March 12, 2011
1. Rental registration and inspection can be effective tools to better enforce the provisions of the development and building codes that govern rental housing. Do you favor rental registration and inspection of all rental properties that are more than 20 years old throughout the city?
YES, I am in favor of rental inspection for all rental properties. There are plenty of life-safety concerns that should require inspection for emergency egress as well as other code concerns.
2. Neighborhoods are suffering from the chronic nuisance created by party houses. Do you favor meaningful enforcement of noise, nuisance and occupancy codes including fines against the owners of properties generating chronic problems?
YES, I support enforcement of occupancy codes and nuisance complaints including fines. Boarding houses – or so-called ‘congregate’ housing – must also be responsible neighbors. I believe that some of the congregate housing should actually have to apply for fraternity or sorority house-zoning expansions where a simple majority of the residents are a member of such an organization. These congregate houses are essentially dormitories for these organizations and simply not a standard multi-family residential occupancy.
3. It is commonplace for a neighborhood or LAN to learn of a development proposal only when the proposal has been placed upon the agenda of the Planning Commission. Do you favor effective participation of neighborhoods in the negotiations over development proposals during the review stage rather than relegating neighborhoods to public comment periods at commission sessions?
YES, we should demand that development applications require notices issued to neighboring property owners within a 250 ft. radius so that adjacent property owners are immediately notified of a possible change of use or zoning modification. Many jurisdictions require public notices as part of a development application, often because it may be unknown to the city whether a homeowner’s association and its covenants have expired or not.
4. The Chamber of Commerce, a business advocacy organization, receives over $200,000 of taxpayer money from the city for economic development planning activities. Would the city be better served if these activities were performed by planners working for the City and answering to the City Commission rather than for a business advocacy organization?
YES, these monies should remain with the city and under the obligation of the municipality to first serve the best interests of the citizens as residents and taxpayers; and, therefore, be less subject to special interest or development groups of a particular kind or having a special agenda.
Tags: Neighborhoods
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