USG, borough discuss housing

The State College Borough recently celebrated its centennial anniversary. But long before then, the University found its roots in this region, forming a student town.

Previous proposals never specified students as a distinct community. The new plan, however, closely parallels the three-person occupancy rule, which has been in effect since 1979. The new proposal states that no new converted student home can occur within 225 feet of an existing student home and that the residence must be a one-family home occupied by no more than three unrelated college students.

USG expressed its concern that the ordinance discriminates against students and pushes them out of neighborhoods, limiting where they can live and halting student housing outside the University.

But students -- under the Civil Rights Act of 1991 -- cannot be considered a minority group because they have not historically been discriminated against.

The borough, however, faces its own problem of a growing student population that does not pay income taxes, which the borough depends on for funding. Students do not contribute to the tax base by paying income tax because state law says a municipality can only tax earned incomes.

"How do you solve our problem?" council president Tom Daubert said. "We need money to run the town. Fifty percent of our money comes from income tax."

The purpose of the ordinance, Daubert said, is to have a great place to live without losing residents. If nonstudent borough residents leave the neighborhoods, a problem arises, because they make up the tax base of State College.

The council also expressed concern that students in borough neighborhoods can cause noise problems that drive out families who do not wish to live in such a situation.

"The noise can reach incredible levels," State College Borough mayor Bill Welch said. "The bad behavior gets so bad. But I'm here year after year, and I'm the one who calls the police at 3 a.m. because I can't stand it. It wears down the ones who attempt to stay."

According to 1994 statistics incorporated in the housing proposal and provided by the State College Police Department, most noise and trash violations were attributed to rental homes, where students live.

"The problem is, where there's student housing, the source of the big problem we face is that it's the noise, it's the trash, it's the vandalism that drives people out," council member Jean McManis said.

The council, however, did not want to imply that students want to live in an undesirable neighborhood.

"I think it's fair to say if you're a student or resident you want nice neighborhoods," borough manager Peter Marshall said. "(The proposal) meant to improve what is not going well right now."

"We want it to be mixed; we want it to be a neighborhood," Marshall said. "The way I see it, (the ordinance) is going to improve your neighborhood."

But USG members worried the proposal would push students farther away from the University.

"We can't live way far away," said USG vice president Ed Kilpela. "The buses don't go there, we can't walk and the University won't let us park there."

Daubert said he would like the ordinance to be ready by spring break 1997 for public hearing. USG will contact the council within the next two weeks with ideas to improve upon the proposed ordinance, USG president Sharon Entenberg said.