasonal residents, and our economy is largely driven by tourism. Lake Placid and North Elba collect significant revenue from STR occupancy taxes. Healthy tourism also creates and supports countless jobs, both seasonal and year-round.

Short-term rentals play a big part in generating this income and employment by attracting today’s modern travelers who rely on the flexibility of services like Airbnb. While many hotels don’t allow pets, we love welcoming guests and their four-legged friends to our home. Short-term renting is also an ideal option for parents, since booking multiple hotel rooms can be expensive, and often not feasible with babies and toddlers in tow. Our living space, backyard, kitchen, laundry appliances and other household staples are all important features for families these days. Lake Placid prides itself on being a family-friendly and dog-friendly village, and STRs are often the best option for these travelers.

If the town and village further regulate short-term rentals, visitors will increasingly go elsewhere. This would hurt our local businesses and the many conscientious homeowners who rely on the additional income. The village must manage responsible short-term rentals in a way that preserves honest entrepreneurship and respects neighborhoods.

In order to protect neighborhoods, we need enforcement of existing rules, not the shutdown of short-term rentals. Homeowners who are investing in the vitality of Lake Placid should not be punished. The lack of affordable housing is both a national and local challenge, but driving homeowners and vacationers away from Lake Placid will only weaken local wages and depress the economy in the face of inflation. It will not create more affordable housing, only a lethargic local economy.

Short-term rentals are crucial for Lake Placid’s healthy tourism economy, and support every local industry from electricians to artists, from pet groomers to hair stylists, bakers and caretakers. I ask my fellow Lake Placid residents to join in discouraging heavy-handed regulation. Enforce the rules already in place. Responsible short-term renting benefits our community, and should be encouraged, not over regulated. Likewise, STR hosts who live and operate in neighborhoods should send a clear message to our guests that violations of good neighbor rules won’t be tolerated. We can work together to achieve a sustainable solution. Lake Placid has depended on tourism for too long to drive guests away now.

Lee Warren

Lake Placid homeowner and part-time STR host