Proposal tackles parking issue i

Proposal tackles parking issue in SU area

Thursday, July 12, 2007

By Greg Munno Staff writer

The city of Syracuse has hit on a new tactic in its effort to curb the rush of homes in the University neighborhood that are being converted to student apartments.

The conversion of the single-family homes to student rentals has drastically increased the number of noise, parking and litter complaints in what has long been considered one of the city's most desirable neighborhoods.

A 1991 law aimed at slowing the conversions by limiting to five the number of unrelated adults who can live in a rental property. But that did little to cool investors' appetite for houses that once would have been bought by families.

Residents of the area had begun pushing the city to lower the number of adults allowed in a home to three, but the city resisted, saying the change would open it up to a lawsuit. Several councilors held hearings on the subject that were packed with residents of the area, but no consensus on how to deal with the problem emerged.

Now, City Zoning Administrator Chuck Ladd has come up with an idea that seems to be gaining momentum and that will be discussed Monday at the next city Planning Commission meeting.

Ladd's proposal would require that any rental property in the University Special Neighborhood District have at least one off-street parking space per bedroom. The law would only apply to owner-occupied homes that investors want to transform into rental property. Existing rental properties would be exempt from the regulation.

The Special Neighborhood District is roughly the area south of East Genesee Street, north of Colvin Street, east of Comstock Avenue and west of Westmoreland Avenue.

The proposed regulations also would tighten up language governing how much of a property can be paved for parking. This would prevent landlords from replacing yards with asphalt as a way around the new regulations, Ladd said. If adopted, that regulation would apply citywide, not just the University area, he said.

Mike Stanton, president of the Southeast University Neighborhood Association, said he supports Ladd's new approach.

"I think it's the best we'll get out of this administration," said Stanton, who had been pushing for a reduction in unrelated occupancy from five to three. "And I believe it will slow the pace of conversions, especially for the larger houses with more than three bedrooms. Most of the lots up here are fairly small, and there just isn't enough room to accommodate more than three cars off street."

Stephanie Miner, one of several councilors who have been pushing for a solution to overcrowding in the neighborhood, said she too supports the plan.

"Right now, it is just so lucrative for landlords in that neighborhood," she said. "It has effectively priced out families who might occupy those homes. It's gotten out of whack. Hopefully, this will help restore some balance, and at least ensure that any new rental properties don't further aggravate the parking problems."

Tim Carroll, the city's director of operations, said Mayor Matt Driscoll also supports the plan.

"We want to preserve the special character of that neighborhood, and in order to do that we have to tackle the quality-of-life issues created by so much student housing," Carroll said. "This is a step in the right direction."

The Post-Standard placed phone calls to several members of the Syracuse Property Owners Association, an umbrella group for landlords who own property on the hill. None of the calls was returned.

Greg Munno can be reached at gmunno@syracuse.com or 470-6084.