Wells schedules public hearings on short‑term rental overlay and lodging‑occupancy rules after planning board concerns

The Select Board voted Aug. 1 to schedule a public hearing on Aug. 18—and a joint hearing with the Planning Board on Sept. 1—on an ordinance to create a short‑term rental overlay district and to amend lodging‑facility occupancy and permit language.

Planning Board representative (speaker 6) told the board the planning board reviewed the proposed changes and raised several concerns, including whether the overlay would create many nonconforming existing uses, how to treat parking (previous town practice had required one parking space per bedroom but state law limits some local controls in designated growth areas), and whether to set a minimum length of stay or limit the frequency of short stays. He said planning staff had drafted language to protect nonconforming residences in some cases and suggested using “temporary worker” instead of “seasonal” to better capture visiting nurses and others.

Board members amended the public‑hearing motion to note the location (208 Sanford Road, Littlefield Meeting Room, or alternate) anticipating a large turnout; the motions to schedule both the Aug. 18 and the Sept. 1 joint hearings passed unanimously on the evening’s votes. The planning board asked staff to keep working on nonconforming‑use language, parking definitions and occupancy‑permit procedures before the public hearings.

No ordinance text was adopted on Aug. 1; the schedule gives residents additional opportunities to comment and for staff to resolve open questions before any final vote.