Wednesday, March 10, 2010
More than a month after the last discussion of the Oread neighborhood’s fate, the future of the student ghetto remains unclear.
Cars drive down Tennessee Street, one of the staple locations of the 'student ghetto.' City Commissioners listened to arguments for a proposed plan of action to diversify housing in the neighborhood.
The Lawrence City Commission discussed concerns Tuesday about the perceived deterioration of the neighborhood due to boardinghouses and absentee landlords. The growing concentration of rented properties has led to calls for a healthier balance between boardinghouses and permanent homes.
Members of the Lawrence Planning Commission are struggling to address the issues facing the neighborhood, but are working to finalize a plan. The drafted plan proposes that the city create five different districts that would group different types of land use, such as parking, boarding houses and single-family homes, among others.
“Students will always outnumber owner-occupiers in the Oread neighborhood, but that doesn’t mean that the neighborhood should simply become a student-only ghetto,” Beth Meyers, a community member, said.
Others, such as Danny Schneider, a junior from Mulvane and resident of a six-person house, do not see the current conditions as a problem.
“I envision it as a student ghetto where college kids with a limited income can live with other like-minded college students,” Schneider said.
Commissioners heard public comments on the plan Tuesday but moved to place voting on a future agenda to allow time to address specific concerns with the plan. There have been 12 public meetings since the planning process began in January 2009, but residents expressed concern that not all stakeholders were being equally heard.
Elise Higgins, community affairs director for Student Senate, was the only student in attendance at the Tuesday meeting. She said that she was supportive of the plan and that she thought it did a good job of addressing stakeholder needs, but that she would like to see more student participation.
Michelle Leininger, area and neighborhood planner for the city, said student involvement had been “slim to none” throughout the process.
The plan suggests maintaining and stabilizing strong concentrations of owner-occupied housing and encouraging owner occupancy throughout the neighborhood, which could limit the amount of student rentals in the neighborhood.
Landlords and tenants may be more heavily regulated through rental registration and inspection programs meant to address neglect.
The proposed plan includes grants that would fund additional police presence in the area during large events and enforce the Disorderly House Nuisance Ordinance, which regulates noise and other disruptive behavior.
The Oread Neighborhood Association, which is involved in the planning process, is especially concerned with the preservation of historic properties. In a January meeting, members said that adding to existing structures to make them eligible for congregated living use, which is popular with student tenants, hinders historic preservation and permanent residency.
Dennis Brown, president of the Lawrence Preservation Alliance voiced concerns to the planning commission about the plan, saying it wasn’t strong enough in encouraging owner-occupied housing in the neighborhood.
“We are concerned that of all the mixed-uses that make up the Oread, owner-occupancy is the one that is declining to the possible point of virtual non-existence within our lifetimes,” Brown said at Tuesday’s meeting.
— Edited by Katie Blankenau
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Comments
City discusses new goals for 'student ghetto'
I tend to agree that the homes in the Oread Neighborhood are deteriorating and something needs to be done to improve housing conditions there. I think the city has chosen the least practical route though- owner occupied housing. Sure, it would cost less to entice families and older people to move into the neighborhood, but I'd imagine not many families want to live among noisy/crazy college students, who stay up late. Given it's proximity to downtown and the amount of students already living there, the Oread neighborhood would probably be better re-constructed with MORE apartment-style living arangements. I'm not saying they should tear all of the old houses down and slap up some cookie cutter style apartments, but perhaps there would be less noise if the 6, 7, and 8 bedroom houses were subdivided into 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartment houses? Additionally, the city might want to look into encouraging owner-occupied rental units, where the owner of a house would rent out the 2nd or 3rd floor. This would help defer some of the initial purchase cost of a home in the Oread Neighborhood, since they are too expensive for most people to afford.
City discusses new goals for 'student ghetto'
Personally I really enjoy having a funky neighborhood with apartments/houses varying from studios to big houses where students (like me) can live, be close to campus and within walking distance of the bars downtown. I feel safe and even though I live alone I feel most of my neighbors and I know that if I were to scream someone would actually come to my aid. Which is simply not a fact in most parts of town.
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