West Tisbury Debates Short Term Rental Bylaw

Thomas Humphrey Tuesday, November 28 2023 - 4:25pm

West Tisbury residents got a chance to weigh in on a proposed bylaw to regulate short term rentals in town at a joint meeting of the planning board and short-term rental committee Monday, Nov. 27.

The meeting was the first in a series of planned public input sessions ahead of an official public hearing process said Bea Phear, chair of the short-term rental committee.

Work began on the bylaw two years ago, she said, aiming to address legal issues with short term rentals and limit the impact of investment properties in the community. According to state data, she said, there are now around 315 short term rental properties in town.

The draft bylaw would limit residents to one short term rental property per person, with 12 weeks total allowed to be rented on a short-term basis. The rules would also institute a minimum rental period of one week and require people who rent out properties to reside there for at least one month each year, register their rental with the town and have their property inspected each year.

“The purpose of going through these steps is so that we have some boundaries,” said committee member John Rau, adding that a recent state court legal decision had disallowed current rental practices in much of the town.

“Anybody who is renting their house on a short-term basis is in violation of the existing zoning bylaws,” he said, with the practice now considered a commercial use in residential areas. “We have to do something.”

But some present at the meeting took issue with the bylaw’s provisions.

“This bylaw would put me out of business,” said Julie Braverman Bruno, a seasonal resident who rents her home through Airbnb, an online short term rental service.

Ms. Bruno said she rented out her house for 50 days this year, and all her renters came for a period less than the proposed seven-day minimum.

“They can’t afford to come for seven days,” she said. “I would not have any renters...they would go to another town.”

Planning board member Ginny Jones, meanwhile, spoke in favor of the seven-day minimum, to “keep the community where we know the people that are next door.”

Reid Silva, a member of the short-term rental committee, also criticized the draft bylaw, which he said had grown too complex and far-reaching.

“I wish the planning board would put forth to the town something a little more simplistic and basic, that will get the principles in place to stop proliferation,” he said.

Mr. Silva also thought the increase in rental inspections could strain an already overburdened town building department.

“We can’t even control what we have going on today,” he said. “I just see it as the expanse of a huge program in the town’s building department.”

After more an hour and a half of public input, Ms. Phear closed the meeting.

The next public input session is scheduled to take place in January.

Comments

This is a complete over reach

Peter West Tisbury

This is a complete over reach. I don’t rent my home, but I have in the past, to help with medical bills.
Some folks can’t afford a week/ month stay. Please leave well alone. We want to encourage tourism to our island. That is our bread and butter. We need tourism to support our schools, police, fire etc…

What are these folks thinking

Jean West Tisbury

What are these folks thinking? There is no need for this. What a waste of time and money.
We have already lost so many people that can’t afford to visit because of the short term tax. Now you want to add more regulations???
We need our tourist to have our Island.

They can't afford a week

Ron VINEYARD HAVEN

They can't afford a week because rates are too high. Covid pricing is over. Come down to a realistic weekly rate and you will book up much more easily - and likely with families booking more than just a single week. People are now looking elsewhere - even Europe is cheaper. It's not these bylaws, it the rates.

I could not agree more !!

Marie WT

I could not agree more !!
“Reid Silva, a member of the short-term rental committee, also criticized the draft bylaw, which he said had grown too complex and far-reaching.”
This is another tax we don’t need. There is no need for this. What a waste of taxpayers dime.
If we keep this up we won’t have people coming to our Island. We are a tourist based economy, without them we don’t have an Island. Let’s be smart about this. What is wrong with the way things are? The Town is making a lot of money from the short term taxes.

This is laughable. Rich

Shelley Edgartown

This is laughable. Rich people doing what they can to keep tourists away! They have their slice of the pie and want it all to themselves.

A big step in the right

Trey Williamson Bay State

A big step in the right direction to solving the housing affordability problem!!

It's interesting that now

tom Boston

It's interesting that now people are saying it's illegal to rent one's residential home. That has been going on for many, many decades.

I agree with the proposed by

Mark G Vineyard Haven

I agree with the proposed by-laws. You cannot have it both ways…it’s either your home or a commercial, income property. Price gouging visitors to bankroll your island lifestyle is not acceptable. The short term rental market on island has gotten completely out of control and I am thankful to see proposed remedies. I am all in.

This should be put to a Town

Kate West Tisbury

This should be put to a Town vote. I do not support this at all. I don’t even rent my home..
We cannot do this. What a waste of time and taxpayers money. We already pushed people away because of the short term tax. We rely on this resource revenue. Let’s support tourism not hurt it.
I vote no!!

Thank you planning board.

Alistar WT

Thank you planning board. This is an important first step to preserve the character of the island. Short term rentals are a scourge on the community—they are a commercial use in a residential zone and they drive up real estate prices thereby pricing local residents out.

I don’t understand why we

Joe West Tisbury

I don’t understand why we would want this. Of course we don’t want high rise hotels/motels. You can’t tell me I can’t rent my home for a week or two? What’s happening to my Town? We need tourist's so we can survive as an Island. So I and others can have jobs to support or families.

This constitutes nothing less

Otto West Tisbury

This constitutes nothing less than Town seizure of private property. A house is a house, and is taxed via the Town’s property tax. What difference does it make to the Town who lives in the house?

The subsidized housing advocates are using the Town to bludgeon people into submission to their ideas. This is wrong on so many levels.