The Milton Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public workshop at noon, Monday, Feb. 3, to work on an advisory report to the town council on the issue of short-term rentals.
The commission was tasked by town council to explore the idea of regulations regarding short-term rentals from a combination of citizen comments and a desire to get out ahead of a potential influx of short-term rental properties as vacationers look for spots close to the beach.
At its Jan. 21 meeting, the commission scratched the surface of the issue as it looked to define what a short-term rental is, research regulations in other municipalities and explore steps to take to complete an advisory report by March.
Regarding the definition of a short-term rental, the commission agreed a short-term rental is a property that is rented for 30 days or fewer.
The commission also looked at short-term rental ordinances and zoning laws, both local and national, including the neighboring towns of Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, as well as guidance from the National League of Cities.
Both the commission and town council agreed they want to see Milton get out ahead of the issue of short-term rentals, as websites like Airbnb and VRBO become more prominent for vacationers looking to come to the beach.
While it was not heavily discussed by the planners initially, the topic of taxing short-term rentals also came up. Some of what spurred town council’s actions were recent discussions by Sussex County Council regarding a proposed 3% tax on short-term rentals, discussions of which began following passage of a state law that authorizes counties to enact a tax on short-term rentals; the state already has a 4.5% tax on short-term rentals. While county council voted down the proposed 3% tax in December, Mayor John Collier said at town council’s Jan. 13 meeting that all the municipalities on the shoreline tax beyond the state’s short-term rental tax.
In correspondence from citizens submitted to both the commission and council, Milton residents have asked for a range of policy solutions, from not doing anything at all to limiting and strongly regulating short-term rentals.
Resident Kathryn Grieg wrote the town should work to limit short-term rentals.
“The strength of our neighborhoods is related to the well-being of our town, and I believe these types of rentals are detrimental to knowing and helping those who live closest to us,” she said.
J. Dean Abbott wrote to say that as new developments in Milton begin to be built, the town should get ahead of regulating short-term rentals, as many of these new homes could become Airbnbs. He said the town should grandfather existing Airbnbs and bed and breakfasts, but limit the proliferation of new short-term rentals, which he argued can be damaging to the character and security of traditional residential neighborhoods, reduce the available housing stock for full-time residential owners and long-term renters, and are antithetical to the character, historic values and charm of a town like Milton.