Regardless of the outcome of the ATM vote on proposed STR Articles or future ATM/STM voting, the initial implementation will seek to begin (11/1/2024) enforcement of the existing STR registration and regulation process that was approved at the 2022 Annual Town Meeting.
The recent ruling by the Land Court Judge and the decision of the town not to appeal the judgment puts the decision on the future of traditional vacation rentals in the hands of the voters on May 7.
Nantucket's economy is intentionally based on tourism and vacation rentals to house our visitng families. The 900 hotel/B&B bedrooms do not support a viable tourist economy, nor do they provide a home-like venue to gather, cook and eat together.
The types and operating models of vacation rentals runs the gamut from full family compound with multiple dwellings to unheated seasonal cottages and everything in between. Until the Nantucket STR Registry is populated with local information, the impact of the ruling is unknown and defies accurate prediction. And there are other similar lawsuits that have yet to be decided in court.
You can choose to protect yourself and your livelihood (are any jobs on Nantucket disassociated with the seasonal tourist industry?). A Yes Vote on 59 and 60 with future regulations is easily added by majority vote at future town meetings. Or you can cross your fingers and hope for the best.
If you have felt powerless in the past, and you are weary of the debate, this is your chance to make a difference and move on.
We will do our best to keep our FAQs page updated with the latest information about the STR registry launch and when the online live link is available, it will be posted below.
Although only 1 of the 4 STR bylaws proposed by the STR Work Group passed at the Special Town Meeting in November, there are three STR related citizens articles proposed for the 2024 ATM. Two are simplified and mostly less restrictive versions of General Bylaw (Article 1) and another is similar to the Zoning Article 2 but addresses year round and short term rentals. STR warrant articles begin on page 87 of the link below.
Read them, ask questions at upcoming town warrant review meetings (see our KEY DATES page), and make your decisions on which, if any, to support in the spring.
In a post-STM editorial, the Inky called for a simpler ban on corporate ownership of STRs and that is what Article 60 accomplishes. They posted an online poll to kick off a dialogue they would like to host through editorials and letters to the editor. Although not a professionally developed or distributed poll, it was shared by Nantucket Together and ACK-Now with their folowers and may provide insights and possible surprises. Since the narrative responses to they survey were not publicly shared, the rationale as to why people responded as they did, is unknown.
Contact your local neighborhood associations and the Nantucket Civic League help to voice your opinions so that we can support the Town of Nantucket's process to implement reasonable short-term rental regulations based on facts gathered during the STR registration process.
Sign up to Zoom in or participate in person at open meetings and public hearings that will be announced by the town (see our KEY DATES page).
If you are a resident, please make sure you are registered to vote by April 26 and save the date of Tuesday, May 7 2024 starting 5PM at the high school for the in-person Annual Town Meeting. Further details will be posted by the town.
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