San Diego Neighborhood Wrestles With Student Housing

8 March 2007 - 12:00pm

Entrepreneurial students-turned-developers are turning houses into dorms around San Diego State University to meet the growing demand for affordable housing, but neighbors want the city to crackdown on the practice.

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"Mini-dorms, a growing trend around San Diego State University, are single-family homes rented to several students, often after extra bedrooms and parking spaces have been added."

"The trend has ignited anger among longtime residents who say the resulting late-night parties and loud music aren't compatible with neighboring families, and now the city wants to tighten controls on mini-dorms by restricting a property owner's ability to renovate."

The city is considering "reducing the number of parking permits issued to residents and adding a code enforcement position in partnership with SDSU."

"25-year-old [Michael] Haaland and Ian Sells, partners and former fraternity brothers who are the team behind much of the development, "think the city is kidding itself trying to stop mini-dorms around SDSU. The university serves 33,000 students on its main campus, but provides housing to accommodate 3,800. An additional 600 live in fraternity and sorority houses."

"Do the math, they say."

" 'I don't care what laws they pass. I don't care what they do. Eventually all these houses, kids are going to be living in them,' Haaland said, adding that the city should rezone for more apartments on major College Area streets."

Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune, March 7, 2007

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I'm not sure, but I think

I'm not sure, but I think I've given the people in this article permits. If they are the people I think they are, they're not always 100% legit. The only legit stuff is what we catch, and they REALLY try to get stuff by the city on parking and curb cut requirements, calling bedrooms family rooms/dining rooms/studies, lying about existing conditions, etc. But I am not sure if the ones in this article are the exact people I remember, so sorry if I am slandering the wrong people.

Anyway, they seem to be awfully happy about functionally ruining a neighborhood, don't they?

"I don't care what laws they pass. I don't care what they do. Eventually all these houses, kids are going to be living in them," Haaland said, adding that the city should rezone for more apartments on major College Area streets.

A real winner.

Lots of mini dorm people have come through the city, and a lot of them try to get stuff past us to make a quick buck. Not all, but a lot of them.

Newsflash on this one, too. In today's paper, they're stepping up fines, fining landlords, and SDSU is paying for enforcement officers. Should help.