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This group is no longer active |
Following issuance of its report to the Select Board, the Short-term Rental Work Group’s charge was completed, and the Group was dissolved. Seven former members of the STRWG continued to meet informally and created a series of FAQs to address the public's questions about the proposed STR Articles 1 and 2. Click HERE for more information. |
Short-term Rental Workgroup
The purpose of this document is to provide a DRAFT Framework for the STR Working Group. The Framework will be confirmed by the Select Board, the Planning Board and the Finance Committee and will be the guidelines under which the STR Working Group will be constituted and function.
Agendas & Minutes
Most Recent Agenda (PDF) | View All Agendas and Minutes
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Members
4 At-Large Seats
- John Kitchener, Primary
- Jim Sulzer, Primary
- Karen Zagayko, Primary
- Jonathan W. Delano, Alternate
Planning Board Member
- Primary: David Iverson
- Alternate: Barry Rector
Finance Committee Member
- Primary: Peter N. Schaeffer
- Alternate: Joseph T. Grause, Jr.
Advisory Committee of Non-Voting Taxpayers (ACNVT) Member
- Primary: Peter Kahn
- Alternate: William Gardner
ACK•Now Member
- Primary: Julia Lindner
- Alternate: Carl Jelleme
Nantucket Together Member
- Primary: Kathy Baird
- Alternate: Robin Nydes
Affordable Housing Advocate Member
Primary: Thomas Dixon
Alternate:
Board of Health Designee
- Meri Lepore
Related Documents
- Refining the Package - June 20, 2023 (PDF)
- Presentation to Select Board - June 14, 2023 (PDF)
- Granicus Presentation - October 25, 2022 (PDF)
- May 15, 2023 Data Presentation (PDF)
- May 30, 2023 Data Presentation (PDF)
- May 4, 2023 Data Presentation (PDF)
- April 25, 2023 Data Presentation (PDF)
- Nantucket Short Term Rental Work Group - Meeting #2 - October 25, 2022 (PDF)
- Regulations Governing Short-term Rental Properties - As Approved by the Select Board & Board of Health on 9/21/2022
Steps for confirming the STR Working Group Framework
Who | What | By When |
The Select and Planning Boards, the Finance Committee chairs and 1 designee | Hold the first planning meeting to confirm the DRAFT Framework | 1 June 2022 (Scheduled for 26 May 2022 at 4PM) |
The Select and Planning Boards, the Finance Committee | Either hold individual meetings by group to adopt the FINAL Framework document and to reach full majority agreement with all 3 boards. | 15 July 2022 Finance Committee 6/28/22 Select Board 7/6/22 Planning Board 7/11/22 |
Further meetings as required depending on outcomes. | One more meeting of the group of 6 to reconcile input from the Finance Committee, Planning Board and Select Board. | 3 Aug 2022 |
Proposed Framework
- The STR Working Group (STRWG) will be comprised of nine voting members, representing a broad cross-section of the community.
- 1 Planning Board (primary and alternate) (voting)
- 1 Finance Committee (primary and alternate) (voting)
- 1 Advisory Committee of the Non-Voting Taxpayers (primary and alternate) (voting)
- 1 ACK*Now (primary and alternate) (voting)
- 1 Nantucket Together (primary and alternate) (voting)
- 1 Affordable Housing advocate from the Housing Stakeholders Workgroup (primary and alternate) (Housing Stakeholders Workgroup) (voting)
- 3 at large members (voting)
- Board of Health designee (staff or BOH member) (non-voting)
- In appointing the members, in addition to the criteria above, applicants should be considered who are also:
- People who own STRs
- Year-round owners
- Seasonal owners
- Commercial owners
- People who have concerns about the impact of STRs on their neighborhoods
- Own business interests, e.g. restaurants, landscapers, etc.
- In adherence with the conflict-of-interest guidelines as set forth by Town Counsel and agreed with the Select Board.
- People who own STRs
- The STR Working Group members will be appointed using the Town of Nantucket’s Committee, Board and Commission process.
- All members will be confirmed by a majority vote of the 3 Select Board members (2 are recused), the chair of the Finance Committee and the vice-chair of the Planning Board.
- The 1.c, 1.d, 1.e and 1.f members will be proposed by their respective groups.
- Each group will be asked to propose 3 members and 3.a. will determine who is full-time and who is alternate during the selection process.
- An independent facilitator will be engaged by the Select Board to moderate and manage all meetings of the STRWG.
- The working group members’ commitment will include:
- Attending 95% of the scheduled meetings. Attending 100% of the meetings where critical votes are taken, e.g. the substance of a Zoning article for Annual Town Meeting.
- Missing more than 2 meetings will be grounds for dismissal from the STR Work Group and the alternate will be appointed.
- Reaching 100% consensus on data needed, data definitions and sources of all data.
- Reaching consensus (7 votes out of 9) on any topic that is brought to a vote. The intention of this is for the group to reach compromises, notto enable 3 members to stop the process.
- When this is not achieved, the chair will elicit what work needs to be done to reach 80%.
- Soliciting all input from their represented constituency prior to each meeting.
- Method to be confirmed re: Open Meeting Law (OML).
- Communicating any relevant information back to their constituencies.
- Method to be confirmed re: OML.
- Attending 95% of the scheduled meetings. Attending 100% of the meetings where critical votes are taken, e.g. the substance of a Zoning article for Annual Town Meeting.
- While there are probably more than nine different constituencies for this topic, a working group larger than nine will be difficult to manage.
- It will be the responsibility of the individual members to solicit input from their represented constituency.
- It will be up to the chair to ensure all constituencies who want to actively participate are included in the relevant discussions.
- This will be done, in part, by posting detailed agendas of topics to be covered for each meeting.
- It is expected that Town Administration will play a critical role in identifying solutions for this topic and will be included in all meetings as needed.
- A member of PLUS will provide support for the STR Working Group.
- All meetings will be public and held under Open Meeting Law on Zoom and/or Hybrid to ensure ease of participation by members of the public.
- The Objectives of the STR Working Group are:
- To provide 100% transparency in all discussions, deliberations, and decisions in respect to STRs on Nantucket.
- 100% agreement to the contributing data points, how they are defined, and the necessary analyses for decision-making by the STRWG
- To develop sensible guidelines for STRs that consider (but not be limited to):
- Nantucket’s unique situation,
- the history of seasonal rentals,
- how STRs are developing in similar communities and the impact on Nantucket,
- the economic impact of the suggested guidelines.
- To identify either new Bylaws and/or Zoning that would be voted upon at the 2023 Annual Town Meeting.
- To identify any guidelines that may arise that would support Article 39.
- The STR Work Group will be successful (Goals) when:
- Any articles arising out this Work Group pass at Town Meeting by a significant margin (not just 2/3rd or majority vote), indicating broad public support for the solutions.
- All participants agree to work in good faith.
- After the pre-meeting, the group of 6 will:
- Take the updated draft Framework back to their respective boards and committee for their input. (In progress.)
- Hold another meeting by July 31st to align the input from the 3 boards.
- Make any final edits and publish the Framework as final.
- Ensuring any relevant points raised during Public Comment are considered in the final Framework.
- Once constituted, the agenda for first meeting of the STR Work Group will be to:
- Adopt the Framework, Objectives and Goals.
- Agree “way of working.”
- How will decisions be made and confirmed? (See proposed guidelines in 5.c. above)
- Meeting frequency and platform (Zoom, Hybrid)
- Identify actions to be taken if people/members don’t adhere to the Framework.
- Review existing data, identifying any gaps. Agree definitions, sources, timing and endorsing the data to be used for decision making.
- Agree communication plan, identifying the what/who/how/when for each element.
- Agree an approach for community outreach and engagement.
- Set the agenda for the next meeting and the meeting schedule.