VRMA Administrator
Mount Desert, Maine, Planning Consultant Noel Musson and the Land Use Zoning Ordinance (LUZO) committee heard negative opinions on a proposed short-term rentals licensing ordinance at a public hearing on Feb. 21. The purpose of the ordinance would be to document the number and location of short-term rentals in the town, to help determine what effect, if any, short-term rentals have on the year-round housing shortage. The Select Board had asked the LUZO committee to look into the issue and come up with a proposal. Scott Jerutis, one of the speakers at the hearing, called the proposed licensing ordinance “a huge overreach.” He said, “You’re not going to accomplish anything about the housing crisis on the island through this legislation. The only way this is going to be accomplished is if you build more houses."
Mount Desert Islander (02/22/23) Dick Broom
