Final Draft- Ordinance - Short-Term Rentals

Ahead of the final Community Conversation on STRs, we have put together a final draft of the proposed Ordinance. Since putting forward a preliminary draft on December 9, 2022, we have welcomed input from community members, as well as held consultations with our Town Attorney.

We have outlined the key changes below. These changes reflect input we have received on the preliminary draft, as well as advise from our Town Attorney.

As we have previously shared, we wanted to take a unique approach to tackling this complex issue. While it is not always feasible, the issue of addressing STRs in the community offered us an opportunity to engage residents and allow that engagement to drive the process of drafting this Ordinance. 

The key question we have and continue to ask is- what is best for the community of Stonington, both today and for the future? And with that in mind- does this Ordinance strike the right balance for our community?

We will be offering an opportunity to come together to discuss the final draft on January 18th. Similar to our past three meetings, we plan to continue to explore new formats for engagement through small group discussion followed by a broader group engagement. The objective of this meeting will be to finalize the draft Ordinance, which we hope will represent residents' views on a balanced approach to STRs in Stonington.

If you are unable to attend, we welcome input before the meeting, by noon on January 18th.  The Ordinance will then go to a Town Meeting for discussion and vote, tentatively on February 27th.

Key changes include:

• Primary residence requirement would now only apply to those who purchase a residential home in Stonington following the passage of the potential ordinance. Those operating STRs under this provision will also be allowed to transfer their permit with the sale of their property. This was changed due to many concerns raised that this did not strike the right balance for the community, and potential legal challenges.
• The violation fees have been modified to reflect limitations placed on municipal fees per State Statute.
• The requirement to post registration permit and contact information was removed due to privacy concerns.
• Prohibition of events was removed. In addition to potential legal challenges, it seems this provision will not be enforceable and the new 24/7 contact should address the concerns that this clause was meant to address.
• Required response time was changed from 30 minutes to 60 minutes due to concerns regarding the feasibility of responding within that short timeframe.
• The ability to have more than one contact was clarified.

More information on the January 18th meeting can be found here. 

For more information, contact:                

Danielle Chesebrough, First Selectman, 860-535-5050

or

Susan Cullen, Economic & Community Development Director, 860-535-5093