I find it fascinating that Lincoln Millstein does so much of the work that somehow eludes the SWH select people. Why is that? Thank you Lincoln and I hope you stimulate the select board.
Does anyone know how to get more information on the CCI plan for the impacted stretch of Main St? I have not been able to find details on which poles will be moved, where they will be relocated and what other activities are to occur on the properties lining the west side of the street.
I hope that if Tremont registers rentals they will try to collect some additional data that is not available from AirBnB or tax records that would help the town understand the issues more fully. It would be really useful to know which short term rentals are in non-winterized cottages that are not part of the year round housing stock. This is probably a more common situation in Tremont than in Bar Harbor. Also which are used by the owner's family in addition to rentals even if not a primary residence, how long the family has owned the property, and how many years it has been available for rental (as recent new listings online can be for properties that have been rented for years by local brokers.) It could allow the town to see the trends more clearly as a non-winterized cottage in the family for 50 years that was built by the family and is used by the family and rented only to try to keep it in the family is a different situation from a recent home purchased only for rental. Also quoting only rental income is limited as expenses and continual maintenance on a house are more than tax payments.
Rick, I agree. The more information they can collect at the beginning of the process the better. It will help them understand any unintended consequences and be able to tweak things to better target the problems. Also I'd be wary of how the AirBnB data quoted is being calculated. You can't have 98% occupancy over 12 months, even popular Bar Harbor rentals have sporadic bookings during the winter and the Mermaid cottage is clearly blocked from winter rentals so 78% over 12 months seems wrong. They may be using a smaller date range or counting blocked dates as occupied (which would help their statistics and show higher occupancy.) I hope they can provide more details on the calculation to make the data more useful.
Ann, These are very important items you raise. I think the ordinance should include provisions for the owners to provide this information and provide a mechanism for a committee of local citizens or perhaps the Planning board to review the information and rule on applicability. Furthermore local short term rental taxes should primarily be dedicated to workforce housing programs in town.
I find it fascinating that Lincoln Millstein does so much of the work that somehow eludes the SWH select people. Why is that? Thank you Lincoln and I hope you stimulate the select board.
Does anyone know how to get more information on the CCI plan for the impacted stretch of Main St? I have not been able to find details on which poles will be moved, where they will be relocated and what other activities are to occur on the properties lining the west side of the street.
I hope that if Tremont registers rentals they will try to collect some additional data that is not available from AirBnB or tax records that would help the town understand the issues more fully. It would be really useful to know which short term rentals are in non-winterized cottages that are not part of the year round housing stock. This is probably a more common situation in Tremont than in Bar Harbor. Also which are used by the owner's family in addition to rentals even if not a primary residence, how long the family has owned the property, and how many years it has been available for rental (as recent new listings online can be for properties that have been rented for years by local brokers.) It could allow the town to see the trends more clearly as a non-winterized cottage in the family for 50 years that was built by the family and is used by the family and rented only to try to keep it in the family is a different situation from a recent home purchased only for rental. Also quoting only rental income is limited as expenses and continual maintenance on a house are more than tax payments.
Rick, I agree. The more information they can collect at the beginning of the process the better. It will help them understand any unintended consequences and be able to tweak things to better target the problems. Also I'd be wary of how the AirBnB data quoted is being calculated. You can't have 98% occupancy over 12 months, even popular Bar Harbor rentals have sporadic bookings during the winter and the Mermaid cottage is clearly blocked from winter rentals so 78% over 12 months seems wrong. They may be using a smaller date range or counting blocked dates as occupied (which would help their statistics and show higher occupancy.) I hope they can provide more details on the calculation to make the data more useful.
Ann, These are very important items you raise. I think the ordinance should include provisions for the owners to provide this information and provide a mechanism for a committee of local citizens or perhaps the Planning board to review the information and rule on applicability. Furthermore local short term rental taxes should primarily be dedicated to workforce housing programs in town.