🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Nantucket, MA
Judge’s Ruling Deals Blow to STRs in Historic Nantucket
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Judge’s Ruling Deals Blow to STRs in Historic Nantucket
Nantucket’s short-term rental (STR) debate just got a lot more real. On June 7, a Massachusetts Land Court judge ruled that short-term rentals of primary homes—less than 31 days—in the Residential Old Historic (ROH) zoning district are not legal under Nantucket’s current zoning bylaw.
That decision comes after years of back-and-forth between seasonal property owners, year-round residents, and local officials. The ruling, from Judge Michael Vhay, reverses a 2024 Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) decision that had allowed Peter and Linda Grape to operate STRs on West Dover Street. Now, unless the property is owner-occupied and renting individual rooms, STRs under a month are off-limits in that neighborhood.
This ruling applies only to the ROH district, but the implications are broad—and for many, troubling.
“It’s a far more damaging decision than the first one,” said Planning Board Chair David Iverson, who’s been urging voters to settle the issue through legislation. “We’ve tried to solve this locally for five years. The failure to act has now opened the door to stricter interpretations.”
Indeed, six previous Town Meeting efforts to explicitly allow STRs under the zoning code—including this year’s Article 66—have failed, despite growing public support. The most recent vote garnered a majority but missed the two-thirds threshold needed to pass.
Town Counsel John Giorgio had warned this might happen:
“If you don’t fix this here, a judge in Boston will decide for you,” he said before the vote.
And now that judge has spoken.
Meanwhile, STR critics are celebrating. The case was brought by Cathy Ward, a Silver Street resident, and funded by ACK Now—a political group formed to push for tighter STR controls. Founder Peter McCausland called the decision a “win for neighborhoods,” reiterating that “mini-hotels don’t belong in residential districts.”
But others are asking: what happens next?
Town officials are moving quickly. A closed-door session between the Select Board and ZBA is scheduled for Tuesday, June 10 at 4 p.m. to discuss a potential appeal—especially to delay immediate impacts on signed summer rental contracts.
LIVE STREAMING IN TOWN OF NANTUCKET - SELECT BOARD
For now, the ruling adds to the cloud of uncertainty hovering over STRs on Nantucket. With legal ambiguity, polarized public opinion, and a busy summer season in full swing, the pressure is on for town leaders and residents to finally reach a consensus on what short-term rentals should look like in Nantucket’s future.
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