Short-term rentals spark long discussions

The Town Board is still listening, but after three months, members aren’t ready to draft a resolution aimed at finding a balance between the interests of landlords and neighbors who complained about disturbances caused by some renters.

For close to an hour Tuesday, the Town Board debated the issue. Several of the approximately dozen people in attendance offered opinions before Supervisor Jim Dougherty called a halt to the discussion, saying the board isn’t yet ready to suggest a draft resolution.

Councilman Jim Colligan opened the discussion, drawing agreement from his colleagues that some form of registration is necessary and there needs to be enforcement of existing codes and adherence to good neighbor policies concerning noise, water use and lighting of rental properties. But there were differences when it came to the details.

Councilwoman Mary Dudley suggested a minimum 14-day stay with registration for all landlords renting properties on the Island. She also recommending creation of an annual “bank” of seven-day rentals to accommodate those Island residents who rely on such shorter-term rentals to make ends meet.

She suggested that owner-occupied rentals fall within the town’s code for bed & breakfast establishments and thinks there are adjustments to that code should be reviewed for possible changes.

Ms. Dudley spoke about research she has done, citing communities that totally ban short-term rentals and others that limit them to 30-day minimums.

“The character of the Island is being threatened,” Ms. Dudley said and pointed to Dublin, Ireland, where short-term rentals are driving up year-round rental prices; to Washington, D.C. that requires short-term rentals to be owner-occupied; and to San Francisco, where the airbnb concept got its start, but where it is now banned. There are also companies becoming “middle men” in coordinating rentals where the owners aren’t involved in the transactions, Ms. Dudley said.

Resident Chuck Kraus objected to the comparison of Shelter Island to the various cities Ms. Dudley listed, and the councilwoman acknowledged the Island has its differences from some of the places she listed. But she said looking at other communities can help to identify what steps the Town Board can take to avoid future detrimental changes to the environment and the community.

Resident Gerard Lareau said there are companies buying homes for short-term rentals and “they don’t care a wit about us.” He implored the Town Board to “keep us as a community.”

Some board members thought any regulation should apply year round.

“Wow, that’s a big hammer,” said Councilman Paul Shepherd, known to favor the least restrictive legislation possible.

“The registration part is fairly benign,” Mr. Dougherty said. Three members — Mr. Dougherty, Ms. Dudley and Mr. Colligan — favored registration of all properties used for rentals.

“I’d like to keep it simple,” Mr. Colligan said.

He’s in favor of:
• Registering all rentals
• Limiting occupancy to two people per bedroom and require advertisements to list the maximum number of people allowed in a rental unit
• Revisiting any enacted legislation at the end of the summer of 2017

Resident Linda Kraus suggested:
• A one-week minimum stay
• Seasonal enforcement
• A requirement that there be someone in charge of the property available on a 24-7 basis
• Adherence to a good neighbor policy
• Enforcement of the existing noise ordinance
“There are a lot of people who really depend on the rentals,” Ms. Kraus said.