letter to the editor

Wed, 01/31/2024 - 8:45am

Marsha Steinglass

This is the preamble to the Zoning restriction changes regarding ALL rentals in Rockport presented by the Planning Board on January 25, 2024. There is a continuance of this meeting at the Library on Thursday, February 1, at 5:30 p.m.

Edit definition section 604 add section 819 and section 917.

Purpose

Regarding state legislation LD 2003, and its allowance of accessory,dwelIing units (ADUs) without restriction to how these dwellings are used, it is expected that many of these ADUs will be utilized as rental properties, short term or long term.

While the Town is not opposed to rental units of any type, the Town is cognizant of the issue short term rentals (STRs) pose for small communities, such as Rockport by turning small communities into sleeping towns in the summer months and vacant in the winter.

STRs can also affect the year-round housing market in that families wanting to move to Rockport are often outbid by entities interested in purchasing property for rental purposes for only a portion of the year.

With this being said, types of STRs are beneficial to a community. An example would be an STR on an owner-occupied lot to help with some of unexpected expenses to allow a person/family to remain in their house and in the community, or for a landowner to provide a portion of their house for rent for workers in our local workforce.

For enforcement purposes, the language below is proposed to help mitigate issues beforehand and to ensure all rental units have a Certificate of Occupancy.

Why am I stunned? The thoughts expressed in this preamble have no relationship to the lives of our residents or those who do business here. Please be aware of this Town news and speak out if you care.

Thank you for reading and taking action.

Marsha Steinglass lives in Rockport