Home News Southold Town Government Town board votes down controversial short-term rental legislation

Town board votes down controversial short-term rental legislation

After months of discussion and a sharply divided public, the Southold Town board voted down draft short term rental legislation today.

The draft legislation read that short term rentals could be no less than seven nights.

While Councilman Jim Dinizio voted “yes” for the legislation, stating that he felt it was a good start, Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell voted “no.”

“I think we can do better with legislation to address the problem,” Russell said.

Councilwoman Jill Doherty also said she felt the legislation would not be effective without proper code enforcement; she voted no.

The measure was defeated.

After the vote, Dinizio explained that he voted for the legislation because the board invested a lot of time in developing the draft and public discussions. “I believe that this law would have been the best chance to get some enforcement. I guess we’ll have to see,” he said.

After a marathon public hearing on the short-term rental issue, those for and against sites such as airbnb.com weighed in, with a major source of contention being the requirement regarding the number of nights for short-term rentals.

When asked by email earlier this month what they believed next steps would be regarding the legislation, board members offered their thoughts.

“The input I am getting from the public overwhelmingly supports a longer rental duration than the seven night requirement in the noticed code,” Russell said.

Councilman Bob Ghosio reminded that he’s said publicly that he believes the proliferation of short term rentals and the apps that make it possible to find even daily rentals of homes “has, in some cases, changed the feel of a traditional neighborhood. These short term rentals can change how secure a full time resident feels in their own neighborhood because of the constant turnover of the people around them. This is unsettling for many. The problem gets worse if the rental is used for parties every weekend.”

That said, however, Ghosio noted that the public hearing brought out a lot of opinions and discussion that has given him pause in making a decision on two fronts — the length of time to allow for short term rentals and how to enforce any codes currently on the books to help mitigate any issues.

“I want us to get this right,” Ghosio said.

Councilwoman Jill Doherty agreed stating the need for code enforcement. “We can pass all the codes we want. If we don’t have the manpower to enforce them, what good are they?”

As for Dinizio, he said he likes the law “just the way it is, because it doesn’t add any new restrictions. However, it will take a concentrated effort by the code enforcement officer and the town attorney’s office.”

A sea of residents have stood sharply divided on the issue, with some crying out against short-term rentals and the disruption they pose to the North Fork’s bucolic way of life. Others said short-term rentals are an economic generator and allow families to rent their homes so that they can afford to live in the area. Some felt short-term rentals should be held to the same standards as B&Bs and hotels, paying occupancy tax and other fees.

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