Tisbury selectmen are once again considering new rules for short-term rentals ahead of this year’s town meeting.
Against a backdrop of rocketing demand for vacation rentals on the Cape and Islands, state lawmakers are anticipating the passage of a sweeping tax on short-term rentals.
Saying it had not received enough public airing, Tisbury selectmen voted last night to pull a bylaw from the town meeting warrant that would regulate rental properties in town.
On the heels of a planning effort aimed at expanding Island housing opportunities, the Chilmark planning board has begun investigating short-term rentals such as those offered through Airbnb.
A series of recently-completed housing plans show a year-round population straining under the weight of rents and mortgages amid prohibitive building costs and the pressures of a seasonal real estate market.
In the next few weeks, almost a dozen families are being displaced. Kids out of college are finding nowhere to go; elderly people and adults alike are stumbling over the housing deficiency.