Over occupancy housing issues discussed
Too many people living in one house is a problem the city of Salisbury has been dealing with for about 35 years now according to Mayor Jim Ireton’s office.
There are about 10,000 homes in Salisbury and only 410 are allowed to have more than one family living in them, perhaps to be expected in a college town where students are renting. But Salisbury resident Kathie Brittingham is concerned that too many houses are packing people in.
Brittingham tells 47 ABC “Over housing is bad for everyone. You have children that are more and more delinquent because there’s more and more people per block and this is not just a college situation that we’re seeing this is more just a general description.”
According to the Mayor, within the past year, 48 rental homes have been found to be illegally housing more than allowed. When that happens, the landlord is slapped with a $500 fine. Residents like Brittingham want that fine hiked to $1,000 but City Council President Jake Day says drastic action could poison the relationship between local government and young residents. He also argues that relationship is central to revitalizing the area.
Day tells 47 ABC, “It largely has been focused on college students and again you look at the great revitalization and success stories around America, most of them are college towns and if they’re not, they’re still embracing millennials, they’re embracing young people.”
Day also says he’s lived next door to a college students home for 6 years and has enjoyed every minute of it. He also believes that any good solution will have to be a compromise.
Day tells 47 ABC, “You’ve got to set up the law to a way that its fair to everybody and then simultaneously we’ve got a responsibility as leaders to embrace young people and embrace students and embrace Salisbury University. The only way we’re going to get there is if there’s a great relationship between the university and the community around it.”
Tuesday night’s meeting was simply an open discussion and there is no word on when a final solution will be made.
