Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Short Term Rental Study topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Affordable Housing Trust hires UMass Donahue Center for short‑term rental study; focus group set for March 18
Summary
The Affordable Housing Trust funded a UMass Amherst Donahue Center study of local short‑term rentals; trustees plan a focus group March 18 and committee members were asked to complete a related SurveyMonkey questionnaire. Committee members also discussed HOME consortium funding and federal procurement constraints.
YARMOUTH, Mass. — The Town of Yarmouth’s Affordable Housing Trust has hired the UMass Amherst Donahue Center to study the town’s short‑term rental market and assess whether policy or incentives could shift units toward year‑round rentals.
Staff said the Trust will host a focus‑group interview on March 18 at 3 p.m. to gather committee input for the study and invited committee members to participate. The Trust is funding the work and staff said paper copies of a related SurveyMonkey questionnaire are available for residents who prefer not to respond online.
Committee members discussed approaches used elsewhere. Staff cited Provincetown’s incentive program that paid property owners to convert seasonal units to year‑round rentals; a referenced figure for Provincetown was about $20,000 per unit in direct payment plus an approximate 25% administrative fee to run the program. Committee members said towns vary in their approaches: some limit short‑term rentals to owner‑occupied primary residences; others impose minimum‑stay rules or registration requirements.
Separately, committee members discussed the HOME consortium and CARES/ARPA/BABA funding status. Staff summarized that the HOME consortium historically provides regional HOME entitlement funds used for affordable housing, and that a recent federal funding tranche remains somewhat constrained because of Build America, Buy America (BABA) and other federal requirements that affect procurement and allowable purchases. Committee members were advised those constraints may delay spending until federal guidance is finalized.
Why it matters
Short‑term rentals can reduce the supply of year‑round housing. The Donahue Center study will inform whether Yarmouth should craft local regulations, incentives or other programs to preserve rental stock for residents and workers.
What’s next
Focus group with UMass Donahue Center: March 18 at 3 p.m. (Affordable Housing Trust meeting). Staff plans to post study materials and a summary of focus‑group findings when available.
(Reporting note: Quoted program details about Provincetown’s incentive are staff‑reported examples; committee did not adopt a local program at this meeting.)
