This letter is a sample Letter to Sister Bay leadership, to encourage your thought process as you customize it to make it your own. Here is a link to the email addresses for the Sister Bay Board and Plan Commission of Sister Bay.
To: Nate Bell nate.bell@sisterbaywi.gov; Sarah White sarah.white@sisterbaywi.gov; Patrice Champeau patrice.champeau@sisterbaywi.gov; Alison Werner alison.werner@sisterbaywi.gov; Lilly Orozco lilly.orozco@sisterbaywi.gov; Don Cox don.cox@sisterbaywi.gov; Denise Bhirdo denise.bhirdo@sisterbaywi.gov; Julie Schmelzer julie.schmelzer@sisterbaywi.gov; dschmitz6@wi.rr.com dschmitz6@wi.rr.com; ronkane@charter.net ronkane@charter.net; wordy716@charter.net wordy716@charter.net; Janal Suppanz janal.suppanz@sisterbaywi.gov; Heidi Teich heidi.teich@sisterbaywi.gov
Subject: STR concerns
I have been a property owner in Sister Bay since 2017 and have owned property (business and personal) in Door County since 1994. I am a full time resident of Baileys Harbor, own an STR in Baileys Harbor and have been active with Baileys Harbor’s village board/planning commission as they work through their concerns about STRs. I have participated in Sevastopol and Liberty Grove village/town meetings as they work through their challenges with STRs. Baileys Harbor is putting their new ordinance into effect beginning January 2024 and they have decided to support local businesses and not add the 7/180 rental restrictions. They desire to decrease the amount of STRs in Door County, but do not want to harm our local businesses and families.
There are two huge, glaring problems with the ordinance the planning commission is proposing and it will have a negative impact on Sister Bay — there will be both an enormous decrease in tax monies received for the village of Sister Bay and a huge decrease in the ability of our small businesses in Sister Bay to remain open all year. More businesses stay open year ’round every year in Door County. And Sister Bay has always been a town that has open restaurants, stores, taverns and more in the winter.
The 7 night/180 day consecutive rental limitations being presented by the planning commission will cause huge harm to the area. I have a small two bedroom cottage on a quiet road in Sister Bay. I am already booked for weekends in December this year and for 2024 for Christkindlmarkt and the Cherry Ball drop. Because the ruling would be 180 days consecutive rentals, I would only have my cottage available for renting from May through October in Sister Bay. The winters are much quieter and I rent at a hugely reduced rate, but I feel it is important to have STRs available during winters to keep our businesses flourishing.
I have guests that routinely come to my cottage to spend New Years’ so that they can be near their parents who live at Scandia Village and celebrate with them. And I have guests who come up for a few days during winter months to be near their families who live and work in Door County in the hospitality business — the local folks are so busy in the summer that they can’t spend quality time with their families so they plan adventures during the winter months. I could describe many situations where long time guests are coming to Sister Bay in the winter.
Our restaurants, bowling alley, coffee shops, stores, taverns, grocery stores, cleaning services, plowing services, gas stations and more right here in Sister Bay depend on STR rentals to keep them able to pay our local people a liveable wage for year ’round employment. And they need to have visitors to our STRs in the winter to do that.
A 7 night minimum will cause a decrease in the number of people who visit our local businesses — most people don’t shop multiple days in our stores, eat multiple nights in the same restaurants, attend our drive-in, theater performances and musical performances multiple nights while they are in Door County. Two stays of 3/4 nights in a week will possibly double the visitors who will be supporting our local businesses. Our local cleaning folks will have their businesses cut in half if we have a 7 night minimum and many will go out of business.
Especially now, we need to support our local businesses and local families. Covid has caused so many businesses to close and now is the time to support our local economy — and support Sister Bay. Putting this 7/180 restriction on STR rentals will mean that more of our locals will be out of work and more local businesses will fail.
Thank you.
Karen Berndt