- Mayor
seeks to boost home enforcement
Police task force would catch 4-5 student houses
20 Feb 2006
... TUSCALOOSA, AL - Technically, almost all UA students living in
four- to five-person houses in Tuscaloosa could be taken to court
and evicted. But that rarely happens because Tuscaloosa's zoning laws
are not usually enforced.
Mayor Walt Maddox wants to change that.
Maddox said he wants to create a police division
to enforce zoning ordinances, such as the number of people allowed
to live in one house.
Under a city ordinance passed last summer, landlords
can have four or five unrelated tenants in one house - provided
they tell the city and agree to make necessary upgrades to the property,
such as adding parking.
Though many UA students live in houses with three
or four roommates, no landlords have applied to get their houses
approved, The Crimson White reported Feb. 2. Since then only one
landlord has applied for the designation, city planner John McConnell
said ...
- City
should protect students
Damage Control
6 Feb 2006
... TUSCALOOSA, AL - When the Tuscaloosa City Council was considering
new housing regulations for areas around campus last April, then-Mayor
Al DuPont slammed the measure for not doing enough to protect all
of the city's family neighborhoods - not just the well-guarded historic
districts - from the wily student element.
Now, with a growing student population, housing
changes on campus and landlords shirking city occupancy regulations,
the city needs to do its best to protect students who rent off campus
instead of treating them as a problem waiting to happen.
Next year, the University will begin forcing nearly
all freshmen to live on campus. UA President Robert Witt told the
Crimson White editorial board in October the University is anticipating
700 to 900 more people living on campus because of the initiative.
Witt said he did not know if, even with exemptions and the new Lakeside
complex, the initiative would shut out some upperclassmen who live
on campus now from staying in UA dormitories and apartments next
year.
Still, anticipated enrollment surges will likely
mean a deluge of students into the city's residential areas. For
many city leaders, that means more noise complaints, more alcohol
arrests, more poorly-maintained houses, more students packing houses,
more cars parked in yards and probably more families looking to
get out of the Druid City because of all the student nuisances ...
- Students
live in houses illegally
Landlords fail to register 4- to 5-person houses
2 Feb 2006
... TUSCALOOSA, AL - Tommy Howell and
Patrick Cornelius live on 12th Street in a house with three other
guys.
"It's messy," said Howell, a junior majoring
in public relations. "That's what you get when you have five
guys living in one house."
But that's not all you get. It's possible any UA
students living in a house of more than three unrelated people could
end up with a court summons, a fine and a judge's orders to move
out.
A city ordinance passed in May 2005 created a specially
designated zone around campus that allows up to five unrelated people
to live in one house - but only if landlords get special permission
from the city to let more than three unrelated people live there.
But no property owners in Tuscaloosa have applied
for permission, said Tuscaloosa city planner John McConnell.
That means all UA students who live in houses with
more than three people are breaking a city ordinance.
To get permission from the city to house four or
five unrelated people, landlords must make improvements to the property,
including adding parking so that tenants don't have to park on the
lawn, adding bathrooms and/or bedrooms and dividing some larger
houses to make two residences ...
- UA,
city officials work on relations
Neighborhood Partnership has helped strengthen relations,
officials say
7 Jul 2005
... TUSCALOOSA, AL - When the Tuscaloosa City Council unanimously
approved ordinances in May that created new occupancy rules in the
areas of the city surrounding the UA campus, it was the fruition of
years of work by students, residents and city and campus officials
As the Capstone moves toward UA President Robert
Witt's plans to increase student enrollment to 28,000, city and
UA officials say they are reaching out to each other to ensure a
smooth transition into a new era for Tuscaloosa and the University.
UA President Robert Witt said campus and city officials
worked together before the housing ordinance was passed and even
shared the cost to bring in planning consultants who utilized focus
groups among other techniques.
"We believe the University and the city are
working well together, which is very unusual [in some university-city
relationships]," Witt said.
In 2002, the Office of Student Affairs initiated
the Neighborhood Partnership, which works to improve the relationship
between the UA and Tuscaloosa communities.
Witt said the group was originally intended to
help solve problems that arose between students and Tuscaloosa residents.
"It has come to a lot more than that,"
said Kathleen Cramer, senior associate vice president for student
affairs. "I think we're lucky President Witt realized the potential
the group has." ...
- Students
optimistic about new living laws
Changes allow more to live in certain residences
16 Jun 2005
... TUSCALOOSA, AL - The Tuscaloosa City Council passed new zoning
amendments at a May meeting that could affect UA students who live
off campus, but some students said they were not aware of the rules
changes.
Overall, however, students seemed favorable to
the changes.
The ordinances are intended to protect Tuscaloosa's
historic districts by permitting only two unrelated people to reside
in homes in those districts.
Landlords who own property around the campus, however,
can now have up to five occupants in those residences provided they
meet certain standards set by the city, such as providing additional
parking and bedrooms and a visually appealing exterior.
Landlords who own residences roughly inside the
boundaries of Queen City Avenue, Jack Warner Parkway, Hackberry
Lane and 15th Street can apply to take advantage of the loosened
rules.
John Biddle, a senior majoring in management, said
he was surprised by Tuscaloosa's old occupancy rules, which only
allowed three unrelated people to live together, when he moved to
the city a few years ago.
"When I first moved down here, it was going
to be me and three other guys," Biddle said. "We were
going to get a house together, and [the landlord] told us if we
weren't related, we couldn't have any more than, I think, maybe
two or three people living with us."
Biddle had to rethink his living arrangements because
of the rules.
"That's what actually ended up putting me
in a dorm, because they would not rent to us that way," he
said.
Adam Bradley, a senior majoring in video communications,
said the ordinances are a "win-win" for family neighborhoods
and student communities. The new designations for residential areas
will help protect the historic neighborhoods where many families
reside, he said.
"I have never been to a house of a student
that was better taken care of than if it were a family that owned
the house," Bradley said. "So people who own the houses,
like families living there, I think, will take better care of them
than college students." ...
- Council
approves new living rules
New rules will allow more students live together in some
residences
9 Jun 2005
... TUSCALOOSA, AL - Nearly two weeks after many UA students left
Tuscaloosa for the summer, the Tuscaloosa City Council approved a
plan that could change the living situations many students face while
dwelling in residential areas surrounding campus.
Three ordinances approved after a public hearing
at May 19's Council meeting allow five unrelated people to live
together in three residential areas roughly bounded by Jack Warner
Parkway, Queen City Avenue, 15th Street and Hackberry Lane - provided
landlords do some work first.
Landlords will be able to apply to the city to
be allowed to have more tenants if they can meet standards such
as adding more parking, bedrooms and other new facilities as necessary
and ensuring their property has a "visually interesting"
exterior.
While some residential areas surrounding the University
will see looser occupancy regulations, those rules will tighten
in the city's historic residential districts.
Only two unrelated people will be able to live
together in those districts' residences, except for those occupied
by more than two unrelated people before the new rules were approved.
Councilman Lee Garrison said historic district
residents will be sent a certified letter telling them of the new
rules and providing information on how they can apply to be exempted
from the rules by the grandfather clause. Such residents must apply
within 180 days to receive exemption, City Planner Bill Snowden
said.
The overall plan, two years in the making, received
much praise from city officials and representatives from the University
and residential groups.
The ordinances are designed to resolve problems
between the city and the University, Snowden said, and to protect
the city's single-family residential areas.
UA Vice President of Community Affairs Samory Pruitt
called the plan "solid" and praised the cooperation between
the city government and the University that helped assemble it.
He said such cooperation would be necessary between
the two entities to ensure that UA President Robert Witt's plans
to expand the Capstone's enrollment to 28,000.
SGA Vice President of External Affairs Amanda Smith
also praised the plan, saying it would be beneficial to students.
The rules will also help the city leave a favorable
impression on visitors, said Robert Reynolds, president of the Original
City Association, a group representing historic district residents.
Reynolds had been a vocal advocate of the plan's passage.
"We want them to see something [good] no matter
where they stand," he said.
Councilman Joe Powell, however, attested the occupancy
rules could be hard to enforce. Snowden said a database would allow
the city to keep track of which houses are under what particular
set of occupancy regulations and that those rules would be enforced.
Mayor Al DuPont, who voiced opposition to the new
rules in April because he believed they did not provide protection
from problems caused by students to all of the city's family residential
areas, was not at the May 19 meeting ...
- City
Council to hold hearing on increasing housing occupancy
Zoning amendment would allow five unrelated people to
live together
14 Apr 2005
... TUSCALOOSA, AL - UA students who live off campus could soon be
able to have two more roommates, depending on what the Tuscaloosa
City Council decides on May 19.
That's when a public hearing will be held on a
zoning amendment that would change city occupancy regulations for
residences around the UA campus. The amendment will allow five unrelated
people to live together in newly designated University zones (current
regulations only allow three) and two in the historic zones, said
Councilman Lee Garrison.
The hearing, taking place at 6 p.m., will be 11
days after many students will leave town when finals end at the
Capstone on May 8.
The areas that would have the University designation
would be bounded by Hackberry Lane, 15th Street, Queen City Avenue
and Jack Warner Parkway.
But Garrison said the houses in the area will not
automatically be allowed to have five unrelated people; rather,
each property owner will have to petition to be granted the new
occupancy limit.
"You have to meet certain requirements before
you're allowed to do that," Garrison said.
Some of the criteria houses would have to meet
would be off-street parking and bedroom and bathroom requirements.
Houses granted a "final certificate of approval" to house
five unrelated people would be prohibited by law to allow parking
in the front yard.
"[The amendment will] improve the quality
of housing off campus by creating incentives by landlords to reinvest
in current student housing or simply bulldoze existing student housing
and bring back new student housing under these guidelines,"
Garrison said.
Some of the development that would qualify houses
for the new occupancy regulations include adding parking to improve
utilization, adding bathrooms, dividing a structure and adding bedrooms
to a small structure to make more use of a house.
"The things we hope for the students are [a]
nicer place to live off campus [and] lower rents because you're
sharing the rent with more than three people," Garrison said.
Garrison said city officials have been working
with UA officials, the SGA, the neighborhood and landlords for the
past two years on the plan.
He said some of Tuscaloosa's oldest houses are
30 to 40 years old, and landlords may see the new occupancy regulations
as a reason to update and renovate.
"If they have an existing structure that's
20 to 25 years old, it may be advantageous for them to rebuild on
their property when they can house four to five students on the
same lot," Garrison said.
- Council
delays occupancy restriction
Mayor says zoning amendments don't do enough
6 Apr 2005
... TUSCALOOSA, AL - The Tuscaloosa City Council got its first look
Tuesday morning at zoning amendments that would allow more students
to live in off-campus residences around the UA campus -- and then
pushed back taking action on the plans until next week.
One amendment would establish a University zoning
designation that could be obtained within an area delineated by
Hackberry Lane, 15th Street, Queen City Avenue and Jack Warner Parkway.
By obtaining a "U" designation for their
property, owners could be certified to allow up to five unrelated
people live on the same property if they meet the standards set
by the zoning amendment. The city only allows up to three unrelated
people to live together now.
Standards that would have to be met for a property
to be certified include making sure buildings' facades "provide
a visually interesting environment" and providing an appropriate
amount of parking that is to the side or the back, not the front,
of the property.
A second amendment would change occupancy regulations
to allow up to five unrelated people to live together in a University
district. It would also change occupancy rules so that only two
unrelated people could live together in residences in historic districts
with the exception of historic district properties where three unrelated
people live together now.
Council President Jerry Plott pushed to postpone
a vote to introduce the amendments because he said he had "a
couple of interpretation questions" pertaining to ownership
issues and did not want the city to set up and advertise a public
hearing on the zoning amendments before changes could be made.
Though City Attorney Bob Ennis said UA officials
have indicated they want the amendments to be passed very soon,
councilmen eventually opted to withdraw the ordinances until next
week, but not before Mayor Al DuPont voiced his opposition to the
amendments.
DuPont said they would not protect family residential
areas from problems that can be caused when students move into those
neighborhoods. "It doesn't address the whole city of Tuscaloosa,
only parts of it," DuPont said.
If the Council votes to introduce the amendments,
another vote would be necessary for the amendments to be adopted.
Two resolutions were withdrawn that would have set up a public hearing
on the zoning amendments at the Council's May 5 meeting.
-
Commission
approves occupancy ordinance
Student opinion mixed on new off-campus housing options
Crimson White - 18 Mar 2005
...TUSCALOOSA, AL - The Tuscaloosa Planning Commission unanimously
signed off on an ordinance Thursday that would allow more than five
unrelated people to live in a residential area near the University.
The commission also signed off on a corresponding ordinance that
would lower the number of unrelated people living together in the
city's historical district from three to two...
- Commission
approves occupancy ordinance
Student opinion mixed on new off-campus housing options
1 Mar 2005
... TUSCALOOSA, AL - The Tuscaloosa Planning Commission unanimously
signed off on an ordinance Thursday that would allow more than five
unrelated people to live in a residential area near the University.
The commission also signed off on a corresponding
ordinance that would lower the number of unrelated people living
together in the city's historical district from three to two.
The ordinance, if approved by the Tuscaloosa City
Council, would affect the mostly student residential area south
of the UA campus. Only three unrelated people are allowed to live
together in a Tuscaloosa residence now.
The plan would also require property owners who
want to increase the occupancy in residences to five to apply with
the planning commission to be eligible to do so. Owners must provide
enough parking for residents in the rear of the property; among
other façade requirements that must be put in place before
they are allowed to let up to five people live on their property.
Tuscaloosa City Councilman Lee Garrison said the
proposal would be beneficial to students living around the UA campus
by lowering rent and increasing safety through housing upgrades.
Robert Reynolds, president of historical district
resident advocacy group the Original City Association, said the
bill would increase the number of students who can live near the
UA campus but not on the campus.
He also said it would improve the quality of off-campus
student residences.
"This is going to provide landlords economic
incentives to maintain the properties that they have and substantially
improve them," Reynolds said.
Concerns were raised in the meeting about the enforcement
of the ordinance if it is passed because current restrictions are
not often enforced. Garrison, however, said the new plan would take
care of the problem by making owners go through the building permit
process to get approval to increase the occupancy regulations on
their property.
Concerns were also raised about parking. According
to the plan, if a property is approved to allow more than five unrelated
people live together, residents must park behind the residence.
An owner must provide parking for all of the residents before the
property's occupancy regulations are increased.
Students who live off campus had mixed feelings
about the plan.
Jennifer Rodriguez, a junior majoring in environmental
studies, lives with six other people in a six-bedroom house. She
said the proposal would help students find housing and it would
drop cost of living expenses.
"I think it will make it easier for students
to find housing [and add] more options because more students can
live together," Rodriguez said.
Jessica Herriott, a senior majoring in public relations,
said she was concerned about owners actually improving housing conditions.
"Some realty companies are so concerned about
money and will do anything to make a profit and cut corners,"
Herriott said.
Catherine Walker, a junior majoring in public relations,
said she approved of the parking aspects of the plan.
"There would be less parking on the streets,"
she said.
- Homeowners,
landlords at odds over plan to limit tenant
Tuscaloosa News - 16 Aug 2003
...Auburn and Tuscaloosa could soon have something in common besides
football. Tuscaloosa is considering adopting a zoning ordinance similar
to one in Auburn that prohibits more than two unrelated people from
living in single-family dwellings in historic districts...
