The Tiverton Town Council will hold a public hearing Monday, Nov. 14, to allow residents to weigh in on the latest version of a proposed zoning ordinance amendment intended to regulate short-term rentals (STRs) in town. 

The draft amendment, once approved, would impact both new and existing STRs, including properties advertised on online sites such as Airbnb and Vrbo. Currently, because no such regulations exist in Tiverton for these types of businesses, they are technically not allowed.

The draft has been a work-in-progress for more than a year. Councilors have been gathering feedback on it from STR owners, many of whom have expressed worries that the new rules will hurt their businesses. Based in part on these concerns, councilors have revised certain provisions of the document several times.

As part of the amendment process, planning board review is needed to ensure the document aligns with the town’s comprehensive plan. The planning board addressed the issue at a meeting in early October.

During that meeting, Tiverton resident Barbara Martin was one of several community members who spoke. She suggested town officials take a different approach by looking at the ways other municipalities in the state, such as Middletown, Portsmouth, and Westerly, are regulating STRs. Martin also critiqued specific provisions in Tiverton’s draft amendment, including those relating to parking, occupancy, inspections, and the definitions of certain terms.

“I do not feel this draft ordinance is ready for prime time,” Martin said. “It clearly needs more work in order to protect the Town of Tiverton and its citizens.”

After further discussion, planning board members voted unanimously to return the document to the town council with a statement that it could not come up with positive findings relating to its alignment with the Comprehensive Community Plan.

“Members of the board and members of the public have raised a number of issues,” board Chair Stu Hardy said. “There are too many areas where there appear to be inconsistencies with the comprehensive plan and with the purposes of zoning.”

Board member Peter Bramante was more direct in his criticism of the ordinance.

“I think it’s not ready, and that’s what we should say. It needs a lot of work.”

When the town council met the following week, councilors had not yet received the planning board’s formal written opinion on the document. However, to meet state legal requirements relating to timelines, they agreed to proceed with scheduling of the public hearing in November.

Council president Denise deMedeiros said the planning board’s opinion would be part of the discussion at the public hearing.

“We are not making any decisions whatsoever,” she said, noting that the public hearing will provide the council an opportunity to review the planning board’s statement and to hear once again from the community.

“We may decide to rewrite it. We may decide to have a committee look at it. But I think it’s important we get all the public opinion we can and then go from there. That’s what a public hearing is all about.”