CITY OF BEVERLY
PUBLIC MEETING MINUTES
Received and recorded: 2026 MAY 14 P 1:55
COMMITTEE: Special Committee on Rental Policies
DATE: February 5, 2026
LOCATION: Beverly City Hall, 3rd Floor, Conference Room, 191 Cabot Street, Beverly, MA 01915
REMOTE LOCATION: https://meet.google.com/beg-vsnj-qpn
MEMBERS PRESENT: Jim Butler (remotely), Rachel Brown, Kenneth Clawson, Lisa Corbett (remotely), Kevin Grant, Cpt. Jacob Kreyling (remotely), Nancy Marino (remotely), Carole Rein, Danielle Spang
MEMBERS ABSENT: James Gillis, Laura Ricci
OTHERS PRESENT: Rep. Hannah Bowen (remotely), Christian Gesualdi, Joel Saslaw
RECORDER: Danielle Spang
Call to Order
Meeting is called to order at 8:33 a.m.
1. Welcome and Introductions
Everyone present introduced themselves.
2. Review Draft Meeting Minutes for December 11, 2025 (if available)
Rein made a motion to approve the draft December 11, 2025 meeting minutes; seconded by Grant. Members voted by roll call (Kreyling-yes; Butler-yes; Marino-yes; Corbett-yes; Spang-yes; Brown-yes; Grant-yes; Rein-yes; Clawson-yes), and motion carried 9-0.
3. Review Materials Discussed from December 2025 Meeting
- Draft Purpose Statement from James Gillis
Spang recommended changing "integrity" to "safety," and striking the word "tourism" from the purpose statement. Spang moved to adopt the draft purpose statement as amended; seconded by Brown. Members voted by roll call (Kreyling-yes; Butler-yes; Corbett-yes; Marino-yes; Spang-yes; Brown-yes; Grant-yes; Clawson-yes; Rein-yes), and motion carried 9-0.
- Beverly ordinance on lodging homes
- Gloucester ordinance on short-term rentals
- Short-term rental building and fire code notes from Capt. Kreyling
- Nahant by-law on short-term rentals (added post-meeting)
Spang noted the lodging home licenses are handled by the City Clerk's office, whereas in Gloucester's ordinance the short-term licenses are handled by the inspections department. Members discussed whether applications should be handled administratively through a department or by a multiple member body. Kreyling noted the City Council licenses lodging homes due to state requirements, and the short-term rentals can be determined by city ordinance, and maybe once an application passes inspections it could be administratively approved. Clawson noted whatever the Committee recommends needs to be enforceable. Members noted differences between Gloucester and Nahant policies, and how the administrative process may work in Beverly (Building Department, Licensing Board, etc.).
Buter asked how many short-term rentals there are in Beverly and Spang noted there are 157 registered with the Department of Revenue (DOR). Clawson shared that AirBnB and VRBO require hosts to register with the state before sharing a listing, which is how many of the rental units are licensed. Butler shared that he receives complaints for properties that are not listed on either of those websites, so there is an unknown number of other short-term rentals throughout the City. Grant shared that those websites also would terminate listings after receiving complaints. Kreyling noted that wherever the enforcement authority is placed, need to ensure that department can handle the workload. Members discussed how the City already receives the hotel 6% tax, so any additional funds to help cover the additional work would need to come from the 3% Community Impact Fee and application and inspection fees.
Marino asked Butler about how many complaints the Building Department has received about short-term rental units. He shared that a lot of the complaints are anonymous and upon receiving them he sends the property owner a letter notifying them of the zoning ordinance violation. Marino noted that the Building Department then has a list of addresses for some of the rental units that are not registered with the DOR, and that would be helpful information to track.
Members reviewed DOR records for what other communities receive annually from the 3% Community Impact Fee. Corbett noted there would likely be an influx of applications once an ordinance change was passed, and whether there are creative solutions to help with that increased workload. Kreyling noted for current licenses (liquor and lodging) require licenses with fees, and inspections that also have fees to each of the Building, Fire and Health Departments. There is a framework already in place for these inspections. Spang confirmed those licenses annually renew on January 1st each year and suggested maybe scheduling these licenses to renew on July 1st to offset. Kreyling noted they will likely find a lot of non-compliance initially, and may require re-inspections, and a heavier workload the first year. He confirmed that building code now requires annual inspections for non-owner-occupied short-term rental units, and every five years for owner-occupied short-term rental units. Part of the issue the City faces is not being able to identify where the units are as an obstacle to inspecting the units. Brown highlighted the safety concerns and stressed that for the presentation as well.
4. Draft Framework for Short-Term Rental Policy
N/A.
5. Draft Presentation Outline for Public Forum on Short-Term Rental Policy
Clawson walked members through the draft slide deck for the presentation and public forum. Members suggested reordering the priorities slide and discussed how best to solicit feedback from the public. Rein suggested presenting data on how many complaints the City has received about short-term rental units over the past two years. Members discussed whether to use breakout groups and directed questions to solicit public feedback. Brown suggests including a slide with definitions, and Butler reminded everyone that parking is another key concern. Corbett highlighted that safety is paramount and part of the impetus for the Committee is to avoid a tragedy as well.
6. Allocate Tasks and Responsibilities Among Committee Members
Members reviewed how the Open Meeting Law prevents from collaborating on the draft slide deck between meetings. Members agreed to further review the draft slide deck before the next meeting and bring any suggested revisions to the next meeting.
7. Schedule Next Meeting
Next meeting was tentatively scheduled for March 5, 2026 at 9:00am, with location to be determined.
Adjourn – Meeting adjourned at 9:32 a.m.