A proposed zoning change near North Dakota State University aims to help a Fargo neighborhood move back toward more single-family, owner-occupied homes.
Fargo planners are looking at rezoning a portion of the Roosevelt Neighborhood from multi-residency to allow only single-residency homes, said Nicole Crutchfield, a city planner.
The area is currently about 50 to 75 percent renter-occupied, as single-family homes have been converted to multi-residential apartments over time, Crutchfield said.
Sandy Holbrook, a member of the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association, said it's a trend that has the neighborhood concerned.
"Certainly as NDSU has grown that has exacerbated the problem," Holbrook said. "That growth has created greater pressure and greater awareness."
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Planning staff is still determining the exact area of the change, but the focus is on several blocks south of 12th Avenue North that are east of NDSU's T-Lot and west of University Drive.
The move to rezone properties follows a new land-use plan developed by the city in 2009, when the majority of the neighborhood wanted to see the city move away from multi-residential housing.
Single-family homes that are converted into rentals tend to degenerate, and in turn decrease the value of the other homes in the neighborhood, Holbrook said.
Single-residential zoning allows for no more than three unrelated people to live in a single building.
Existing rental properties would be grandfathered in, but could not add units, Crutchfield said. New conversions would be prohibited, she said.
Through attrition over time, the neighborhood would become more single-family homes, said Jim Hinderaker, a Fargo senior planner.
In the past, planning staff has allowed property owners to opt out of zoning changes, but several planning commissioners felt they should move forward without that option.
Allowing homeowners to opt out leads to a "checkerboard" zoning, something not favored by some in the planning office, Hinderaker said.
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The planning office received a lot of feedback from landlords during the initial land-use discussion. Further opposition is also expected with the zoning change, which is likely to go up for a Planning Commission vote some time this spring, Crutchfield said.
"We know there will be resistance," Holbrook said. "What I wish those interested parties would do is then take some time to care for their properties."
Landowners will likely receive a letter notifying them of the desire to rezone their property within the next 45 days, Crutchfield said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Heidi Shaffer at (701) 241-5511
