Short-term rentals appear to be impacting neighborhoods and could be unsafe, according to members of the Marion Affordable Housing Trust.
The committee met on November 14 and discussed this and other topics, including how to make Marion housing more affordable.
Trust member Eileen Marum said these rentals are not inspected for code or for local authorities.
Norm Hills, the Select Board’s representative on the trust, said because there is nothing in the bylaws about short-term rentals, there is no way to enforce rules.
The town has an accessory dwelling unit bylaw but nothing pertaining to short-term rentals. Marum and Hills both mentioned that a short-term rental could bring in 10 people on a weekend for a septic system only designed for two people. There could be fire or other code violations, but local authorities would have no legal means for forcing ownership to correct them.
Hills, citing his conversation with Town Counsel, said there is no way the town can enforce issues connected to short-term rentals unless there is a bylaw on the books.
Marum also said it likely contributes to the high prices of housing these days. For instance, if 10 homes are for sale but two are set aside for short-term rentals, that drives up the housing prices for the other eight.
“It’s disrupting neighborhoods,” she said.
Marum recommended that a group look at some of these related issues, especially as the trust is interested in revising the ADU bylaw.
Marum also recommended that the trust get involved in programs that would help locals buy homes at a more affordable price in Marion. She suggested Department of Public Works personnel, teachers or even local nurses as candidates.
She mentioned the town should become more involved in fuel assistance or energy savings programs for current homeowners. Marum also cited programs that help aging homeowners make their homes handicapped accessible.
Most of Marion’s housing stock was built before 1970, Marum said.
In another matter, the trust expressed interest on a tax-foreclosed property on Point Road. The town could use Community Preservation Act funds and possibly work with Habitat for Humanity on a rehabilitation project on the home, which sits on a lot measuring close to half an acre.
The trust plans on drafting a letter of interest to the Select Board.
Member Toby Ast delivered some bad news to start the November 14 meeting, reporting that Marion’s application for Mass Housing’s community partnership program was declined.
The program assists communities with affordable housing planning and development. Ast said only two communities out of 12 were selected and speculated that the communities chosen have affordable-housing employees, unlike Marion.
The next meeting of the Marion Affordable Housing Trust was not announced upon adjournment.
Marion Affordable Housing Trust
By Jeffrey D. Wagner