State College Open City Hall Statement Stream

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-06T12:48:00-05:00

I say maybe

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?

Student Home Definition

2009-12-06T12:36:02-05:00

I say no

The focus should be on enforcing existing ordinances and a new ordinance is unnecessary and discriminatory.

This new ordinance is unnecessary for two reasons. First, rental permits are granted currently only to properties sufficiently spaced from other rental properties, which protects a neighborhood's character. An additional requirement to obtain a student specific permit would not provide additional benefits, as the current spacing requirement is significant. Second, noise, property maintenance, and other ordinances already address concerns surrounding rental properties, both student and non student. If student rentals are perceived to be a problem, current ordinances could be strengthened and enforced more strictly, with larger fines and quicker revocation of rental permits.

A student specific ordinance is based on stereotypes and is discriminatory. Although student status is not a "protected" class, as is race, religion, or gender, discrimination based on student status is equally invidious, treating people as part of a group rather than as individuals. Student renters are not the problem, problem tenants and their negative impact on the neighborhood are. Let's not enact a new ordanance that is both unnecessary and discriminatory.

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Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Student Home Definition

2009-12-05T14:41:10-05:00

I say maybe

I'm concerned that this may be, in effect, discriminatory. Is there a way to word it that would not specify "student," but might use another term such as "renter" without becoming too restrictive for those who rent to the "more experienced"?

For example, if owners could expect to be approved easily for an additional renter if the potential renter could provide good rental references AND the owner has been an owner-in-good-standing (not a lot of points violations) for 3 years or more, or if two renters could demonstrate that they are a committed couple (i.e. marriage certificate or the like)? obtaining a permit could be basically a rubber-stamp operation.

Well-behaved renters renting in mature owner-occupied properties do not negatively impact property values or quality of life, and it is generally good, I believe, for students to have the experience of State College as a wider community made up of more than 18-22 year olds. It's parents buying houses in students' names that causes the problems because there is still no one on-site who is invested in State College as an other-than-just-four-year community. The owner-in-good-standing clause would significantly narrow that student-owned-and-renting loophole.

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Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Student Home Definition

2009-12-05T12:15:22-05:00

I say maybe

Without exception when students move into "residential areas" (i.e. where adult taxpayers reside) the quality of the dwelling detriorates - we should attempt to deincentivize the ability for students of wealthy parents to run rooming houses and degrade our neighborhoods. However, for areas that are already student dense (e.g. West College) perhaps this ordinance is inappropriate - getting students out of the Canyon dwellings would be a healthy move and incentivizing cohabitation in smaller dwellings would be a step in the right direction. Can the ordinance be applied as a zoning ordinance?

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Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-05T12:08:36-05:00

I say yes

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?

Student Home Definition

2009-12-04T10:27:53-05:00

I say yes

More about 'Student Home Definition'

Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Student Home Definition

2009-12-04T09:52:31-05:00

I say yes

The Student Home Permit could be used in conjunction with the Nuisance Ordinance to eliminate chronic nuisance properties within the Borough. With this in place, landlords will be more likely to take more responsibility for the behavior of their tenants.

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Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-04T09:44:58-05:00

I say yes

Within reason, some kind of deterrent to activities of Borough residents that make our community unsafe and lower our quality of life needs to be enacted and enforced. I am particularly eager to see more pressure brought to bear on the landlords of "nuisance" properties since they seem to have no incentive to regulate the behaviors of the people they rent to. Fines should be levied or even imminent domain penalties should be considered in extreme cases.

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-03T16:56:14-05:00

I say no

Instead, current laws need to be enforced.

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?

Student Home Definition

2009-12-03T16:53:27-05:00

I say yes

This permit does not have to cost anything. I think it should be posted on a window at the residence like a building permit. I am so tired of borough neighbors renting to more students than they are supposed to.

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Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Student Home Definition

2009-12-03T13:40:26-05:00

I say yes

More about 'Student Home Definition'

Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-03T13:38:11-05:00

I say yes

It seems reasonable to me that anyone who creates a party (opens their premises to others with the availability of alcohol) should be responsible for the people attending the party.

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?

Transportation Plan 2040

2009-12-03T11:42:33-05:00

Widening or adding lanes in order to increase vehicle capacity is a misguided gesture. There are loads of data nationwide that indicate that increased capacity always leads to increased volume over time, ultimately leading to the desire to further increase capacity.

Think about curing someone's obesity by giving them larger pants.

So, instead of increasing vehicular road capacity, the boro and Centre Region should be working to increase so-called alternative transportation capacity by way of increased CATA service, and significantly improved bicycle infrastructure around and throughout the downtown.

* The choice to submit this semi-anonymously was made to protect other personal interests and relationships. I've been a resident of SC Boro for 10 years.

thanks!

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What are the most important transportation projects for our community? Please share your thoughts with the State College Borough Council.

Student Home Definition

2009-12-03T10:37:14-05:00

I say yes

Definitely should close this loophole
and if someone wants to rent to students, great...but obtain the proper permits.

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Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-03T10:24:26-05:00

I say maybe

I agree with the previous 'maybe' comments. People(including students) should be able to have parties, but there ought to be limits/boundaries as to what is appropriate and considerate of other residents. It would be nice if partygoers could cleanup the property. Landlords also have responsibilities and should encourage
students to act like good citizens.

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-03T08:22:17-05:00

I say maybe

The current version is too broad to include spillover activities onto adjacent properties and won't pass constitutional review, incurring legal costs. The ordinance is a good start to show young adults that independent living requires responsibility, but will need to be narrowed to party activities itself i.e. serving of liquor, noise loudness, activities outside of the house, etc.

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?

Student Home Definition

2009-12-02T18:46:41-05:00

I say yes

This will bring consistency to the regulations. If, in effect, a residence would become a student home, it should need to meet the same regulations as other student homes.

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Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-02T18:13:17-05:00

I say maybe

I say Maybe leaning towards Yes. Do you want homeowners and retirees and families, most of whom aren't into the drinking scene but do pay taxes, to live within State College Borough -- or not? Look at our tax base: it's a financial imperative to make the Borough more attractive to such residents. Far too much of the budget is now going into the constant and only partially effective attempt to control excess drinking and related noise and other nuisance violations. It's hard to justify to Borough homeowners / taxpayers who may be out of work, or living on fixed incomes, or struggling to meet rising expenses while facing pay cuts, or sometimes working two jobs or extended hours, why so much of their tax money must be spent on policing and cleaning up after excessive leisure-time partying, whether by students or others. This just isn't right, and you could cut taxes if you cut way down on this cost. The ordinance may need some adjustment in wording (hence my vote is "maybe"), but it's time for party hosts, as well as individual party-goers, to receive a firm message, with teeth in it, that they have responsibilities not to make Borough life unpleasant or needlessly costly for their neighbors. If ordinances of this sort seem to have worked well elsewhere, let's try this approach. And don't be afraid of the threat of lawsuits. Threats of "I'll sue, if you don't do what I want" shouldn't be the basis for making Council decisions.

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?

Transportation Plan 2040

2009-12-02T13:28:00-05:00

I am 56 years old and have been living car free in State College for several years by using a combination of walking, biking and the ride for five bus pass. I would love to be able to get a zip car in State College, to have a train station, to have safer ways to bike downtown during peak hours (7AM is fine!). Since we're looking 30 years ahead lets plan for more people, and older people, to be able to live car free.

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What are the most important transportation projects for our community? Please share your thoughts with the State College Borough Council.

Student Home Definition

2009-12-02T10:07:56-05:00

I say no

More about 'Student Home Definition'

Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Student Home Definition

2009-12-02T02:18:15-05:00

I say no

More about 'Student Home Definition'

Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-02T02:13:20-05:00

I say no

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?

Transportation Plan 2040

2009-12-01T20:06:22-05:00

I agree with the other semi-anonymous poster that a 30 year planning horizon invites a lot of talk and little action. Many of these ideas are good ones and need to be implemented far sooner.

I would encourage the region to continue to become more bicycle-friendly; the most inexpensive and safest way to do this is to mark travel lanes on existing streets as shared bike/motor-vehicle, widening and improving the surfaces as necessary, rather than creating separate bike-only facilities.

In addition, spend the money on reconfiguring traffic signals to detect bikes where the presence of a vehicle triggers cross traffic red and through traffic green; right now, if a bike arrives at a red light, it must wait there (forever) until a car or truck arrives to trigger the signal change.

College township desperately needs better pedestrian and bicycle facilities. The two proposed Lemont to State College bike routes are sorely needed. When new businesses move in, require them to put in sidewalks! Improve street lighting, so people feel safe walking and biking. This is the 21st century already; College Township feels like it is stuck in the 19th century.

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What are the most important transportation projects for our community? Please share your thoughts with the State College Borough Council.

Student Home Definition

2009-12-01T19:49:55-05:00

I say yes

More about 'Student Home Definition'

Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-01T19:46:53-05:00

I say maybe

I think it has become clear to everyone in State College, students and home owners, that the behavior of certain groups in the borough is unacceptable. As I said at the last borough council meeting I attended the intent of the new ordinance is a step in the right direction. Whether the ordinance is correctly written I am not qualified to say. I am concerned that the enforcement of a new ordinance will be no better than the current noise ordinance if it is left to the police force to execute the ordinance. I think that the existing noise ordinance and any new ones should be enforced by the same group that enforces other ordinances such as those for clearing snow or maintaining your lawn. For example the code enforcement officer should patrol the borough at night, especially on football weekends, and cite any residence that is too loud. This should be done without any one calling to report it and with no interaction with the residents. The violation should be written against the residence as many times and needed. There should be no attempt to break up the event or try to "reason" with the violators. Both the building/residence owner and the residents should be responsible and penalized as is done with a snow or grass violation.

If you have any questions please contact me. I will not be able to attend the meeting on the 7th.

Steve Harp
stevennharp@gmail.com

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?

Student Home Definition

2009-12-01T17:40:26-05:00

I am neutral

More about 'Student Home Definition'

Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-01T17:37:00-05:00

I say no

not under the control of the party originator, and who is not trained in riot control.

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?

Student Home Definition

2009-12-01T16:22:53-05:00

I say no

In this period of economic uncertainty there should be fewer permits required; not more. Renting rooms to students is a responsible way for borough homeowners to manage their finances (keeping a house from foreclosure?) and to provide a support network for students by providing a surrogate family to help students learn how to live away from home in a socially appropriate manner. State College, PA

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Should the Borough Council enact an ordinance that prohibits owners of properties from renting rooms to more than one student without obtaining a Student Home Permit?

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-01T16:18:00-05:00

I say no

This Nuisance Gathering Ordinance is an absurdity. Live and let live. Treating citizens like "children" is totally inappropriate and will create more animosity and resentment toward Borough Council. When treated as adults, (and not nuisances) the majority of adults respond appropriately. If it "aint broke; don't fix it" is an appropriate rule to follow.

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?

Nuisance Gathering Ordinance

2009-12-01T14:35:43-05:00

I say no

There have been numerous reasons discussed at prior Council meetings and here on this forum explaining why the Nuisance Ordinance should not be enacted; for myself, it's a matter of the constitutionality of the law and the need for personal responsibility. Additionally, we now have new IFC Social Policies for fraternities. These new policies could create a more harmonious environment between residents and students. We should allow time for these policies to be implemented and study their impact.

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Should the Borough Council enact the Nuisance Gathering Ordinance?