Spring Break
Students attend council meeting, want fair treatment
Proposed housing ordinance leads to controversy; Student Senate external affairs chair says 'not right tool for the job.'
By: Amanda Grosgebauer and Jason Deuterman
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: News
As the heat of political tension began to rise, the echo of "Beat the Hell Outta the Housing Ordinance!" resonated just outside the meeting chambers of the College Station City Council.
With the possible institution of a contentious housing ordinance threatening to limit the number of unrelated individuals living together, a plethora of concerned students attended the council's March 27 proposal workshop hoping to hear that alternative measures had been found to insure fair treatment for all College Station residents.
The workshop began with the presentation of the report put together by the city's staff that evaluated the present policy rational governing community relations and then recommended specific policy initiatives to help elevate the tension between permanent residents and students.
Robert Cowell, the director of planning and development services, presented the report's strategies and actions on behalf of the city citing that the solution will only come with the full engagement of all stakeholders - students, landlords and permanent residents alike.
"This is not just a city solution," Cowell said. "For listed accountability for code enforcement, education for stakeholders and the need for additional enforcement tools, fully rely upon the willingness of all residents to communicate with one another to strengthen the community."
Actions recommended by the city staff included promoting home ownership, intensive neighborhood code enforcement and official rental registration for all leases. The report was shared as the opening of the workshop, to insure that the city's recommendations where at the forefront of the council members minds as they prepared to finally confront the neighborhood integrity issues.
Cowell concluded the city's report with "Aggieland Solutions," strategies inspired by the student government's proposal that was crafted as an alternative to the proposed idea of an ordinance which would limit the number of un-related individuals in one residence.
With the possible institution of a contentious housing ordinance threatening to limit the number of unrelated individuals living together, a plethora of concerned students attended the council's March 27 proposal workshop hoping to hear that alternative measures had been found to insure fair treatment for all College Station residents.
The workshop began with the presentation of the report put together by the city's staff that evaluated the present policy rational governing community relations and then recommended specific policy initiatives to help elevate the tension between permanent residents and students.
Robert Cowell, the director of planning and development services, presented the report's strategies and actions on behalf of the city citing that the solution will only come with the full engagement of all stakeholders - students, landlords and permanent residents alike.
"This is not just a city solution," Cowell said. "For listed accountability for code enforcement, education for stakeholders and the need for additional enforcement tools, fully rely upon the willingness of all residents to communicate with one another to strengthen the community."
Actions recommended by the city staff included promoting home ownership, intensive neighborhood code enforcement and official rental registration for all leases. The report was shared as the opening of the workshop, to insure that the city's recommendations where at the forefront of the council members minds as they prepared to finally confront the neighborhood integrity issues.
Cowell concluded the city's report with "Aggieland Solutions," strategies inspired by the student government's proposal that was crafted as an alternative to the proposed idea of an ordinance which would limit the number of un-related individuals in one residence.
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