Real Estate Broker In Support Of Short-Term Rental Compromise Article

To the editor: Dave Iverson, along with several other community members, including Carl Jelleme, deserves praise for months of dialogue and listening that resulted in an article reflecting compromise in the long-brewing debate over short-term rentals. With a Special Town Meeting ahead, Article 2 offers the best chance yet for a solution to a six-year controversy.

From the real estate side, after another banner season, our calendars have already flipped to 2026, and homes are actively being booked amidst an appeal of a Land Court ruling that short-term rentals are not an allowable use under our zoning bylaws. The vacation rental business on Nantucket has evolved into an industry. Our firm’s rental activity has grown by 50 percent over the past eight years — a pace likely similar to the other 37 agencies on the island, though modest compared to Airbnb’s reported 10 percent annual growth projections. The financial incentives will continue to drive STR supply, and tenant demand will remain strong so long as the economy remains strong and landlords provide the amenities today’s vacationers expect.

That growth makes it clear the industry, like nearly every industry, needs reasonable guardrails, particularly given the erosion of year-round housing within our community and the added strain on infrastructure and natural resources. Zoning, a forward-thinking approach to inevitable growth, was first enacted in 1972 and has been amended numerous times since. While not always perfect, it has long shaped the island’s development. Now it is time to view short-term rentals with the same kind of long view. Article 2 would permit short-term rentals as an allowable use under zoning, but with measured constraints. The article would allow owners to rent up to 70 nights annually, with a cap of 49 nights during peak summer weeks. Leases of 32 days or longer would not be counted towards the 70-night cap.

Many communities have already addressed short-term rental growth through bans or complex regulations. This compromise is neither—it is fair, simple, and enforceable. Island voters have debated this issue for six long years. It’s time to resolve in November with a Yes vote on Article 2.

Sincerely,

Bill Liddle

Note: I have spent my career in the island’s real estate profession, and I am a co-owner and broker in an island firm. These views are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my company or associates.