Residents question new short-term rental limits as Selectboard defends ordinance

Several town residents pressed the Londonderry Selectboard on a proposed short-term rental (STR) ordinance amendment during public comment on May 5, saying the changes could have economic side effects for homeowners and local service providers.

Resident Dan McKenna said he agreed with the ordinance's added safety requirements but questioned two elements: the one-year waiting period before new owners may rent and whether an economic impact study had been completed. McKenna said the limits on yearly rental nights could reduce potential rental income and therefore future home values, and he indicated he would file an appeal.

STR property owner Barthley Thomas asked what prompted the amendment and noted that many STRs are locally owned as business opportunities. Thomas argued that other local businesses do not face caps on operating days and warned reduced rental days could hurt house cleaners, maintenance firms and similar local vendors. "Many STR are owned by locals as business opportunities," Thomas said in his remarks to the board.

Selectboard members, including Chair Thomas Cavanagh and member Martha Dale, responded that the ordinance was drafted from community feedback aimed at limiting absentee 'party houses' while balancing growth and safety. Dale said the STR Committee reviewed practices in other Vermont communities and nationally and tried to balance economic and safety concerns. The board did not vote on the ordinance at the May 5 meeting; public comment and the threat of an appeal were recorded.