Love them or hate them, short-term rental properties are already part of our Oxford landscape. They can have a significant impact on both immediate neighbors, the neighborhood, and the community as a whole.
Currently, the Town regulates issuance of licenses for STRs based on factors such as lot sizes and adequacy of street parking. We do not appear to have imposed limits based on the number of licenses on a given street, neighborhood, or in the Town as a whole. Is this a problem? Maybe, maybe not.
I want to hear from the people in our community who have concerns about STRs.
I am interested in whether residents believe they are negatively impacted by STRs, and in hearing ideas about how we could address issues raised by STRs. We should have data on how many STRs we have, how many of them are properly licensed, and how many are complying with the existing requirements of Chapter 20 of the Town Code.
When talking about STRs, we also need to weigh the Town’s interest in supporting businesses who provide lodging against the interests of property owners who want to use their homes as STRs. I believe that the Town has a legitimate interest in favoring hotels and resorts over homes in residential areas for purposes of overnight lodging.
This is a conversation that the Town needs to have sooner, rather than later. The longer we wait to discuss proposals like imposing limits based on factors like density or location, the more difficult it is to square those restrictions with the property rights of owners who purchase with the expectation of using the property for the purpose of STRs.
However, before our town drafts any new resolutions, we need to make sure that we have identified real problems that need real solutions, and that changing our regulations for STRs will actually address those problems.
If I am elected Commissioner I will:
- ask residents and property owners where they stand on STRs and whether they have concerns or issues with STRs,
- compile the history of any complaints against STRs in Oxford for reference and context,
- look at regulations enacted in other similarly-situated towns with respect to location and density of STRs,
- obtain guidance of our Town counsel on what types of regulations we can enact, what authorities we have, and what are the existing property rights of owners,
- gather all of this information together and provide a presentation to the town of what I have found, and provide a forum for informed discussion about any issues and possible solutions,
- if there is support for additional regulation on STRs, move promptly to draft and implement such further regulations as make sense.
I, personally, think that this is an issue that needs discussion because I do not want Oxford to become a place where so many homes are occupied by short-term renters that it detracts from the beauty and livability of our town.
