Let Homeowners, Not STR Regulations, Control Nantucket Real Estate

To the editor: We are in a battle for who controls the land on Nantucket. The years’ long effort to pass legislation to drastically cut the number of STRs is effectively an attempt to accelerate the rate at which Nantucket becomes a haven for the ultra wealthy at the expense of current homeowners, many of whom will be forced to move off the island.

In other words, vote No on Articles 67, 68 and 69.

Will this soon be an island for primarily the ultra wealthy who want to prohibit most short term vacation rentals? Already the number of short term renters is declining, costing the Town millions in tax dollars and forcing many residents to move off island. It also will mean a changing economy, one that serves the ultra wealthy versus the traditional vacationers Nantucket has served for decades. This is what the ultra wealthy want; an island for themselves.

It is time to stop asking Nantucket voters to vote against their own financial interests. Targeted intervention to legislate a faster transition of the island to an enclave for the ultra wealthy at the expense of those currently living on island - year-round or seasonal - is simply unfair and wrong.

And what about Article 66? Article 66 does not mean a “STR on every corner” as opponents allege. Just the opposite. Given the current economy and the decline in short-term rentals, we do not need to worry about more STRs.

The purpose of Article 66 is to close the gap between the law on the books and the law in action regarding vacation home rentals. The law on the books does not prohibit STRs but neither does it specifically allow them. Of course, for over 100 years Nantucket vacation rentals have been recognized as legal by the Town government and by the Commonwealth when they instituted the Short-Term Rental tax for STRs.

Passing Article 66 will close the door on the ability of the ultra wealthy to file lawsuits against homeowners who are exercising their widely recognized legal right to rent.

Vote Yes on Article 66 so that you, not the ultra wealthy, control the future of Nantucket.

Jane Lahey Delano