Another Short-Term Rental Showdown On Tap At Tuesday's Special Town Meeting
JohnCarl McGrady •
Island voters will decide on two proposals related to short-term rentals (STRs) at Tuesday's Special Town Meeting (STM). The two articles offer sharply different visions of how STRs should be regulated.
Article 1, a citizen petition sponsored by local charter boat captain Brian Borgeson, is one that voters have seen before. Borgeson’s article would allow STRs across the island without any further restrictions beyond those that already exist. This article is often referred to as "codification" or "legalization" of STRs as they are not specifically allowed in Nantucket's existing zoning code. The only exception in Borgeson's proposal would be plots of land that fall under a rare land use classification known as “commercial-industrial,” mostly found around Nantucket Memorial Airport.
Article 2 is sponsored by Planning Board chair Dave Iverson. Iverson’s article, billed as a compromise, would cap the number of days a building can be used as an STR at 49 between June 15 and August 31 and 70 in any calendar year. It would also limit the number of changes of occupancy permitted during the peak summer season to seven and require that all STR contracts last at least seven days during the peak season.
For properties with two or more dwellings that are rented separately, each day that each unit is used as an STR would count towards the maximum of 49 days during the peak season, and 70 days for the year. Hosted stays, in which an STR operator lives in the building they are renting, or in another building on the same lot, would be exempt.
Iverson’s article allows STRs as an accessory use.
Here’s a simple, side-by-side comparison of each article:
Article One | Article Two | |
Sponsored by | Brian Borgeson | Dave Iverson |
Would likely end the lawsuits facing local STRs | Yes | Yes |
Could be amended or supplemented at future Town Meetings | Yes | Yes |
Allowed Use | Principle | Accessory |
STR days allowed during peak season | Unlimited | 49 |
STR days allowed each year | Unlimited | 70 |
Contract changes allowed during peak season | Unlimited | Seven |
Minimum length of a contract during peak season | None | Seven days |
Multiple dwellings on the same lot counted together for purposes of use caps | Not applicable | Yes |
Hosted Stays, where the owner or operator is present during the lease | Treated the same as other STRs | Exempted from the above regulations |
Bans subleases of STRs | No | Yes |
Explicitly protects long-term rentals | Yes | No |
Endorsed by Planning Board | No, on a 2-3 vote | Yes, on a 3-2 vote |
Endorsed by Finance Committee | Yes, on a 4-3 vote | No, on a 0-7 vote |
Endorsed by Select Board | No vote was taken | No vote was taken |
Other notable organizational supporters | Nantucket Together, Advisory Committee of Non-Voting Taxpayers | ACK Now, the Nantucket Land and Water Council, Nantucket Neighborhoods First |
The complete Special Town Meeting warrant with the Finance Committee's recommendations can be found at this link.
The Special Town Meeting begins this Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at 5 p.m. in the Mary P. Walker Auditorium at Nantucket High School.