Beverly Ban To Be Reviewed After Being Deemed 'Difficult To Enforce'

BEVERLY, MA — Beverly could one day in the near future be a destination for short-term vacation renters — including through AirBnB, VRBO and other rental agencies — pending the recommendations of a special committee the City Council voted to establish to re-examine the ban and enforcement policies around the current restrictions.

City Councilor Danielle Spang said in a letter to the Council that while the bylaw currently prohibits rentals of less than 28 days to anyone other than licensed lodging houses (such as hotels), "if you look online at any given time, there are dozens of (Beverly) units listed for short-term rentals."

She said the formation of the special committee would consider whether to ease the rules to provide the option to residents looking to increase their income and to visitors to the city as a means of economic activity, or whether to take steps to solidify the ban that is already in place.

"The policy has been very difficult to enforce," Spang told the Council on Monday night. "So I asked to convene a special committee to be action-oriented to either enforce the policy as it exists or whether the policy should be changed. Some municipalities allow for an owner-occupied short-term rentals (for instance)."

Spang said the special committee will hear perspectives from property owners and landlords, renters and tenants, the Beverly Housing Authority, City Clerk's Office, Planning Department, Inspections Department, and other relevant departments.

City Council President Julie Flowers will be charged with forming the committee and determining the number of people who will serve on it.

"I don't have a number in my head at this point," Flowers said. "But I am mindful that for committees to be action-oriented and to work well, having a number that doesn't feel unwieldy and overly large (is ideal).

"That would certainly not prohibit stakeholders and people who are interested from coming, attending the meetings, and still having them able to be part of the conversation, whether or not they are on the official committee."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)