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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Workshop 1.22.98 City Council Workshop, January 22, 1998 My name is W. B. Lancaster. I live at 303 Dexter. I am speaking unofficially on behalf of the people who own rental property in the area defined within the report prepared and submitted to you by the Southside / Southgate Neighborhood Preservation Committee. Let me say that we agree whole - heartedly with any attempt to make the area a better and more attractive place to live. I think I can safely say that no one has lived in the area longer than I have and that my interest in preserving the neighborhood is as strong or stronger than anyone else's. I arrived in the area in 1928 (at eight pounds - nine ounces) and I plan to still be here in 2028. The committee has done a lot of work and they are to be commended for stimulating a strong interest in making the southside a nicer place that we can be proud of. We are concerned, however, about the representation of property owners involved in the decision making process. Residents in the area were notified of committee meetings by means of post card mailouts using the utility billing addresses. In many instances, such an approach is adequate. But in this case, we learned through considerable research that there are a total of 550 residences just in the area from Welsh Ave to Wellborn Rd, and that 350 of those residences, or 64 %, are not owner occupied and presumably rented. This means that notification of the meetings went to the renter -- the person paying for the utilities -- and not to the owner. Even if local rental property owners had seen notices of meetings in The Eagle, the notices made no mention of possibly reducing the number of unrelated persons per house (Recommendation No. 6). In addition, of all the owners of rental property in the total area under discussion -- Glade to Wellborn -- our research revealed the following information: 40 owners live within the area; 90 live elsewhere in College Station; 53 live in Bryan; and 131 live out of town. The 40 owners who live in the area were the only ones who received the mailed notices and 274 owners did not. Therefore, the recommendations presented by the committee do not reflect the opinion of the entire neighborhood. Since nearly all of the problems voiced from within our area stem from noise, parking, and appearance, it is our recommendation that the City deal with existing ordinances that control those elements and not change ordinances involving occupancy. If the City Council decides to consider Recommentation No. 6, it is our desire that adequate time be given to properly notify all the property owners in our area so that their voice may be heard on this issue. We can be assured that they will have a concern about any reduction of the number of people to whom they rent. I am sure that I can speak for them, even unofficially, that we fully support adequate off - street parking, control of noise, pleasant appearance of the properties, and no more than four unrelated persons per household. We want to discourage the changing of an existing code that is alrready difficult to enforce and make it even more difficult to enforce. We have the names and addresses of all the property owners in the area and are prepared to communicate with them in any way that you feel will be helpful to the situation. THOUGHTS AND QUESTIONS The idea of single family living appears to be the committee's cure -all for the ailments of the neighborhood. Not all single families are the same. Some we would like to have next door and some we wouldn't. There are many situations worse than having students next door. And, they can be more permanent. What kind of families will older, small homes attract? V y ` S Is there a list of the houses in the neighborhood that indicates whether they are owner - occupied or non -owner occupied? Such information would be helpful. What are the problems that Lee Street faces versus those of the area West of Ayrshire & Fairview? What is the real issue? Is it the fear of a consortium buying the property quietly with the idea of promoting something other than single family occupancy? Or is it the rental of houses to students who are or who become undesireable neighbors? These are different problems and should be dealt with individually. What is expected of the property owners? Is it to pass by readily available student renters and wait for a (the) right family to come along? Property owners living in the neighborhood should be encouraged to buy adjacent property and control the students who live there.