Resident urges board to reconsider short-term-rental grandfathering; board cites ordinance deadline

A Londonderry resident asked the Select Board on the public-comment portion of the agenda to reconsider the town's short-term rental registrations and to treat two additional structures as grandfathered under the town's ordinance. The resident said she and her family paid fees online, submitted signed applications, and believed an Act 250 decision allowed 11 units to be recognized as existing. "Please don't take this the wrong way because we're tremendously grateful we've been grandfathered in," the resident said, describing financial strain and withdrawn sale offers after listings were removed.

Town staff and counsel described the ordinance's grandfathering rules and the first-year registration window. The administrator explained that the ordinance and the advice of the town attorney require an application and registration by the stated deadline to qualify for grandfathering. A board member summarized staff advice: the ordinance is clear and the town administrator has authority to administer renewals under the rule. "There's no leeway here," the Chair said, noting the town attorney's interpretation.

Board members expressed sympathy for the resident's hardship and frustration with the online submission process, and they encouraged petitioners to document payments and attempts to submit applications. However, the board declined to overturn the ordinance's deadline or to treat the late-recorded application as qualifying for grandfathering. The discussion identified a potential process improvement: staff and the board agreed it would be helpful to make the online payment/application process and registration steps clearer so future applicants do not face the same issue.