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Yarmouth awards short-term rental study to Donahue Group; board cautions limited regulatory choices
Summary
The Planning Board was told the short-term rental RFP was awarded to the Donahue Group (UMass Dartmouth) for about $80,000—$100,000 to inventory rentals, assess revenue and evaluate impacts on year-round housing and wastewater; members noted existing wastewater ties may restrict regulatory options but that a sunset clause exists.
The Planning Board on Nov. 6 heard that the Town of Yarmouth awarded a short-term rental study RFP to the Donahue Group for an amount reported in the $80,000 to $100,000 range.
A board member said the study will inventory short-term rentals, track trends and revenues, and evaluate whether short-term rentals are affecting year-round housing supply. The Donahue Group, which has worked with other Cape towns, will use proprietary data sources and methods beyond town datasets to quantify the market, the board was told.
Planning Board members noted the town's close relationship between short-term rentals and wastewater permitting and revenue: roughly 75% of short-term rental wastewater revenue was discussed as contributing to the wastewater program, a dynamic that could constrain the town's regulatory options. The board also noted a sunset clause exists for short-term rental regulations that could affect future policy choices.
One member urged caution about potential effects on the hotel industry, citing a Provincetown study by the same firm that identified hotel-market impacts from short-term rentals.
Next steps: Donahue Group will complete the study and present findings to the town; the Planning Board and staff will consider study results before proposing any regulatory changes given wastewater and revenue constraints.
