2007-06-24 00:00:00 -
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Jun. 24--Harold Adamson has lived in Indiana Borough most of his 82 years.
Mike Leedecke, 21, moved there two years ago to attend classes at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. They are on opposite ends of an intensifying debate on a proposed borough ordinance that would keep students from renting homes in some residential areas. Officials in college towns such as California and Slippery Rock are watching with interest. Jesse Hines, code enforcement officer for Slippery Rock Borough, said there is a constant challenge in a college town to balance the needs of students and famili s. story continues below "There's a time in life when you don't want to live next to eight college guys," Hines said.
Adamson can relate. "I don't think they belong in the borough," Adamson said, while pruning a tree in his Fisher Avenue front yard. "They belong on the campus in college housing. They ruined this town. It's not a community anymore. It's not family-oriented like it used to e." Leedecke, who lives in a house on Church Street with four other students, said the ordinance makes no sense. "The town feeds off of college students. That's how they make their money," Leedecke said, standing by a card table on his front porch. "It will hurt the town rather than help it." On July 3, borough council will hold a public hearing on the ordinance that would prevent more single-family homes in residential neighborhoods from being converted to student rentals.
Any new rental homes could only be leased by "functional families." "Over the years, many houses have been converted from family housing into student rentals," borough Manager Ken Gabler said. He estimated more than half of the housing units in the borough are occupied by students. Room for interpretation Indiana officials estimate about 5,100 students live in off-campus housing within the borough. The university has beds for about 3,900 students on campus. Student population is more than 14,200. The ordinance would keep students from renting homes in R-1 and R-2 districts scattered throughout Indiana.
"Students maybe have a different lifestyle than a family might have. They keep later hours. They might hold parties," Gabler said. "It tends to cause a conflict between the students and the families that live in the neighborhood." Several years ago, officials implemented a 400-foot rule -- keeping student rentals in neighborhoods at least 400 feet apart. Gabler said that's only spread students further into residential neighborhoods. Last year, the borough added an overlay zone to attract high-density student housing around campus. One development has been built in that district, and other developers have expressed interest, he said.
The proposed ordinance is the next step to bring students closer to campus. Gabler said "functional families" would be considered an individual or a group of people and their offspring, who have a "permanent and distinct character with a demonstrable bond." The ordinance would not affect group homes for people with disabilities
"It doesn't necessarily mean people who are married but people who have a long-term relationship with each other that are considered a family," Gabler said. "It may not be perfect, and we realize there's interpretation involved here and discretion on th part of our code officers." Current student rentals in the residential areas could continue operating. Council may vote on the ordinance at its July 3 meeting. The hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the municipal building. "It will stop the further spread of investment properties that buy up normal family housing and convert it over to student housing," Gabler said.
"We're trying to hold the line where we are." Conflicting lifestyles Shirley and Bob Hoover hope the line can be held away from their block of School Street, where they bought their home 45 years ago. "It's a nice area -- that's what bothers me," Shirley Hoover said. "When you look at the houses, you know which ones are college kids'." The issues -- noise, parties at all hours and garbage -- resonate with other college towns. Bruce Large, California Borough zoning officer, is keeping tabs on the debate in Indiana with interest. With California University of Pennsylvania in his town, Large said, there is a 50-50 mix between off-campus student housing and single-family units.
Two years ago, the borough rewrote its ordinances, adding a provision that permits up to three unrelated people in a rental home in residential neighborhoods. Large said the change has improved things, but he is interested in what happens in Indiana. Hines said Slippery Rock regulates the number of unrelated tenants allowed in units in different zoning areas. For example, four unrelated people can live in a home in an R-3 district, a high-density area, but only two unrelated people can live in a hom in an R-1 zone. Hines said he'd be interested in seeing how Indiana's ordinance would be enforced.
Several Indiana landlords declined to speak publicly about the proposed ordinance, saying they feared retribution from borough officials. Others did not return messages. A proposal's cost Ken Hallenbeck and his mother, Carol Perrott, bought a house a block from campus three years ago so Ken, now 24, could live there while attending IUP. He lived there and rented to another student to pay the mortgage. Both he and his roommate are moving this summer. The plan was to rent to students until Perrott, 59, of Philadelphia, would move into the home when she retired. "I love the fact it's a university town," she said.
"I love the fact the kids are all over the place. It all just fell into place." While Perrott is unsure how the proposed ordinance would affect her, she said she is opposed. "I think I should have some rights to do what I want with my property," she said. "If I choose to rent to students, it's discriminating to say I can't." Hallenbeck said there's not enough student housing now. "The university is encouraging students to move off, and the town is encouraging students to stay on campus," Hallenbeck said. University officials say they support the borough. "We feel that it's a positive step that the borough council is taking to recognize real college town issues and the importance of a community being served by ordinances that keep student housing close to campus," said David Burdette, IUP's vice presiden for administration and finance.
But Josh Szymanowski, 22, of Erie, a senior at IUP, said the ordinance will just make things more expensive. He points to new housing being built by the university as an example, and worries new private development will become more costly. Students will pay between $2,800 and $3,900 per semester for space in the new Suites on Grant. "Most people I know, it's out of their price range," Szymanowski said. But IUP officials report a waiting list for the suites. IUP senior Joe Kochinski, 23, a geography major from Windber, Somerset County, suggests the town be divided into grids, with a certain percentage of student rentals allowed in each area.
"Both sides could work with that instead of both sides hating each other," he said.