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Carrabassett Valley board opens review of seasonal rental incentives to aid workforce housing
Summary
The Select Board discussed adding long-term rental incentives to its Work Plan and reviewed four options to address short‑term rental impacts on workforce housing, including two local fee models, a Lake Placid model linking fee revenue to housing, a state-level plan advocated by the Maine Municipal Association, and a federal option described as a long shot.
Select Board members on July 28 began a preliminary review of seasonal and long‑term rental incentive options aimed at easing workforce housing pressures tied to the growth of short‑term rentals.
Select Board member Roddy Ehrlenbach requested adding Long‑Term Rentals to this year’s Work Plan. Town Manager Garrett Corbin presented four options: two local approaches (including a model based on differentiated fees for residential, seasonal and commercial units), one state-level proposal supported by the Maine Municipal Association, and a federal-level approach described by staff as unlikely but possible as a long‑term strategy.
Corbin described a local model used in Camden that applied fees for residential ($350), seasonal ($500) and commercial ($1,000) units and suggested the town could develop a Carrabassett Valley variant, including a lower percentage fee for platforms similar to Airbnb. Board members referenced a Lake Placid approach in which fee revenue is dedicated to promoting workforce housing and where operators are held to hotel standards and codes.
Board members discussed enforcement challenges — including interactions with homeowners associations — and possible next steps: asking the Planning Board to study the issue, forming a dedicated committee, or creating a joint Select Board/Planning Board committee similar to one used previously for contract zoning. Corbin said he will compile plans and materials and pass them to the Planning Board for consideration.
