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Westerly council opts for workshop, data gathering before action on short-term rentals
Summary
Faced with competing recommendations, the council agreed July 21 to hold a workshop and gather targeted data (economic impact, zoning overlay options, geographic delineation) before drafting zoning-based short-term rental rules to protect housing stock and neighborhood integrity.
The Wesley Town Council on July 21 deferred immediate action on a proposed short-term rental (STR) ordinance and agreed instead to a workshop and data-gathering phase.
Several residents, including Lisa Ferraro and others who spoke during public comment, urged the council to ground any STR regulation in careful analysis of local housing stock, hotel-tax revenues, tax incidence and the ratio of STRs to total residential properties. Ferraro pointed out that about 400 STR registrations exist amid roughly 10,600 residential properties in the town nd urged rigorous study before drafting restrictions.
Councilors disagreed about whether the Economic Development Commission or the Planning Board was the right first stop. The town solicitor advised that court decisions in other Rhode Island towns point to zoning-based approaches as the legally defensible mechanism to regulate STRs; several councilors therefore recommended planning-board involvement. Others felt the EDC's economic perspective would be useful for an impact study.
The council agreed to these immediate steps: compile a list of public questions and concerns, direct residents to submit written input, schedule a public workshop to collect and discuss empirical data (economic impacts, geographic overlay options and zoning language), and request solicitor and planning-board guidance on zoning approaches. Council members also discussed short-term measures such as registration fee increases and enforcement tools while the study proceeds.
Why it matters: STR regulation can change neighborhood composition and the town vailability of year-round housing. Local governments that regulate through zoning generally produce stronger legal defenses if challenged.
Next steps: Council asked staff and the solicitor to compile the planning board dvice already provided, gather examples from comparable towns, and prepare an agenda and dates for the public workshop.
