It's no way to live.”

Susan Panaggio, on living next to a short-term rental property

PORTSMOUTH — The town is forming a study group to examine short-term rental properties, which some abutters blame for lowering the quality of life in their neighborhoods due to overcrowding, noise, drinking and other problems.

It’s difficult to determine how many short-term rentals exist in Portsmouth. The town knows of about 25, but residents say the number is much higher due to the rise in popularity of online hosting platforms such as Airbnb. One resident said there are more than 100 Airbnb rentals in Portsmouth, while another told the council the number of vacation rentals in town currently totals 600.

Island Park resident Susan Panaggio first complained to the Town Council about the issue in April 2017, and returned night for an update. She lives on a one-way circle on Riverside Street overlooking Blue Bill Cove, and said the proliferation of short-term rentals over the past few years has made life miserable for herself and her neighbors.

Things get worse when Roger Williams University students move in, said Ms. Panaggio, noting she lives next to a studio apartment with “six to eight people crammed in there.” 

One time, she saw some renters throw a glass aquarium in the cove. Ms. Panaggio said she retrieved it — cutting herself in the process — and brought it to police, who did nothing because they did not witness the event, she said. Ms. Panaggio said she spent four hours early one September morning calling police due to a problem at one of the rentals. 

“It’s no way to live,” she said.

Ms. Panaggio said she was not proposing a ban on short-term rentals, but rather for the town to formally regulate them. She said both Newport and Middletown have taken steps to address the problem and have ordinances to deal with issues such as occupancy limits and how many parking spaces are required based on the number of occupants.

Another resident of Riverside Street, Frank Fusaro, said he’s watched drunk college students throw plastic cups into the cove. He’s also seen them swimming across the cove after the Island Park bars close, he said. “Something bad is going to happen to these kids,” he said.

Because the rental properties are overcrowded, so are the neighborhood’s streets, he said. “I can’t even get into my driveway,” said Mr. Fusaro, noting that he must drive the wrong way at times because he has no other choice.

Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr. recommended the matter be dealt with on a “case-by-case basis” through enforcement of the local zoning ordinance and police response, rather than by enacting a new zoning ordinance. 

He also said there have been “relatively few complaints” about short-term rentals in Portsmouth. “We’ve received three complaints since our last meeting on this and we’ve followed it up vigorously,” he said. “We do not feel there is a widespread problem in Portsmouth at this time.”

“Clearly you don’t live next door to one of these,” Ms. Panaggio responded.

Council member Elizabeth Pedro sympathized with the Riverside Street residents, as she lives nearby. “They want the abuse to stop,” Ms. Pedro said.

Several council members said they would support a requirement that all short-term rental businesses register with the town, as well as regulations governing things such as occupancy limit and fire codes. 

For now, the council voted to direct Mr. Rainer to put together a study group — including some of the abutters who spoke Monday night — and report back in four weeks.

School security upgrades

In other business, the council unanimously approved a School Committee request to expedite the distribution of $225,000 in funds in its Safety Capital Budget for safety improvements at all school buildings.

The safety upgrades, such as security phone “towers” and a “hardening” of building entrances, were part of a three-year, $423,000 capital improvement project ratified in June 2017. 

However, the School Committee, on the advice of administrators, decided to speed up the upgrades by voting Feb. 13 to combine the last two years of the plan — $125,000 and $100,000, respectively — in the 2019 fiscal budget. School officials said it was imperative to access the funds as soon as possible so the district can make security improvements to both the middle and high schools during fiscal year 2019.

“The money’s available; we have $460,000 in impact fees,” said council member Linda Ujifusa, referring to fees imposed by municipalities on new or proposed development programs that help pay the costs of public services. “It really makes sense for us to spend these funds.”

Mr. Hamilton said the funds would probably be released to the school district sometime in March, after the council receives state approval to change its current budget ordinance to combine the last two years of the Safety Capital Budget.

Seafood out, burritos in

The council, sitting as the Board of License Commissioners, voted unanimously to grant a victualler license to Salsas Burrito Grill LLC to operate at 108 Chase Road.

The building was previously the location of Samantha’s Seafood, which is now operating at the Montaup Country Club on Anthony Road. Longtime residents will remember the building as the former site of the N.E.P. meat market.

According to the license application, the new Mexican restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.