Borough council to hear input on balcony numbers

By ANGELA J. GATES
Collegian Staff Writer

In a town where many rent apartments, an amendment to a property maintenance code may hold landlords and tenants even more responsible for property damage and disruptive behavior.

The State College Borough Council will hear input and vote on the amendment at its meeting at 7:30 p.m. today in the Municipal Building.

The amendment would require each of the seven or more balconies on a building to be numbered, council member Elizabeth Goreham said, and would reduce the time period for landlords to give first and second notices to problem tenants.

The amendment has come about in part, she said, as a result of the July 1998 riot and the huge amount of litter and trash thrown off the balconies, especially along the 200 block of East Beaver Avenue.

Council President Jean McManis said whether falling objects are accidental or a result of careless behavior, they are a danger to anyone walking through the area.

Objects have long been falling from apartment buildings, and people have wanted to get rid of or limit accessibility to balconies in the past, McManis said.

"The riot made it more conspicuous, but this has long been a problem," she said. "Numbering balconies is a way to identify the source from where trash and litter is coming."

The entire amendment requires more responsibility on the part of landlords and tenants, Goreham said.

"The number on a balcony is to remind people they will be held accountable and also puts pressure on landlords to maintain a level of accountability to their tenants," she said.

As part of the amendment, landlords would be required to give written notices to tenants when a number of offenses occur within a certain time period.

Some offenses could result in revoking a rental housing permit. These include external and internal property damage, noise and refuse violations, illegal pets and sidewalk obstructions.

By requiring landlords to pay attention to problem tenants, others living in the same building or apartment complex would benefit, Goreham said.

She added students who must deal with problem neighbors, especially in high-rise apartments and dense living situations, are not able to relax in their surroundings.