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Yates should protect residents from short-term rentals, an issue facing many communities

Posted 8 July 2026 at 12:05 pm

Editor:

The Town of Yates is currently grappling with the Short-Term Rental issue as are many towns across the country and globally. As such, the Town is updating Yates’ Short-Term Rental (STR) Local Law #2 of 2026. A public hearing on the STR Law was held on Monday evening, July 6, 2026 in order to obtain public input on the law.

The following are excerpted comments and input made to the Town Board at the public hearing:

I am a resident and property owner in the Town of Yates.

I have read the law and believe the law protects STR customers. However, there is precious little in STR Local Law #2 of 2026 that protects current, taxpaying residents who make up the heart and soul of the very special place we call home.

So, in an effort to provide constructive, actionable criticism of the proposed law and solutions, I offer the following:

  1. Moratorium On Any STR Activity:Institute a moratorium on implementation of an STR Law until a fair and equitable solution is reached that addresses all significant concerns on the part of current, taxpaying residents of the Town of Yates.
  2. Survey of the Taxpayers:Use the time allowed by the moratorium to survey the current, taxpaying residents of the Town of Yates on their views and ideas on the STR issue.  An informal survey of a number of current, taxpaying residents and have found very little support for the proposed STR Local Law #2 of 2026 as written. All want a say in whether or not an STR is located adjacent to their property. I offer my assistance in developing and administering a survey of the taxpaying residents of Yates, if required.
  3. Suggested Updates to STR Local Law #2 of 2026
  4. Special Use Permitting:The Special Use permit provision in the original STR Local Law #1 of 2026 has been written out of STR Local Law #2 of 2026 that is currently under assessment.  I would urge the Town Board to revisit and reinstate the Special Use Permit Requirement for STR businesses. Special Use Permits are a critical part of ensuring compliant behavior of businesses that are located in areas of the town zoned as residential and as such need to be reinstated.
  5. Grandfathering:Grandfather current STR business owners based on previous performance.
  6. Adjacent, Bordering Property:As a part of the Special Use Permit (or the normal permitting) process, each adjacent, bordering property owner will have approval/disapproval decision on the Special Use Permit.  Given the real “skin in the game” imposed by a potential STR a few yards away from their homes, approval/disapproval by adjacent property owners seems prudent and fair in ensuring the closest neighbors have a say in the approval of a Special Use or any permit for an STR.  If any adjacent property owner does not approve or does not respond, the Special Use Permit for the STR business will not be approved.  This would be in effect for single use and multi-use drives.  This would also be utilized for multi-property lanes, where only the adjacent bordering properties would have the approval/disapproval option.

These three, simple improvements/modifications to the STR Local Law #2 of 2026 would allow for:

  1. Via Grandfathering, fair and equitable treatment of long-time STR business owners that have remained very closely connected to their properties.
  2. Ensure that adjacent taxpaying property owners have some say and teeth in the location decision of STR’s, considering the potential property misuse and quality of life reductions that may come with the location of an STR so close to their homes.

In closing, I’d like to thank the Town Board for the opportunity to speak at this public hearing on STR Local Law #2 of 2026. Only in America does this precious right of free speech exist.

Update: Unfortunately, these comments and the plea to protect the constituents were not deemed actionable by the Board. The Town Board needs to understand that the current taxpaying landowners live here and need basic respect and protections in Town Law.

The specter of this new STR paradigm in Yates is sobering in the extreme. As such, the Town Board must act to protect the constituency and the constituency must let the Town Board know their positions on this divisive issue.

Thank You.

John B. Riggi

Yates