Lanesborough Planning Board approves three zoning bylaw amendments for town meeting

LANESBOROUGH — May 18, 2026 — Lanesborough's Planning Board unanimously approved three zoning bylaw amendments Monday, sending short-term rental, accessory dwelling unit, and sign regulations to the annual town meeting. The board, operating with just three of five seats after two members recently resigned, made several eleventh-hour changes to Article A following guidance from town counsel KP Law received the same evening: short-term rentals in the R residential district will be capped at 180 days per year — down from a proposed 365 — while all other zones retain the 365-day limit, and every stay is limited to no more than 31 consecutive days by one individual. Operators must apply annually with the town clerk, submit a state Department of Revenue certificate, and provide a building-commissioner inspection certificate "if applicable." Chair Courtney Dondi acknowledged the board's precarious position: "There's only the three of us at this point." The ADU article was revised to strip a special-permit requirement for nonconforming lots — barred by state law — and to reinstate a one-parking-space rule with a BRTA half-mile exemption, bringing the town into compliance with Chapter 150 of the Acts of 2024.