Stockton will continue to monitor the short-term rental situation

STOCKTON SPRINGS – More than a dozen residents from both sides of the city’s short-term rental dispute gathered at the City Office on October 24 to discuss their concerns and how they think the city should go forward.

The select council discussed short-term rentals last year and their perceived effect on affordable housing, but decided to do nothing about it, instead waiting until this fall to reassess the situation, the council said. City Manager Mac Smith at the meeting.

Board member Betsy Bradley said she hadn’t heard any more complaints about short-term rentals since the last discussion and hadn’t seen an increase in short-term rentals term in town.

At times, the discussion drifted to affordable housing issues. Some people thought the city should change some of its property ordinances to accommodate more housing.

The housing need is linked to seasonal work in the area, said resident Maura Gammans. Because there are people who only live in town in the summer and then move out in the winter, she said, short-term rentals are one of the city’s “key employers.”

During the pandemic, people were coming to town to buy properties and many weren’t turning them into short-term rental properties, resident Carol Colley said. They brought their “foreign state revenue” which helped the community, she said.

“They brought their money, they developed the house, they made it beautiful and it all benefits Stockton Springs,” she said. “The look, the money they brought in, the tax base, and it’s all properties that are on the ocean.”

Resident Linda Benjamin associated short-term rentals with affordable housing because people bought homes that would have been affordable for families and turned them into Airbnb rentals, she said.

“So to be able to split it completely, I’m not sure you can,” she said. “I hope you can, because we would like to see affordable housing and welcome families. That’s what we want to see.

Bradley said when she first moved to town, people described Stockton Springs as a retirement community and families didn’t move there. This problem predates the pandemic.

Resident Stephen Benjamin said some of those present at the meeting were short-term rental landlords and were there to protect their interests. “And they’re here to protect their position and they’re here to protect their investments,” he said. “…You hear about a very damaging group, OK?”

His comment elicited verbal responses from those present at the meeting. Board member Damon Shute said the select committee should help and protect everyone. “It’s their livelihood, a lot of these people, and they want to be able to keep doing it, but we don’t want it to affect you,” he said.

One resident said those with short-term rental properties at the meeting weren’t just there to protect their interests, as any new orders would have little impact on their existing operations.

Stephen said the city hasn’t addressed any issues with short-term rentals for 2½ years. “I agree, maybe we shouldn’t talk about short-term rentals anymore if we’re really not going to do anything about it,” he said. The comment prompted responses from several other residents who agreed.

The city can’t do much about affordable housing because it’s driven by the pandemic, the economy and several other factors, making it difficult for city officials to do, Shute said. “You can’t fix this, it’s huge,” he said.

Owner Jane Rago has been coming to Stockton Springs since she was 5 on summer vacation, she said. She grew up loving the city and spends five months there every year. They only rent out their property for eight weeks a year to help fund her family’s eventual full-time move to the city.

“It’s a way that helps bring the clock closer to our ability to do that,” she said. “So I want to make sure it’s not just this monolith, like you’re out-of-town investors or living here full-time. Some of us are a bit of both.

Her family took financial hits to better respond to complaints from neighbors as a show of good faith, she said. His neighborhood counts more than a profit. She does not give her guests access to the shore near her property, to which she has a vested right, to help deal with complaints from neighbors.

A resident said the city already has ordinances restricting short-term rentals in residential areas and warned the city to be aware of the problems short-term rentals have caused across the country. “There’s no reason to think that the problems that arise in Savannah, Georgia, or Boston, Massachusetts, or Iowa, will be any different from the problems that arise…in Stockton Springs.” he declared.

George Skala said an Airbnb could be someone’s first experience in Maine. Owners of short-term rentals “have a lot to lose”, he said, and their discretion should be trusted.

Jessica Brows believes decisions should be data driven. And that data doesn’t suggest short-term rentals are picking up, she said. “We’re not seeing an increase in short-term rentals – that needs to be recognised,” she said.

She suggested the city consider changing lot size limits in certain areas. Many families could use more leeway to place a second residential structure for aging family members or young adult children. They could also be used for short-term rentals to help families financially when not occupied by other family members.

Holly Beal said she has complaints about long-term tenants on a property near hers, which is operated by an out-of-state management group, noting that many of the same issues are present with rentals. long-term.

City officials should continue to monitor the situation and develop a “simple” ordinance in time with “simple” regulations on areas of the city where short-term rentals are present, allowing current owners of rentals to short term to continue their activities, Shute said.

Bradley said she supports a short-term rental registry and recognizes the efforts of short-term rental owners to address public concerns.

The city’s short-term rental registry is voluntary and there are no plans to create an ordinance or take other action at this time, Smith said in an email to the Republican Journal after the meeting. City officials will continue to monitor the short-term rental situation and consider affordable housing as a separate issue.

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