Groton Long Point looks at short-term rentals

Residents raise concerns about turnover, parties

Groton — Groton Long Point is the latest community grappling with what to do about short-term rentals.

More than 70 people attended a community forum Tuesday evening to hear a presentation from Groton Long Point Association’s Short Term Rental Ad Hoc Committee and to voice their opinions.

The community has a history of seasonal rentals, and more than 40% of homeowners have rented out their homes. The committee has been researching the issue and surveying homeowners. Many homeowners started out as renters, according to the committee’s presentation.

But many residents on Tuesday said they were concerned that properties are being rented on a shortterm basis for a day or weekend, creating a lot of turnover of people, while some properties are being rented for parties and to a large number of people at once. They called for action before the community is changed.

However, some homeowners were opposed to trying to limit what people can do with their properties or said they were responsibly renting their properties on a short-term basis.

Survey results

Noank has banned short-term rentals under 30 days, unless “owner occupied,” while the Town of Groton’s Planning and Zoning Commission is working on the issue for the town, according to Tuesday’s presentation.

The Groton Long Point community has a “Good Neighbor” approach that encourages property owners to voluntarily register their short-term rentals so authorities know who to contact if there is an emergency, according to the presentation. Property owners are encouraged to give shortterm renters information about beach and pet etiquette, parking, trash and recycling and ordinances.

Groton Long Point Association President Amanda Gallagher, who also serves on the committee, said the committee was asked to “develop a balanced approach to managing the short-term rental challenge in a way that protects the unique character of the community while at the same time protecting the rights of homeowners.”

The committee has been revisiting the issue and a recent survey in Groton Long Point yielded about 207 responses — or about a third of the community’s 628 homes.

The Groton Long Point survey found that about 10% of houses are available for some kind of rental, with two-thirds of the houses rented out for less than 30 days, according to the presentation. The survey found nine houses have been rented out for less than a week.

The survey also found that 10% of people who rent their homes use Airbnb or VRBO 65% use Realtors, 17% use family and friends and 7% use other means.

About one-third of respondents said they prefer more restrictions than are currently in place, ranging from requiring a stay of at least two weeks to banning short-term rentals.

The committee’s presentation said its analysis “does not support the perception” that short-term rentals are more responsible for noise, poor beach etiquette, speeding, or parking issues than homeowners, guests, or “uninvited day visitors,” but some speakers pushed back against this and said they had made complaints about bad behavior from short-term renters.

Gallagher said a recent state Appellate Court decision, involving the Pine Orchard Association in Branford, raises uncertainty about how effective a potential ban on short-term rentals would be, and the community, which does not have the same infrastructure as the town, also needs to choose a solution that can effectively be enforced.

Residents voice opinions

Resident Karen Costello presented her proposal which includes requirements for owners of short-term rentals, including that property owners register their property as a short-term rental, explain trash and recycling pickup and be available within a hour of being contacted by police, fire, or association officials. Owners who don’t comply would first be given a written violation, and then a second violation would result in a fine. These actions are currently voluntary under the Good Neighbor approach.

She also proposed that the association, at some future date, ban short-term rentals at any new developments or resold properties.

“It is fair to the current property owners, but also it is feasible if we want to keep that family culture that we so all came down here for: why we all purchased the property we did,” Costello said.

Resident John Keleher said that based on the court case, he thinks short term rentals are a police issue, not a zoning issue. He said it’s important to enforce rules and require people to have a parking pass and if there is a noise complaint, then it’s important to go over and shut it down. He said that is the short-term solution.

Michael Flannery said he wanted to offer a counterpoint to many concerns raised. He said his wife’s family has owned a home in Groton Long Point for the past 80 years and to hold onto the house, he rents it out on a short-term basis to make ends meet.

He said he tries to be as responsible as he can. He said he only had one issue in the past three years of renting the home and showed up at 6 a.m. the next day to tell the people causing noise to leave.

“I’m very proactive if there’s a whiff of a party or an excess number of adult guests,” he said. He said he encourages families with children to rent the home, and he takes steps, including registering on the voluntary website. He said responsible homeowners would be willing to take many of the steps Costello raised.

Mary Lee Grisanti, who has been in the community for a year, said her rental experience led her to buy her home, but she also has seen some of the problems that go on. When she was looking to purchase a house, she decided not to buy a beautiful house because it was next to a house that was being rented as an Airbnb.

She told The Day that she has seen issues in other communities with investors buying properties for short-term rentals.

The committee’s presentation called short-term rentals “an evolving challenge” and the police and fire departments will track issues related to short-term rentals. The presentation said a “leading indicator” to watch for is an increase in the number of investor-owned houses, which in other communities has changed the nature of the challenge “and typically requires more aggressive community controls.”

Gallagher said the committee will reconvene to consider the community’s feedback from the forum before making a recommendation to Groton Long Point Association’s Board of Directors, the governing body for Groton Long Point.

Any change in bylaws or ordinance also would need approval from the association’s membership, but that is not likely to happen before July 2024, according to the committee.