Rental Reform – Read first, then substantiate your hatred
First of all, you can find the full summary and the proposed ordinance here.
The primary purpose of this ordinance is to acknowledge that it has become a business to convert single family homes into multi-tenant boarding homes in a way that maximizes income for the business owner. That business model also puts stress onto the neighborhood because these homes and these lots were (in many cases) not designed to hold 5 or 6 college students each with their own car. This business model is at the core of the student / resident conflicts.
The problem is not students, rentals, or renters. I personally believe that we should have more of each in Duluth. The problem is that when a person converts a 3-br single family home into a 5-br apartment building, they are maximizing income and externalizing the costs onto the rest of the neighborhood.
