With regards to the scheduled Planning Board public hearing on short-term rentals for South Hadley on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m., I’d like to encourage South Hadley residents to thoroughly read and digest the draft proposed bylaws for short-term rentals (STR). The documents can be found online at www.southhadley.org/DocumentCenter/View/10194/Proposed-Short-Term-Rental-Bylaws-Summary. The language in the documents is quite clear about addressing “the benefits and challenges” of STR, especially resolving the challenges, which will continue to include STR non-compliance issues in the final bylaws adopted. Please do not be swayed by any public “fear-mongering” perception that the town will somehow become destroyed by allowing STR. This tactic is at best disingenuous with misinformation and the scary idea that STR use will be allowed to run amok throughout town without any compliance, enforcement and license-suspension guardrails.

Mariann Millard

South Hadley 

]]>