Syracuse, NY - More than 100 people showed up at Syracuse City Hall Thursday, with arms crossed and some tears shed, to talk about a proposed law that would put limits on new rental property near Syracuse University. The Common Council is considering a law that would require a single unblocked parking space for every bedroom in new rental property...
Syracuse, NY - More than 100 people showed up at Syracuse City Hall Thursday, with arms crossed and some tears shed, to talk about a proposed law that would put limits on new rental property near Syracuse University.
The Common Council is considering a law that would require a single unblocked parking space for every bedroom in new rental property in the district.
Landlords and people who bought two-family homes lined up to ask questions. Some wanted to know how their specific properties would qualify if they decide to rent them out. Others wanted to know how they will ever sell their homes. They had questions about waivers, enforcement and how the information will be disclosed to new buyers.
Some people came to the meeting because they saw a newspaper advertisement run by a group called the Syracuse Property Owners Association that suggested, among other things, that driveways may not be suitable for parking.
The group said the restrictions have the potential to make existing driveway, garage and parking areas on residential lots nonconforming throughout the city and encourage on-street parking.
Juanita Perez Williams, corporation counsel for the city, said the ad was misleading. She responded to each point with a written presentation that she said would be posted on the Syracuse City website on Friday.
Perez Williams also answered questions about some hypothetical examples, both in the district and elsewhere in the city.
The law applies to non-owner occupied properties in the university district. The law would apply to new apartments and buildings in which absentee landlords make any major change to the property.
For properties elsewhere in the city, the city does not require a minimum number of parking spaces. The law does limit parking areas to 918 square feet on a single-family property.
Inside the university district, a non-owner occupied, three bedroom property with only two parking places would have two options: ask the zoning board for permission to waive the number of parking places, or knock down a wall and reduce the number of bedrooms, she said.
The suggestion to knock down a wall drew disgusted laughter from many in the crowd. Other single-family homeowners applauded the city’s effort to limit the number of homes turned into crowded student apartments.
A nearly identical law passed Common Council in 2007, but was invalidated in state Supreme Court because the judge said the city failed to follow environmental review procedures.
The proposed law is on the agenda for Monday’s Common Council meeting, but the vote could be postponed.
Michelle Breidenbach can be reached at mbreidenbach@syracuse.com or (315) 470-3186.