Board reviews short-term rental registration draft and 'good neighbor' policy

The Bridgton Planning Board spent part of its May 19 workshop reviewing a draft short-term-rental (STR) ordinance that includes registration, operational standards, enforcement and a "good neighbor" guidance sheet adapted from another town.

Chair (speaker 1) said the draft follows standard sections (purpose, authority, applicability, definitions, registration and operational standards) and includes an application form and a "good neighbor" policy intended to be host-facing. Committee members urged the inclusion of explicit numeric noise limits in the site-plan or STR language so neighbors and hosts know the exact thresholds.

"Put the noise standards in the actual numbers," urged Committee member (speaker 2), asking that numerical decibel or other measurable thresholds be added to the ordinance text or site-plan standards. Members also suggested making the good-neighbor guidance visually appealing and easy to post in an STR listing (for example, an Airbnb), rather than burying it in ordinance text.

Chair said Brenda will look at adding the noise element to the draft and that Jane will take responsibility for certain STR-related materials. Members suggested minor formatting and user-focused edits, and agreed to circulate the draft for comment.

The board did not vote on the STR language on May 19; members asked staff to make the changes and bring a revised draft back for further review.