From The Quoddy Tides article “Housing crisis solutions eyed by legislature” dated ( March 10, 2023): “GrowSmart Maine CEO Nancy Smith is not surprised by the stories of people wanting to move into Maine for work and then coming up against the lack of housing. The shortage is felt at all levels of income and accessibility, she says. The lack of housing and rentals poses a real threat to a community’s ability to sustain a working-age population, as Sutherland has found. . . . The first threat to middle-income housing, Smith notes, is the short-term rental market. However, she distinguishes between the owner-occupied short-term rental and the investor-owned rental. For the latter, “The demand is strong, and there’s no regulation. It’s a real risk.” There are tools that municipalities can use, but Smith recommends a regional approach. She points out that if one town regulates short-term rentals, ‘the market moves to nearby towns.'”
