The resolution to create a “student resident” category in the city zoning code was held at the Syracuse Common Council meeting Monday.

Khalid Bey, 4th district Syracuse common councilor, chose to hold the resolution to continue discussion of the legality of creating student-use zones, he said after the meeting.

The amendment to the city zoning code is part of legislation proposed by Bey and the Southeast University Neighborhood Association to regulate the spread of student housing in the neighborhood near University Hill.

Under this legislation, a student residence would be defined by any residential dwelling occupied by three to five students. Each residence would then be registered with the city, with landlords applying for an annual license through a registry application that includes the names of student renters and the university each attends, according to the proposed legislation.

Discussions among neighborhood residents, landlords, the corporate council and the common council are ongoing, Bey said. The primary concern is whether establishing a student resident category is legally possible. If the new category can be established, he said, then it can be zoned accordingly.

“To me,” Bey said, “that’s really where the argument lies, and legislation is under further scrutiny to determine whether the things suggested can be done legally.”

Because of the continued discussions, the resolution might not appear on the common council agenda again for a few weeks to a month, if at all, he said.

If passed, the ordinance would only apply to the Special Neighborhood District, or the area closest to University Hill, according to the proposed legislation. Any legally operating student rentals in the area would be grandfathered in, losing their status only if a student fails to rent or a landlord fails to apply for a license renewal for 12 months or more.

The ordinance is currently in effect in at least 13 municipalities in four states. In Lower Merion Township, Pa., it was challenged and upheld through the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.

Bey stressed the proposed legislation is not “anti-student,” but rather intended to sustain the existing quality of life in the Special Neighborhood District.

To achieve this end, it would prevent landlords from converting single-family homes to multi-use student residences, an action that affects the quality of life in the neighborhood, he said.

“It is not a permanent suspension of the opportunity for housing,” he said. “It’s only that student housing could be acquired or could be established through a special permit.”

In addition to determining the legality of the proposed amendment to the zoning code, Bey said the discussions would include possible ways to appease all involved parties.

“My bottom line is to make sure that we are within legal boundaries, but also to see if there’s a possibility for equal satisfaction on the part of landlords and residents,” Bey said. “Compromise is always the best outcome.”

Published on March 5, 2013 at 12:34 am