Provincetown Prepares to Vote on $2M Land Buy and Short-Term Rental Rules

PROVINCETOWN -- October 18, 2023, Provincetown officials previewed a $2.035 million land purchase and new short-term rental restrictions ahead of a special town meeting set for October 23. Town Manager Alex Morse led a hybrid public forum Wednesday walking residents through all 14 warrant articles, with the acquisition of two Nelson Avenue parcels, 22222R Nelson Ave for $1.27 million and 24 Nelson Ave for $765,000, as the central item, to be funded through short-term borrowing and repaid at the April 2024 annual town meeting using free cash. Articles 11 and 12 drew the sharpest public pushback: they would ban corporations from holding short-term rental certificates and cap individual certificates at two, respectively, affecting the town's current pool of 903 active certificate holders. Resident Brian De Laurentiis questioned enforcement provisions he said would carry civil fines of $5,000 per day and potential criminal authority. Also on the warrant: $250,000 for the next design phase of the Motta Field master plan and an ADU bylaw overhaul after just one accessory dwelling unit has been built in Provincetown since 2017.