Any city residents who are concerned about rooming houses opening in their neighborhoods need not worry much longer.
The city is working on a change to the zoning law that would prohibit new rooming houses, boarding houses, lodging houses, tourist homes and tourist camps inside of R-2 districts.
The change would also prohibit future development of such facilities in C-1, C-2 and C-3 districts.
There are currently 10 rooming houses in the city with a total of 80 available rooms.
"At this point, we think we're saturated with an adequate amount of rooming houses and boarding houses in the city and this provides the ability to limit expansion," said City Manager Jason Molino. "The existing ones will continue to stay in place. They will continue to be regulated and reviewed and permitted every year, as they should be, but this will limit the expansion."
Molino presented the proposed change to the zoning ordinance to the Genesee County Planning Board, just one step in the process of making the change in the zoning law. The board unanimously recommended approval of the proposal.
The current codes governing rooming and boarding houses and multiple-family dwellings in the city are inconsistent with the city's master plan and strategic plan, Molino told the board.
Numerous studies, he said, have shown that rooming houses, in particular, and multi-family dwellings, intermingled in otherwise single-family neighborhoods, bring down property values and encourage the deterioration of whole blocks.
Such uses are also inconsistent with economic development in commercial districts.
This is an issue the city has been looking at for some time, Molino said, but officials became more aware of the need to tighten up the code after local property owner and investor Terry Platt purchased a large home on East Main Street and announced plans to convert it into a rooming house. The city's planning board denied Platt his application for the use, responding to concerns raised by neighbors and other residents; however, Platt challenged the ruling court and eventually prevailed and was able to convert the property into a rooming house.
"That certainly opened everybody's eyes to the potential of where these rooming houses could be located," Molino said. "It has a lot of impact that people perceive as being negative if rooming houses open in certain areas, so that certainly opened our eyes to the inconsistencies in the code."
The proposed zoning change could be perceived as inconsistent with a couple of emerging trends in American society.
First, is the seeming interest of Millennials to avoid home ownership and find suitable places to rent in cities. The second is a trend among some homeowners to use services such as Airbnb to rent rooms to travelers.
On the first point, Molino said he doesn't think Millennials are looking for the kind of rentals this zoning change would curtail.
"They're looking for a little more secure housing, generally, furnished housing, not shared common bathrooms, in areas that are close to amenities and part of a development," Molino said. "There's a disparity in the housing qualities when you start talking about Millennials and the population of empty-nesters who are looking to downsize. They're generally not looking to downsize into rooming houses."
While services such as Airbnb are growing in popularity -- there are even two houses available for guest lodging in Genesee County -- it hasn't been an issue in the city yet, Molino said. The proposed zoning change isn't really meant to address such services, but if it ever became an issue here, Batavia, like any city, would need to study the issue and find the most balanced solution available.
"You've got to look at what comes with it," Molino said. "Are there negative effects? Are there positive effects? Is it similar to a bed and breakfast or not? What comes with that activity? I think what most communities will start dealing with is, what are the positive and negative effects that come with the activity and do they balance each other house, and if not, what revisions of code or enforcement mechanisms do they want to put in place to balance it out."
The proposed zoning change will need to be go through a public hearing and be approved by City Council before becoming law.
I will admit although its not
I will admit although its not anyones first choice to purchase a home next to a rooming house I do think they have a place in our community with zoning restrictions.I see nothing wrong with rooming houses on main st.That is where they belong.What studies were done for city council to conclude"we have enough rooming houses" Were polls and studies done? I think probably not. While I applaud council efforts to improve Batavia,they are kidding themselves if they think they can turn Batavia into something it can never be due to the population and income of its residents.Everyone wishes Batavia was a Saratoga Springs type of community that they are trying to go for. For city council to ignore the needs of a large percentage of Batavia's population is irresponsible.Whether the powers to be like it or not Batavia is what it is.We have a lot of single adults,male and female,young and old that work minimum wage jobs in Batavia and cant afford vehicles to look for better paying jobs out of Batavia or are on fixed income.These people cannot afford traditional apartments that in addition to rent they also come with gas electric,water sewer and now garbage expenses.Impossible for anyone that makes $8.00 or $9.00 an hour.Rooms are the only option sometimes.There is a severe housing shortage in Batavia of affordable and livable housing for mimimum wage single adults.The city is perpetuating the idea that all residents of rooming houses are"riff raff". Do these rooms have higher police calls to them then say a regular apartment on the south side?i doubt it.The city has a responsibility to ALL its residents and not just those that fit their model of the "perfect Batavia".
Just an observation to add to
Just an observation to add to Rhonda's comments. How many of our local Motels are now this single type of housing? I know the Triangle Motel is one of these but there is a strip of them over on the town's west side as well. Most of these people tend not to venture into the city and live and spend out in the town. Limiting boarding houses seems kind of short sighted and over-reaching. As for Molinio's reasons? Seems that these negative aspects are based on stereotypes and opinion rather than facts.
Notice the words that Molino uses when discussing the negative effects...
Molino:"At this point, we think we're saturated with an adequate amount of rooming houses and boarding houses in the city and this provides the ability to limit expansion,"
Also On the first point, Molino said he doesn't think Millennials are looking for the kind of rentals this zoning change would curtail.
The general impression I get is that because of Terry Platt's lawsuit that allowed him to convert the house on east main to a boarding house, they are doing this change to further the nimby mentality.
What seems to be the most disturbing is this statement...
" Numerous studies, he said, have shown that rooming houses, in particular, and multi-family dwellings, intermingled in otherwise single-family neighborhoods, bring down property values and encourage the deterioration of whole blocks."
How is the city going to grow if we keep putting limits on things like this. Don't allow boarding houses in single family zoned neighborhoods. But banning them from the city completely smacks of classism. Whats next? Landlord will not be allowed to have apartments in a building if it goes beyond a certain number of bedrooms in a building? No apartments with more than 5 bedrooms? Where does it stop?
From my perspective, density isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can be a good thing: density fosters locals businesses to serve the growing number of residents, which makes the neighborhood more walkable and more interesting and more sustainable. Without the multi family and boarding house type of housing what you get will be urban sprawl which will eventually destroy these single family neighborhoods.
I have to agree with Kyle and
I have to agree with Kyle and Rhonda. Stereotyping is at the heart of most government action on issues that a small number of citizens wish to make a major a issue of. By saying that, "rooming houses, in particular, and multi-family dwellings, intermingled in otherwise single-family neighborhoods, bring down property values and encourage the deterioration of whole blocks.", is a fallacy as there is no actual proof of any reliable and independent study that has ever been conducted that actually supports such a belief at all.