Land Court's Ruling On Short-Term Rentals Demands Compromise, Not Recriminations

To the editor: The Land Court has spoken. They’ve told us that our interpretation of some of our zoning laws, which WE wrote and adopted, is illegal.

So, what do we have to do now? We need to come together and move forward constructively within the legal framework Judge Vhay has outlined, and that state, and federal regulations allow; which is both a challenge and an opportunity.

This is about getting the law right, not about who did what or why. Questioning the motives of others in our short-term rental debate is not helpful and will only further polarize the community. Claiming ACK Now wants to stop all rentals is untrue. It has supported various articles over the years, including the recent McClure article that favorably counted friend and family occupancy toward primary use consideration. Criticizing town boards, staff, and representatives doesn’t accomplish anything, either. Hindsight is 20/20. We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it.

My hope is the various interests can respectfully work together, compromise, and present a single, unified article that permits customary short-term rentals in a reasonable, fair, common-sense way with appropriate enforcement. Soon.

Matt Fee