City To Limit Student Rentals
Move Would Prohibit More Than 4 Undergrads In One Unit
POSTED: 10:48 am EDT March 12, 2008
UPDATED: 5:38 pm EDT March 12, 2008
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BOSTON -- The Boston zoning board unanimously passed a law aimed at reducing student overcrowding of off-campus apartments.NewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported that the zoning amendment prohibits landlords from renting out a single unit to more than four undergraduate students. Hundreds of people for and against the proposal packed a City Hall hearing Wednesday.
Video: Housing Proposal DebatedOpponents called it a backdoor attempt to re-impose rent control, but opponents said it's needed because high rents are forcing families out of neighborhoods."Having a lot of students live in one concentrated area -- five, six, seven -- kind of creates a lot of the quality of life issues -- instant parties, lots of cars, lots of late-night activity, but that is not the real issue. The real issue is the economic erosion of a community -- the loss of families who can't compete with that rent," City Councilor Michael Ross said."The limitation should be based on the architecture of the building -- not some arbitrary limit that some city councilor cooked up numbers to show that if indeed people are paying these amounts -- there is no market out there. Those are lies. There is no market out there when students are paying $1,000 per head. It simply doesn't exist," property owner Oscar Brookins said.
Video: Housing Proposal DebatedOpponents called it a backdoor attempt to re-impose rent control, but opponents said it's needed because high rents are forcing families out of neighborhoods."Having a lot of students live in one concentrated area -- five, six, seven -- kind of creates a lot of the quality of life issues -- instant parties, lots of cars, lots of late-night activity, but that is not the real issue. The real issue is the economic erosion of a community -- the loss of families who can't compete with that rent," City Councilor Michael Ross said."The limitation should be based on the architecture of the building -- not some arbitrary limit that some city councilor cooked up numbers to show that if indeed people are paying these amounts -- there is no market out there. Those are lies. There is no market out there when students are paying $1,000 per head. It simply doesn't exist," property owner Oscar Brookins said. Copyright 2008 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
