Homes Going Rental

I've just spoken to Emilye Crosby who lives on Weldon. She is concerned about the state of former owner occupied homes becoming rental property too. Even if your street isn't affected you are still affected. I'm asking those concerned to join me in setting aside a time to speak to city council about zoning laws and ordinance that may help us preserve home ownership. I'm not a lawyer but I don't believe this sort of thing could so easily take place in some of our suburban neighborhoods. It's certainly not all bad but each time we loose a formally owner occupied home to rental property I do believe we loose a little bit on our street.

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Comment by Judi Baker on September 20, 2012 at 6:35am: Oh really Marian?? 'Rooms For Rent'sign big as day on the corner of Cottage n S. Plymouth! I think the damage is done. Many homes were purchased by investors this past year and transformed to accomodate student rooming houses and they will fight hard to keep their investments. Community paper is black and white and theirs is !GREEN

Comment by Marian Boutet on September 19, 2012 at 10:52pm

Not only are houses that were formerly owner-occupied single-family homes becoming rentals, they are being divided into two- or three-family apartments or student housing, which is the equivalent of a rooming house. These conversions are illegal without a waiver from the City, which can only be obtained through formal application. The approval process involves notifying neighbors of the proposed conversion and encouraging their feedback.

In addition, the back yards are often paved to provide additional parking. Paving over back yards is not allowed except under the most extraordinary circumstances and permission is virtually never granted. Widening the driveway or paving a portion of the front yard is similarly not allowed.

For the purpose of single-family and two-family residences, the City code, section §120-208, defines a "family" as follows:

FAMILY
Persons occupying a dwelling unit and living together as a family unit. It shall be presumptive evidence that more than four persons living in a single dwelling unit who are not related by blood, marriage, domestic partnership or legal adoption do not constitute the family unit.

A. In determining whether individuals are living together as a family unit, the following criteria must be present:

1. The occupants must share the entire dwelling unit and live and cook together as a single housekeeping unit. A unit in which the various occupants act as separate roomers may not be deemed to be occupied by the functional equivalent of a traditional family;
2. The group shares expenses for food, rent or ownership costs, utilities and other household expenses;
3. The group is permanent and stable.
(a) Evidence of such permanency and stability may include: (a) The presence of minor dependent children regularly residing in the household who are enrolled in a local school;
(b) Members of the household having the same address for the purposes of voter registration, driver's license, motor vehicle registration and filing of taxes;
(c) Members of the household are employed in the area;
(d) The household has been living together as a unit for a year or more whether in the current dwelling unit or other dwelling units;
(e) Common ownership of the furniture and appliances among the members of the household; and
(f) The group is not transient or temporary in nature;
4. Any other factor reasonably related to whether or not the group is the functional equivalent of a family.

B A fraternity or sorority will not be considered the functional equivalent of a family.

Please consider connecting with the 19th Ward Community Association Housing Committee. Meetings are held at the 19th Ward Community Association office, 216 Thurston Road, 328-6571, on the following schedule: