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Select committee says historic shocks and rising short-term rentals explain Harpers Ferry's long-term population decline; urges survey and blight review
Summary
A select committee told the Harpers Ferry council that historical events and a rise in short-term rentals help explain a long-running population decline and recommended a social-capital survey, a blight assessment and legal follow-up on rental options; the council did not vote on regulatory changes.
Harpers Ferry — At a special meeting April 29, a select committee presented an interim report concluding that long-term population decline in Harpers Ferry is largely linked to historical economic shocks and a recent rise in short-term rentals, and recommended further study and modest next steps.
Paul Mayhew, chair of the select committee, told the Harpers Ferry Town Council the group aimed to produce “a data-driven roadmap for the town council.” The committee — Mayhew, Amanda McDaniel and Mike Rock — said they compiled historical population series, compared Harpers Ferry with nearby towns and reviewed academic literature to identify contributors to decline.
“We're just turning over rocks and reporting what we discover,” Mayhew said, summarizing the committee’s neutral approach and the work that produced the interim findings.
Mike Rock, the committee’s statistician, said the team’s regression analysis found three primary contributors: the long-ago 1924 flood and other historical…
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