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Houghton is no longer a town with a college, but a university town. That was the sentiment expressed by Chairman Tom Merz of the City of Houghton Planning Commission as they discussed rental issues Tuesday.
The Planning Commission had been asked by the Houghton City Council to address several concerns about rental housing and make a recommendation to the council.
Topics the commission was asked to consider included banning new rentals in certain areas, reviewing ordinances on zoning and parking, and increasing code enforcement.
In its draft report, a subcommittee of the commission stressed the diversity and welcoming spirit of the city and looked to steer the conversation away from banning rentals to enforcing the rules that are already in place.
They concluded that concerns about rental units are not confined to those rented by students.
First and foremost is a recommendation to add a second full-time code enforcement officer and going to biennial inspections for rental units with a good track record.
Other recommendations included dissolving the Rental Housing Board and giving the city office the power to determine if the requirements of issuing a license have been met, posting a decal either inside or outside of a rental unit clearly indicating the maximum number of unrelated occupants allowed, and attaching rental licenses to the owner and not the property so that the license becomes void upon sale of that property.
The report also called for city-wide parking and other housing code enforcement, regardless whether a property is rented or owner-occupied.
City Manager Eric Waara also explained that, though the city’s rental license ordinance does give the city the power to revoke a rental license, no mechanism has been established to do so. A process would need to be put in place to hold landlords accountable for violations.
The subcommittee will update the draft report with the recommendations from the Planning Commission and present it again next month.
If approved, the recommendations will be passed on to the City Council.
