I urge Portland residents to vote no on ballot Questions A and B. Restrictions to short-term rentals were proposed to create affordable housing, but restricting short-term rentals on Portland’s islands will not create affordable housing.
Many island homes are seasonal; the cost of turning them into year-round housing is prohibitive. Middle-class homeowners like me rely on short-term summer rentals to sustain the cost of homeownership, because everything – from construction to heating, gas and insurance – costs more on the islands. My cottage on Peaks Island is not an investment property.
I visited and stayed on Peaks for years as a short-term renter before I bought a home. If the referendums pass, I may be forced to sell to wealthier individuals who wouldn’t need the rental income at all. Please vote no to help middle-class homeowners and the many small businesses on the island during an already difficult economic period.
Urjasi Rudra
Peaks Island
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