Nantucket residents have overwhelmingly voted down a zoning proposal that might have positioned restrictions on short-term leases because the island has seen an explosion of Airbnb and Vrbo listings in recent times.
Nantucket Town Meeting voted 378-558 for the controversial short-term rental article, soundly defeating the proposal after a prolonged debate in regards to the zoning rules and their potential impression.
Article 60 would have positioned limits on short-term leases in residential districts on the island. Short-term leases would have been allowed in residential areas on properties which can be owner-occupied for no less than 6 months a 12 months.
“I brought this article because like you, I care about the island and I’m deeply concerned about the urgent need to take action to protect our community, our homeowners, our neighborhoods and local economy,” mentioned resident Emmy Kilvert, who sponsored the article.
“Right now, homeowners have no zoning protections and full-time commercial interests are taking over neighborhoods and threatening our year-round housing,” she mentioned, later including, “We cannot afford to wait any longer.”
For non-owner occupied properties in residential districts, a short-term rental would have been allowed if all dwellings on the property have been primarily for long-term residential use — and if the short-term rental was registered with the city.
All different short-term leases in residential districts would have been prohibited.
Ahead of Nantucket Town Meeting, The Alliance to Protect Nantucket’s Economy — a number one opponent of Article 60 — employed the UMass Donahue Institute to conduct a examine in regards to the article’s impacts. The zoning proposal might have lower the variety of short-term leases on the island by 95%, in accordance with the evaluation.
Of the two,293 short-term leases on Nantucket, it appeared that solely 114 short-term leases would have been eligible to lease — a 95% discount in a single day. This would have affected the quantity of taxes to the city and customer income to the island’s companies, in accordance with the Institute.
At Town Meeting, the pinnacle of the Nantucket Association of Real Estate Brokers spoke in opposition to the article. President Penny Dey mentioned the zoning change would deal with lessons of possession in another way, seasonal versus year-round.
“If this is not unconstitutional, it is certainly unfair,” Dey mentioned. “Our seasonal owners provide accommodation for 95% of our visitors during the summer, and they also pay more than 80% of our property taxes.”
Residents advocated for the city to let the Short-Term Rental Working Group to current proposals within the fall.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”