SOME VERY IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:

NAREB Full Member Principals met this morning and welcomed Jim Sulzer, a member of the former Short-Term Rental Work Group, who presented the two STR Articles that we will be voting on at the Special Town Meeting beginning at 5:00 PM on November 7, 2023 at the Mary P. Walker Auditorium at the Nantucket High School. Please note that the STR articles are the first ones on the warrant (Articles 1 and 2). We are in the process of scheduling a Zoom Meeting for all members of NAREB with Jim Sulzer. Stay tuned.

The deadline for voter registration is this Friday, October 20th.

LINK TO REGISTER TO VOTE.

Please make sure that you are registered to vote on Nantucket in order to have your voice heard. It comes down, as it has for the past 3 years, to who attends Town Meeting to exercise their vote.

SHORT TERM RENTAL ARTICLES 101

At the most recent Nantucket Annual Town Meeting, it was voted to establish a work group to identify specifically what issues need to be addressed, gather information, evaluate data, and produce some action items for a fall town meeting regarding short-term rentals on Nantucket (now known as STR’s). The Short-Term Rental Work Group was formed one year ago and the nine volunteer members have spent hundreds of hours meeting, doing research and gathering public input. One of the requirements for the group was that anything brought forward had to have consensus support from at least 7 of the 9 members. The group was successful in coming to agreement and produced a set of articles for the Special Town Meeting on November 7, 2023. The articles are a combination of general by-law changes and zoning and they are linked together.

The main features of Article 1 (general by-law, requires a majority vote) are: 

It protects existing properties for the purposes of STR renting. After November 7, a property that is sold is no longer protected, and new structures after that date are not protected. It allows owners who STR to have up to 9 changes of occupancy in high season (July and August). An owner may operate multiple STR’s if all are protected. 

If your property is not protected as an STR you can have only 4 changes of occupancy during high season, an owner may operate only one STR and no corporations may operate an STR.

Only corporations whose properties are protected will be allowed to STR.

And no STR’s will be allowed in deed-restricted (affordable) units or an apartment or townhouse unless they meet the requirements for protection.

The main features of Article 2 (zoning, requires a 2/3 majority vote) are:

It would establish STR’s as a primary use under zoning - but only if the STR obeys all of the regulations set forth in Article 1. Which will stop the lawsuits being brought on the basis that renting one’s private home is a “commercial use in a residential zone.” Note that the Town of Nantucket and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (who are taxing STR's) believe that the rental of one’s private home is a legal use.



It is important to note that if either Article 1 or 2 does not pass, neither Article will go into effect and we will be right back where we were three years ago.

IMPORTANT: NEW WELL TESTING REQUIREMENTS

In September 2023, the Nantucket Board of Health adopted updated Board of Health Regulations for Private Wells, Chapter 386. The Board of Health staff worked with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Drinking Water Program to update their existing municipal regulation governing private wells. During this regulatory review, the Health Department incorporated language from the public comment period, the MassDEP Drinking Water Program Model Board of Health Regulations for Private Wells (Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection), and the MassDEP Private Well Guidelines. This updated regulation will be used by the BOH to regulate private wells used for drinking water and irrigation purposes.

The regulations include the addition of a well testing requirement for PFAS prior to the transfer by sale of a property with a private well and for all new well permits. These regulations go into effect January 1, 2024. 

WINTER COAT GIVEAWAY

If anyone has any questions, suggestions, or comments please reach out directly to a member of the NAREB Ex. Board.

Thank you.

Penny Dey, President

Brian Sullivan, Vice President

Susan Shepherd, Treasurer

Kate Sayle, Secretary

Robert Sarkisian, Member at Large