Andrew Block, the director of community relations for the city of Binghamton, attended last night’s Student Assembly meeting to discuss town-gown relations and off-campus housing.
Block called his attendance at the meeting a “prelude to the main event.” Mayor Matthew Ryan is scheduled to attend the Assembly meeting on March 9 to further discuss the issue of housing in the city of Binghamton.
Block began his discussion by addressing the relationship between the Binghamton University community and the city of Binghamton.
“We [the city officials of Binghamton] do respect the student body, we do want to respect the student body, and if there is ever a question about that respect, we do want to give responses to it,” Block said.
The main topic Block discussed was the issue of housing as it relates to students living in Binghamton.
The mayor’s office understands that the housing issue for students living off campus in Downtown Binghamton is a great concern, Block said.
“Mayor Ryan and his administration want students to live in the city of Binghamton,” Block said. “At the same time as making housing accessible, we want to ensure that it is safe.”
According to Block, this safety concern affects not only students, but families and other local residents as well.
There are a number of ways the city is trying to make housing accessible and safe, Block said.
“A way we are thinking about our housing stock and making it safe is our zone code, and zoning as it relates to housing density,” he said. “The reason why density is a concern is it relates exactly to the nature of activity, the nature of life, the quality of life in the surrounding area.”
“The number of people that live in the house has a direct impact on the integrity of the structure, its safety in terms of being susceptible to fire,” Block added.
The commission on housing and home ownership, which involves people from City Hall, real estate agents, members of Off Campus College and landlords, was formed one year ago to look at ways to improve the zoning ordinance and to find a way to enforce it in a manner that sustains the density of living requirements, Block said.
“Three people who are unrelated can live together in certain areas,” he said. “In the event that there is more than that number of people, then they need to amount to a functional equivalent of a family.”
According to Block, if there is a home with more than three people living together who are not considered a biological family, then the occupants could be moved out or evicted because they are in violation of a zoning law.
Block provided the example of the students living on Lincoln Avenue in the West Side last spring, who were reported to the city as in violation of the R-1 zoning code. The city evicted the unrelated students from their home, but the eviction was postponed until the end of the semester so the students would not be placed in a compromising position.
According to Block, the commission on housing and home ownership will issue a report next month addressing the enforcement of the zoning code, which will be made available to the public. This report is only an advisory; the mayor will take recommendations and community input into account to see if any changes should go forward.
After his speech, there was time for members of the Assembly to either ask Block questions or to comment on the issues.
A student on the Assembly questioned why the city is limiting housing options for student residents, and pointed out that this is showing a lack of respect for the students.
There are many housing options available to students in off-campus communities and in Downtown Binghamton, Block said.
“We are actually trying to enhance and expand the housing options,” Block said. “There are clear examples Downtown: Newman Development Group is building a complex that will have 800 beds. There is a much smaller place at 142 Court Street, which is Downtown, and there is another complex at the midtown mall which is on Court Street.”
Students also expressed concerns regarding the zoning code.
Matt Landau, president of the Student Association, said he thought it was important for the city council to decide if they are going to pass a new zoning law by a specific date.
If they decide to pass something over the summer, students would have already signed their leases for the fall, he added.
“I think the more attention we can bring to students about the city of Binghamton, the better,” Block said. “That includes when it comes to the election process, that includes when it comes to housing, it includes when it comes to economic development.”
“We try to prioritize openness and communication, and one of the big reasons for that is because it gets the ball rolling on things. I hope that’s what the trends will lead to,” he added.