Questions That Need To Be Answered On Short-Term Rental Proposal

To the editor: It is time for the voters of Nantucket to FULLY understand the potential impacts of Article 2 on the community. For the last five years, ACK•Now and their supporters have accused homeowners who rent their houses to visitors as the destructive force ruining the island community. Article 2 suggests that limiting rentals to 70 days a year, hence eliminating all rents of less than 32 days for 295 days a year, will solve all the various issues facing the island.

Following are questions being submitted to the Planning Board and Finance Committee that must be answered so voters can anticipate the true impacts of the rental restrictions Article 2 proposes.

1. Given that, on average, over 100 new homes are built each year, will Article 2 help reduce traffic congestion on Nantucket?

2. Do you expect houses that cannot rent for longer than 7 weeks in the Peak Season will sit empty the other 29 days in the June 15 to August 31 peak season?

3. If passed, how does Article 2 create affordable housing opportunities?

4. Has the Town done an impact study of the ramifications of Article 2 on our local economy? What might the consequences of greatly reducing shoulder season rentals (only 21 days out of 287 days a year) be?

5. If Article 2 passes, are all properties currently renting prior to passage protected as a non-conforming, pre-existing use and therefore not subject to these rental restrictions?

6. Currently 93 percent of short-term vacation visitors rent private residences short-term. Has the Planning Board considered what happens to these visitors if Article 2 passes and therefore reduces the amount rental days available in the Peak Season?

7. Article 2 restricts the numbers of rental days available in Peak Season for nearly all rental properties (Hosted Stay properties are exempt). Has the Planning Board considered the impact on reducing supply in the face of continued strong demand? Should not rental rates for both houses and hotels/inns/guest houses go up, thereby making Nantucket even more expensive to visit?

8. Hotels and Inns are only allowed via Special Permit in the CDT, CMI and CN zones. Special Permits require difficult and often contentious Public Hearings to gain approval. There is just one “Y” designation, in the RC Zone. But the RC Zone has been greatly reduced over the years. It is located at the end of  Jefferson St, at the old Electric Company property, for a few isolated lots on Washington Street and off Orange Street in the Marine Home Center area. Will the Planning Board make new hotels and Inns more widely permissible if Article 2 passes? Or, is the ultimate goal of Article 2 to reduce short term vacation visitor stays, especially in the shoulder season?

9. Article 2 reduces the number of days a homeowner can rent in the Peak Season to 49 days. And, they can only rent for an additional 21 days (out of 287 days) the rest of the year. If Article 2 passes, many long time multi-generational summer families, who rent to maintain ownership of their houses, may have to sell. We see that older homes are routinely torn down or significantly renovated into larger seasonal homes that requires more services. These new homes stress our infrastructure and add more service people to maintain them. This adds more year round traffic and housing demand. Is this a net positive for Nantucket?

10. How will the Board of Health ensure that homeowners do not rent for more that 49 days in June 15 to August 31 Peak Season or more than 70 days a year? If a house is being used, but not rented, will homeowners be required to report to the Board of Health prior to that occupancy? Will the Board of Health send employees to properties to confirm the house is not being rented?

11. What is the cost of enforcement of Article 2? The Finance Committee meets at 12 p.m. today, Friday, October 10. Please attend this meeting and ask that Board and Committee members consider and answer the above questions and issues.

Sincerely,

Edward Sanford
Retired carpenter, boat builder, cottage rental manager and real estate broker