Opinion: Concerns regarding proposed short term rental bylaw

To the editor:

I want to state up front that these comments are mine as a concerned resident of Marion, and are not intended to represent any Board or Committee that I may be a part of. 

1.     This draft Short Term Rental bylaw is a copy of Fairhaven’s bylaw. It shows no research and input of good ideas from any other Town’s bylaws. 

2.     No documented justification for proposing that STRs are by-right in almost all zones in Marion is provided. Current Marion bylaws allow conversion to two dwelling units with Zoning Board of Appeals approval and a B&B needs either Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals approval. STRs are no different than a motel or hotel which are commercial uses. Commercial uses are non-conforming uses in a Residential zone and require a Special Permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals. This document does not justify Commercial uses in a Residential zone; especially by-right. Town residents deserve supporting documentation that justifies this significant deviation.

3.     Likewise, there is no documented justification for eliminating a cap on the number of STRs in Marion or for not limiting the number of STRs under one ownership. Again, Town residents deserve justification for these apparent arbitrary decisions.

4.  Rental duration is not addressed. Hourly rentals should be prohibited and there should be consideration of a minimum rental of 2 consecutive nights. 

5.     A lot of discussion has addressed families that let relatives and friends use their property sometime during the summer. There should be a discussion about possibly exempting properties that are rented less than 21 days per calendar year.

6.     Last, everyone should know that Town Counsel has opined that because there is no existing Marion bylaw allowing STRs; there are no legal STRs in Marion.

Sincerely,

Norman Hills

Marion