Short-term rentals may be regulated

By NEAL RENTZ

The Lewisboro Housing Committee is proposing an ordinance to regulate short-term housing rentals. 

The issue was discussed at the April 14 Lewisboro Town Board meeting.

The objectives of the proposed ordinance are to “Provide the town with suggestions that balance the rights of property owners with concerns of the adjacent homeowners/occupants and considers the impacts on infrastructure and ensure compliance with all municipal, state and county regulations.”

The Housing Committee’s recommendations also stated that it wanted to deter investors in residential property with the only intent to create short-term rental businesses. 

A short-term rental is defined under state law as a rental of less than 30 days. 

Among the Housing Committee’s recommendations are: all zones could have short-term rentals; the maximum number of occupants would be two adults per bedroom, not including children; occupants, including guests, could not park in a way to block roadway access for emergency vehicles; there could be no corporate ownership of homes used for short-term rentals; and permits would be required with a fee.

Supervisor Tony Gonçalves asked the committee to look at short-term rentals and see if it could come up with regulations, Housing Committee Co-chair Linda Rae said at the meeting. 

“We began by researching regulations in a number of other towns,” including in such counties as Westchester and Putnam, as well as communities in Connecticut, Rae said. “We weighed those against the zoning recommendations of the Lewisboro Comprehensive Plan consultant.” 

The committee also spoke with Building Inspector Kevin Kelly, she said. 

“We also had quite a few complaints brought to our attention from residents in regard to the disturbance caused by these short-term rentals, particularly in the lake communities, where houses are often closer together. People cited large, noisy parties,” Rae said.

Rae said some of the homes are advertised on Airbnb “as wonderful party venues.” Some of the short-term renters have shot off fireworks, she said there are also garbage overflows and “parking is crazy,” she said.

“We were really looking for a balance between owners’ rights to use their own properties as they wish, but also with the rights of neighbors to live in peace in their own homes,” Rae said. 

The committee took into consideration what the appropriate regulations should be for Lewisboro, which Rae described as a semi-rural town with a large variety of neighborhoods. The unanimous consensus for the Housing Committee’s proposal took many months of discussion, she said. 

Gonçalves said the Town Board was not going to make a decision on the Housing Committee’s recommendations at the meeting and he wanted his colleagues to read the document. If Town Board members had any comments about the proposal they should submit them to the Housing Committee, he said. 

Councilman Dan Welsh said, “one of the key elements” of the Housing Committee’s proposal was the owner-occupied portion. “Are you allowing people just to buy these as investment properties and they don’t live there” or do they live there and also rent the properties out? he asked. 

Gonçalves told Rae that there are already state laws regulating short-term rentals. The Housing Committee’s proposals do not conflict with state law, Rae said.

The town needs to come up with guidelines for property owners who rent out their houses, Gonçalves said.

Councilman Richard Sklarin asked Rae if she knew how many homes in Lewisboro are, on average, rented out on a short-term basis. 

“There are several hundred at any given time,” Rae said. “Some communities limit the number. We decided not to weigh in on that.”