Borough Council tries housing experiment

The State College Planning Commission voted yesterday to recommend "a great experiment" in student housing.

The student housing proposal would limit the number of one- and two-family houses that can be converted to rental housing in low, medium and high density residential neighborhoods. Also, a group would be set up to educate students about community relations and the borough's ordinances. The commission also decided to nix a few provisions in the proposal.

The provisions included having the council re-evaluate the amendment in five years, making special exceptions for some homes and revamping a borough "abandonment regulation." However, regardless of these recommendations, the State College Borough Council could decide to send the proposal back to the commission if it wants those provisions.

"This is a great experiment," said Peter Hulburt, commission member. "I think this is a decent compromise."

Commission member Rae Chambers argued against the sunset clause, which would have forced the council to reconsider the amendment in five years. She said it would be unfair to homeowners.

"It tells the family home buyers that after five years, we're not really committed to this," she said. "If (the proposal) is bad, then council can always repeal it."

If the clause were not included, then those registered to vote in State College could force the council to reconsider the legislation. The petition must contain a number of signatures equal to 2 percent of the electorate from the last election, said Planning Director Carl Hess.

The commission also did not approve of making special exceptions for professors who would like to rent their homes to students if they leave on a sabbatical. Without the exception clause, absentee homeowners must rent to nonstudents.

"I have no sympathy for homeowners who can't find people to rent," Chambers said.

In addition to eliminating special exclusions, the commission decided not to amend the "abandonment" regulation in the proposal. Under the regulation, landlords who own a "student" home would lose the right to rent to students if they rent to a family for more than a year. This gives landlords an incentive to rent only to students.

The commission suggested that this abandonment provision be kept. However, at the time of enactment, the borough would extend this protection to landlords who were already renting to families. Thus, all rental homes -- not just those occupied by students -- would be classified as a student-home status. Therefore, if the family moved, the landlord could legally rent to students.

However, if another landlord were to buy a home previously occupied by a family a day after the regulation went into effect, then they would not be allowed to rent to students, said Drew Hyman, commission chair.

Jay Birdsell, Undergraduate Student Government Town Affairs co-director, said although he approves of this special provision, it is still not enough. He wanted the borough to avoid the abandonment clause all together.

"It's a step forward, but it's deceiving," Birdsell said. "It's like five steps forward, and three steps back."