🎯 STRisker: Bulletin - Orange, New Haven County, CT
Orange Draws a Line on Short-Term Rentals After Neighborhood Uproar
One Loud House, One Big Rule Change
If anyone ever doubted that one problematic property could change a town’s entire policy, Orange just proved otherwise. As of Dec. 9, short-term rentals under 30 days are officially prohibited in residential zones, following months of neighborhood disruption tied to a single Ridgeview Road home that locals say pushed them to the breaking point.
The Town Plan and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to adopt the new rule, hoping to restore peace in areas where residents felt blindsided by sudden, hotel-style turnover. Longer-term rentals are still allowed, but quick vacation stays—including AirBnB and Vrbo listings—are now off the table.
The flashpoint was 473 Ridgeview Road, a modern ranch with an indoor pool that became wildly popular with guests—and a headache for everyone else. After being purchased in August 2024 by CLSE Holdings 3 LLC, neighbors said the property transformed into a revolving door of loud, late-night groups. A petition signed by more than 300 residents listed complaints ranging from street noise to overflowing trash to emergency responders showing up regularly. Some residents reported large gatherings and inappropriate behavior spilling outside the home.
Social Listening 🎧: Podcast
Policy talk doesn’t just happen in the news cycle—it can also live in long-form audio. STRisker’s Podcast Signal turns hours of episodes into actionable insight, indexing transcripts so you can surface key mentions of STRs, ordinances, and local decision-makers in seconds.
Town officials found that the property had been converted and advertised as something much larger than its zoning allowed. When the zoning office inspected the home, they confirmed unauthorized modifications and issued a violation in July. By late August, the TPZ had ordered an immediate halt to all commercial activity there. The LLC appealed but never sent a representative to defend its case—while neighbors lined up to support enforcement.
First Selectman Jim Zeoli said the town’s goal isn’t to reject visitors, but to keep residential neighborhoods functioning as intended.
“You have to take action when it becomes a problem,” he said, noting the number and intensity of complaints tied to the property.
AirBnB responded by warning that bans limit residents’ ability to earn extra income and reduce lodging options for families traveling together. The company pointed to its party-prevention screenings, community support line, and law-enforcement portal as evidence of its efforts to curb the very issues raised in Orange.
Orange’s stance aligns with a broader trend sweeping Connecticut and beyond. East Haven, West Haven, and Milford have all moved toward stricter STR limits recently. Nationwide, cities wrestling with tight housing markets are increasingly rethinking how many short-term rentals they’re willing to allow—New York City’s 2023 crackdown being the most dramatic example.
New Haven, for now, has nearly 1,000 active short-term rentals and no specific STR zoning rules, though staff say the issue remains under regular review.
For Orange residents, though, the resolution is already here: fewer weekend crowds, fewer surprise guests, and hopefully a return to the quieter pace they’d come to expect.
Stay Updated with STRisker
STRisker offers tools and features to keep you updated with the Short-Term Rental movement across the U.S.
👍 We’d love your feedback.
We're always looking for ways to improve Bulletins.
Was this one useful to you? Other topics you'd like to see get covered?
✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!
-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading this Bulletin? Feel free to forward this along. We want to make sure operators and stakeholders are aware of regulatory changes in their area.