Rather than face a potential fight with the City Council over how to keep Airbnb and its kin from eating Boston, Mayor Walsh has pulled his proposed regulations to allow for possible changes.
In a message to the council, Walsh acknowledged "important and complex questions" have been raised over the past couple of months and said he now needs more time to draft a better proposal."
Walsh had proposed a series of regulations in January that would have created different types of short-term rental units - investor owned vs. rooms or floors in an owner-occupied house, for example - and fees.
On Monday, Councilors Michelle Wu (at large) and Lydia Edwards (North End, Charlestown, East Boston) said the measure didn't go far enough to restrict investor-owned units and introduced amendments that would have banned investor-owned short-term rentals completely.
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Comments
Good!
By Boston_res
Wed, 03/21/2018 - 12:51pm
Investors don't care about Boston, just its money.
I think you'll find that's common.
By dmcboston
Wed, 03/21/2018 - 3:20pm
Everywhere.
Just because purchasing of condos for investment is common
By mplo
Wed, 03/21/2018 - 7:31pm
doesn't make it a good thing. That's something that absolutely should not be allowed...period!
is this assessment fair?
By Anonymous
Thu, 03/22/2018 - 3:55pm
Two city councilors who thought Walsh's plan was inadequate pushed back and two months after he proposed it, Walsh pulled itso they didn't go down in flames. Tic toc.
In 2016, two economists did a study that found cause and effect of new Airbnb et al. listings and rising rents in Boston. Walsh is either in the pocket of the industry or incompetent or both.
Action needed, but meaningful action
By Gary C
Wed, 03/21/2018 - 1:20pm
I agree that pulling these regulations in order to create better ones is wise. I don't want this put on the back burner and forgotten, but the initial rules did little to really address the issues.
Comments on UH can influence these things
By anon
Wed, 03/21/2018 - 4:02pm
Online comments - it's not just for saboteurs!
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