(Copyright Symbol) 2023 Jason Graziadei, Nantucket Current

The dust has not yet settled from the short-term rental debate at last week’s Special Town Meeting - when voters rejected a pair of bylaw proposals - but already the next chapter in the controversy is looming on the horizon.

A Massachusetts Land Court judge is expected to rule in December or early January on a Nantucket lawsuit that claims a short-term rental in a residential zoning district is an illegal commercial use.

For three straight years, Nantucket voters have declined to take up a series of proposed zoning bylaws that sought to clarify the questions surrounding the legality of short-term rentals on the island due to the fact they are not explicitly allowed in the zoning code. Now an off-island judge, the Hon. Michael D. Vhay, is poised to decide that difficult and complex issue for Nantucket.