SHELBURNE — In preparation for this year’s Annual Town Meeting, the Planning Board is seeking feedback on four draft bylaws, and will hold a Jan. 21 public information session followed by a Feb. 25 public hearing.

Over the next few weeks, the board will be making final edits and adjustments to the bylaws, which cover short-term rentals, mobile food establishments, battery energy storage systems and accessory dwelling units (ADUs), after hearing feedback from the Selectboard on Dec. 30.

Comments from Selectboard members ranged from pointing out minor typos and grammatical errors to requesting language be added to clarify a bylaw or increase regulations.

Short-term rentals

Inspired by Buckland’s short-term rental bylaw, the Shelburne Planning Board is looking to regulate where and how short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs, are operated, and require they be registered. The board hopes that limiting short-term rentals, particularly non-owner-occupied rentals, will help preserve the town’s housing stock for full-time residents while still offering property owners the freedom to rent out their homes.

Selectboard members requested the Planning Board clarify certain elements, such as what will happen to existing non-owner-occupied short-term rentals. Planning Board members said those situations will be grandfathered in, but after a certain date, no additional special permits for non-owner-occupied short-term rentals will be issued.

Planning Board members added that while they had Buckland’s bylaw as a guide and the town’s zoning bylaws do already have definitions for hotels and motels, this is the first time Shelburne has tried to draft regulations for short-term rental units.

“There is no normal,” said Planning Board member Will Flanders. “We’re making this up as we go along and trying to come up with something that makes sense.”

Mobile food establishments

The Planning Board is looking to amend its current bylaws on mobile homes to include regulations on mobile food establishments, such as food trucks and trailers. The updated bylaw would require anyone seeking to operate a food truck or trailer in town get a special permit.

“We don’t want every empty lot in the Village Commercial District to end up with a temporary building on it,” Flanders said. “This is something I’m passionate about.”

Selectboard comments included requesting additional regulations that were previously discussed to be included, such as guidelines for garbage removal, and pedestrian and vehicle safety requirements, as well as to clarify mentions of state and local health requirements and fees.

Battery energy storage systems

As renewable energy technology continues to evolve and grow in popularity, the Planning Board is looking to create regulations for battery energy storage systems.

“We wanted to stay away from what Wendell and Shutesbury did,” said Planning Board member Paul Hollings, referencing two communities where bylaws were struck down by the Attorney General’s Office.

Hollings said the Planning Board took notes from towns that had their bylaws approved by the Attorney General’s Office, such as Oakham.

The Shelburne bylaw outlines a process where an applicant must have a pre-application conference with the Zoning Board of Appeals before applying for a special permit. This allows the applicant to discuss their plan with the town more casually and allows the town to voice concerns before formal processes begin.

Selectboard notes were minimal, with members simply requesting the paragraph that states 6-foot-tall chain-link fences are standard be amended to make such fences a requirement. The Selectboard also commended Planning Board members for their thorough work.

“I thought this was one heck of project you guys did,” Selectboard Chair Rick LaPierre said.

Accessory dwelling units

The last project being tackled by the Planning Board is updating the town’s bylaw on ADUs to be consistent with a new state law.

“We just changed a few things,” Planning Board Chair John Wheeler said. “We basically just took the state definitions and plugged it in.”

Beginning Feb. 2, a state law allowing ADUs no larger than 900 square feet by right for property owners goes into effect. Shelburne’s current bylaw refers to “accessory apartments” up to 800 square feet. Wheeler said the town needs to update its bylaw to keep up with state law.

Between the Selectboard meeting, and the upcoming public information session and public hearing, the Planning Board is seeking as much feedback as possible to make any necessary adjustments before Town Meeting, as well as to inform the public so everyone is prepared to make their votes at Town Meeting.

“We want to get as much feedback as possible,” Wheeler said.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.