UMass presents short‑term rental study to Yarmouth Affordable Housing Trust; trustees ask for deeper local-impact analysis

The UMass Amherst Donahue Institute presented an updated short‑term rental study to the Town of Yarmouth Affordable Housing Trust on Jan. 20, 2026, and trustees asked researchers to expand local impact analysis before the report goes to the Select Board.

Kerry Spitzer and Michael McNall, members of the UMass project team, said the revised report adds acknowledgements, updated data, town tax‑revenue estimates for short‑term rentals (STRs), a flow chart of potential regulatory impacts, and a clearer breakout of impacts on year‑round housing. "Most short‑term rentals in Yarmouth are owned by Massachusetts residents," Spitzer said, and the finding aligns with state research by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

Trustees pressed the researchers on whether local regulations would produce more year‑round units. "Provincetown’s market is different—higher prices and a 52% seasonal rate—so regulatory effects there don’t translate directly to Yarmouth," McNall said, noting Yarmouth’s seasonal vacancy rate (about 30% in the report) and lower price levels make regulatory outcomes less certain. The UMass team reported the town’s STR rate and seasonal vacancy have been relatively stable in recent years, though app‑based platform data do not extend back as far as the vacancy series.

Trustees and local officials identified potential policy tools reviewed in the study, including qualitative unit caps, stay limits, lease‑to‑local incentives, owner‑occupancy requirements, local emergency contact rules, restrictions or design limits on accessory dwelling units, waiting periods for newly acquired homes, and taxes or exemptions targeting second homes. Mark Forest said STRs can compete with motels and convert second homes to short‑term use; Robert Lawton voiced concern about corporate purchases of units. The UMass presenters said the quality‑of‑life and market context matter and that some strategies are incentives while others are regulatory.

Town Planner Kathy Williams asked UMass to add more detail on the town’s Community Impact Fee; Planning Board Chair Joanne Crowley recommended softening the study’s opening language about impacts to avoid overly definitive conclusions. Chairman Robert Whritenour confirmed UMass will present the study to the Select Board on Feb. 24, 2026, and the Planning Board may join that meeting.

The Trust did not take any regulatory action at the Jan. 20 meeting; trustees asked for clarifications and additional material before officials consider ordinance or policy changes.