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Residents and board grapple with short-term rental enforcement as revaluation proceeds
Summary
Springfield officials reviewed multiple short-term rental (STR) applications and enforcement steps, including cease-and-desist orders and incomplete site-plan filings, and discussed how the town revaluation could affect STR owners’ tax burdens.
Kara Zaleskas told the Board of Selectmen on Aug. 11 that her family pays about $20,000 a year in property taxes across three lake properties and expressed concern that the ongoing town revaluation will not account for short-term rental income, which she called a possible "considerably burdensome" increase.
The issue formed the bulk of the Zoning Coordinator/Health Officer report. Officials described a mix of enforcement actions, incomplete applications and continued review: Tyler Rowley received a denial without prejudice and a cease-and-desist for operating an STR while outstanding site-plan conditions remained; Jose Ossa (115 Woodcrest) received a ZBA special exception but his site-plan review was found incomplete at a July hearing; and several other properties (including projects for Shannah Stone, David Saggese, Sindum Li & Shanli Liu, Tanya Prime, Andre Keplar, Anthony Pavati, and Bernard and Katrina Cahill) were in various stages of the special-exception and site-plan process.
Board members said the town’s attorney is drafting notices to owners of five properties whose rentals are currently "in limbo," informing them they must cease renting while approvals are unresolved. Tamara Butcher, who handled the coordinator’s report, told the Board that the notices will explain that operations must stop while the approval process is completed.
Health and septic concerns also factored into enforcement discussions. Zaleskas told the Board one of her family’s properties, 156 Four Corners Road, had not been used as a residence for about 15 years and that she was trying to locate its septic. Tamara said owners who claim a property has been abandoned for residential use should file an email to the Health Officer so a record can be placed with septic files; any request for waivers will be reviewed by the Health Officer and the Select Board.
The Board discussed administrative fixes to the life-safety inspection process, including separating the life-safety checklist fee as a separate, refundable check so applicants who do not proceed to that step can receive a refund. The Board also noted that a 2022 Special Exception for 140 Woodcrest predated current procedures and that similar cases would now be handled differently.
Why it matters: The town is balancing enforcement of local STR regulations, public-health/septic requirements, and ongoing statutory changes to land-use law while residents worry about the financial effects of a revaluation.
What happens next: The Planning Board will continue site-plan review of outstanding applications; attorney-drafted notices will be issued to properties required to halt rentals; Avitar revaluation notices are scheduled to be available Aug. 25 with mailings on Aug. 28, and the town will offer appointments for residents with valuation questions.
