Block Island could limit short term rentals. Here's what it would look like.
NEW SHOREHAM − Short-term rentals on Block Island could soon get a little bit of regulation, as the Town Council contemplates an ordinance to put a few new rules on their operation.
The contemplated ordinance was the result of feedback from workshops with the council, Town Solicitor Nick Solitro said during a special council meeting Monday afternoon.
What would the short-term rental ordinance do?
The requirements of the proposed ordinance run the gamut, from setting a minimum stay and occupancy limit to requiring owners to list their contact information.
Some of the proposed rules are:
Five-day minimum stay in two residential zones (RA and RB).
Occupancy limit of two people per bedroom, with a maximum occupancy set by a septic system's limits.
Name, address and telephone number of the property owner must be provided to the renters.
$250 annual fee would be charged.
Property would be subject to inspection by the building official and fire chief.
A parking plan would be required.
A local representative must be named.
Short-term rental owners object to ordinance
Kate Butcher, owner of Block Island Realty, said the ordinance should be revised to reflect that many older buildings don't meet requirements for bedrooms and that the ordinance would limit maximum occupancy to a septic system's capacity, but many properties are connected to the sewer system.
"The parking plan, that will throw some of these people over the ledge," she said. "Honestly, we have plenty of parking; this is not city rentals, where there is no off-street parking."
Butcher also took issue with the requirement that a property owner's name and telephone number be listed on the property.
Other residents, who did not identify themselves, complained about a minimum-stay provision for rentals in two of Block Island's four residential zones.
Mary Stover, owner of Beach Real Estate, said she had an issue with the proposed $250 yearly fee for each short-term rental unit. Short-term rental property owners on Block Island already pay a lot in taxes, she said, and more than their "fair share."
The proposed ordinance states the registration fee is intended to offset the costs to the town of regulating short-term rentals.
A total of 344 short-term rental units on Block Island are registered with the state. If all those rentals were to pay the $250 fee to the town, it would result in $86,000 in yearly revenue.
How does Block Island's proposed short-term rental regulation compare?
Broadly, there are four different avenues that cities and towns have taken to regulate, control or discourage short-term rentals. They are:
Requiring registration.
Putting limits on occupancy and location.
Requiring short-term rental properties to be owner-occupied.
Banning short-term rentals in many zoning districts.
Block Island's proposed regulation would require registration and limit occupancy to two people per bedroom, with a cap based on the size of a septic system. That means if a house has a septic system rated for four people and it has three bedrooms, the maximum occupancy would be four people.
Is your town regulating them? Short-term rentals are booming with online bookings.
Block Island's proposed regulations would be a soft touch compared to Newport's, where the only short-term rentals allowed are owner-occupied in its residential districts. Newport also requires one off-street parking space per bedroom for short-term rentals.
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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Short-term rentals on Block Island could be limited by new rules
