STR's are Critical to Mystic

I am a Mystic resident and an active STR host for over 5 years. I love Mystic and have been happy to watch its growth as a tourism powerhouse. I believe tourism - and by extension, STR’s - are critical to Mystic’s continued success; tourism dollars are a driving force in our local economy and a foundational element of our tax revenue. To suggest Mystic is simply a quaint, quiet neighborhood is to ignore what has driven folks to come here - and what has helped our local economy succeed. For our tourism economy to continue to flourish, we need to allow STR's to exist. It boils down to two reasons:

1. STR’s in Mystic help our tourism economy flourish and allow families to visit here. Tourists value the opportunity to stay in our charming, historic homes and to be close to the downtown center, especially if they can do so together with their families at a more reasonable cost compared to a soulless, distant hotel by the highway. Additionally, the frank truth is that there is simply not enough hotel supply to service the demand (note that when residents were offered a plan to increase hotel supply via the marina project, local activists lobbied against it); cutting off STR’s would drive up hotel prices and push out tourists - likely to the benefit of other towns and national hotel chains. Any local business should be concerned about the implications of making it more challenging or expensive to visit - and outlawing STR’s would do exactly that.

2. STR’s in Mystic help our real estate market flourish and allow families to live here. Folks buy in Mystic with the understanding that they will be able to rent the home for periods of time. Other folks have lived here for decades - watching their property taxes skyrocket - and benefit from the ability to rent their property from time to time. Some groups suggest the vast majority of operators are ‘investment companies’ or ‘outsiders’; this is a false smear and couldn’t be further from the truth. The vast majority of operators love this town and want to spend as much time here as they can; removing the ability for these homeowners to defray their costs will force them to send their dollars elsewhere. Realtors, property tax collectors and sellers alike should be aware that outlawing STR’s will drive home prices down.

While I have never had an issue, I understand that there are some negligent hosts; I also know there are many more well-intentioned hosts who have the occasional bad-apple guest. Requiring some form of registration, maintaining noise ordinances and ensuring off-street parking are all completely reasonable requests. But to require homeowners to be present at all times (thus only allowing the rental of a bedroom or portion of a home) or to rid the town of STR’s completely would instigate a death spiral for the local tourism economy here.