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Sandgate Selectboard reviews draft short-term-rental ordinance; debate over definitions and occupancy limits
Summary
The Selectboard discussed a draft short-term-rental ordinance, agreeing to change a proposed stay-length definition to "less than 30 days," debating occupancy limits tied to sleeping areas versus dwelling size, and weighing registration and fee structures; opinions among attendees differed on whether new regulations are needed.
Selectboard member Linda Schmidt said she consolidated ordinances into a draft short-term-rental ordinance and passed it to Rob Viglas for review, noting the draft may be longer than Sandgate requires. Sheila Kearns advised that excluded uses should track the town's Zoning By-laws and recommended a single annual registration deadline for existing registrants.
Jessica Lewis flagged a definition problem in the draft that described a short-term rental as "less than 30 days and more than 14 days;" the board agreed to amend the language to simply read "less than 30 days." Participant Bill Mitchell warned that regulations could create burdens for property owners and said owners should be free to use large properties for rentals. Rob Viglas said unconstrained construction of rental structures could infringe on the rights of residents concerned about increased construction and traffic.
Sheila Kearns recommended occupancy limits be based on designated sleeping areas rather than the whole dwelling and said a parcel should not have occupants spread over more than two structures. Sheila also suggested that if an owner transitions a dwelling into a rental business, the owner should be required to file a change of use application with the Zoning Board. The board discussed fees and an annual registration to fund administration; Jessica Pendleton volunteered to contact Sunderland to learn how that town manages its ordinance.
No final ordinance was adopted at the meeting. The board directed staff to revise the draft language (including the stay-length definition) and to gather information from neighboring towns on administration and fee structures.
