Preston ― The planning and zoning commission has scheduled a public hearing for Nov. 28 on whether to establish a temporary moratorium on new short-term rentals from operating here.

The town’s planning and building officials have expressed a variety of concerns over the single-family home rentals, which are often purchased by investors trying to capitalize on business from casino patrons.

Among the concerns are that the rentals are reducing the number of single-family homes available for potential residents and ruining the character of surrounding neighborhoods, according to Town Planner Kathy Warzecha and Building Official Doug Colter.

The town has approved 11 such rentals with another seven on the docket for the commission’s upcoming Nov. 28 meeting. Those seven would be unaffected by the moratorium. If adopted, the moratorium would begin Dec. 15. and last until June 30, 2024.

“It’s not that people don’t want transients in the neighborhood,” Colter said regarding the would-be occupants of the rentals.

“It’s that they’re concerned about the character of the neighborhood once there’s a transient use,” he said. “So now, instead of a single-family neighborhood, you have six, seven cars in the driveway.”

Warzecha said the town does have checks in place to prevent renters from parking on the street and partying, which result in notices of violation. If a property owner receives three violation notices, their rental renewal will not be approved.

The other concern, Warzecha and Colter said, is that the rentals remove affordable housing stock from prospective residents.

“We’re seeing people pay premium prices, raising the prices beyond what our entry-level folks can afford, and it’s pricing our own residents right out of the market because of the influence of the business venture on that home, and it’s decreasing the housing stock,” Colter said.

“Nobody’s against capitalism, nobody’s against making a living, but that was not the intent of the law,” he added about the town decision last year to adopt an ordinance allowing short-term rentals.

Colter said the intent was to allow residents to make extra money to help pay their bills by renting out spaces in their homes.

“We never expected that there would be this influx of short-term rentals,” Warzecha said. “I mean we have received a lot of them in the short year since we have had this regulation.”

Colter said the town has since been flooded with “what amounts to mini-hotels.”

Warzecha said the commission’s intent with the moratorium is to more comprehensively examine the short-term rental ordinance with new town staff.

“Because as I said, everybody’s changed so we want to get everybody on the same page and we also want to be sure that the town of Preston, the residents, are being protected,” she added.

d.drainville@theday.com