[Edit: TL;DR (that means "Cliff's Notes"): If I am reading this right, College Station is fixing to pass some dangerous stuff]
I just realized the College Station City Council is intending to pass this on Thursday. Starting at page 740
here
It looks like the proposal would make it possible for the city ("the Administrator") to outlaw anything matching two or more of the following criteria unless it is zoned multi-family or one of the Northgate zones:
A dwelling unit containing more than four bedrooms or able to house more than four people using other rooms such as dens, offices, game rooms, or alike that have the potential to be used for sleeping purposes in accordance with the International Residential Code (IRC) definition of habitable space;
A dwelling unit containing a similar bedroom to bathroom parity in excess of four;
A dwelling unit containing a high quantity of bathrooms, usually in excess of four, of which most can only be accessed through a bedroom or other room such as a den, office, or game room;
A dwelling unit that is in excess of one story;
The property where the dwelling unit is located does not contain a garage;
The property where the dwelling unit is located contains a parking area that will allow parking in excess of four vehicles; and/or
The property where the dwelling unit is located is within two (2) miles of a campus of higher education.
I dig this is intended to target students, poor people, and the like. But could this also be used to outlaw most of the houses being built in neighborhoods like Castlegate? It seems to make it so that the city, if it wanted to, could stop someone from building
- a 2 story home within 2 miles of campus, or
- a 2 story home with 4 bedrooms and a den in *any* neighborhood in the city, or
- a 4 bedroom home with a den, a 2 car garage, and enough of a driveway to park 3 more cars in *any* neighborhood in the city,
- etc.
This appears to be a dangerous ordinance.
I just realized the College Station City Council is intending to pass this on Thursday. Starting at page 740
here
It looks like the proposal would make it possible for the city ("the Administrator") to outlaw anything matching two or more of the following criteria unless it is zoned multi-family or one of the Northgate zones:
A dwelling unit containing more than four bedrooms or able to house more than four people using other rooms such as dens, offices, game rooms, or alike that have the potential to be used for sleeping purposes in accordance with the International Residential Code (IRC) definition of habitable space;
A dwelling unit containing a similar bedroom to bathroom parity in excess of four;
A dwelling unit containing a high quantity of bathrooms, usually in excess of four, of which most can only be accessed through a bedroom or other room such as a den, office, or game room;
A dwelling unit that is in excess of one story;
The property where the dwelling unit is located does not contain a garage;
The property where the dwelling unit is located contains a parking area that will allow parking in excess of four vehicles; and/or
The property where the dwelling unit is located is within two (2) miles of a campus of higher education.
I dig this is intended to target students, poor people, and the like. But could this also be used to outlaw most of the houses being built in neighborhoods like Castlegate? It seems to make it so that the city, if it wanted to, could stop someone from building
- a 2 story home within 2 miles of campus, or
- a 2 story home with 4 bedrooms and a den in *any* neighborhood in the city, or
- a 4 bedroom home with a den, a 2 car garage, and enough of a driveway to park 3 more cars in *any* neighborhood in the city,
- etc.
This appears to be a dangerous ordinance.
Brian Alg
Brazos Coalition for Responsible Government
Brazos Coalition for Responsible Government