Residents say vacation rentals are hurting neighborhoods; city commissioner calls for action
Rick Spence made coffee and talked with a few guests who’d gathered in his Lincolnville home on a recent morning.
A neighboring property could be seen through a window, and Spence said that has been turned into a vacation rental. There are several others like it nearby.
Spence and Burry Gowen, an Old City South neighborhood resident and one of the guests at Spence’s home that morning, had a lot to say about how vacation rentals are affecting their neighborhoods.
Airbnb listings and other short-term rentals have gained a larger presence in Lincolnville since Spence moved to the area a few years ago, he said. As part of that trend, some properties that come up for sale are being purchased and turned into short-term rentals by people who don’t live in the area.