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Hot Button Time!!

strawberries_n_beers.jpgHere's a pic I took in Chester Creek on this friday night, it says it all. Beer cans crowding one of the strawberry patches. I've been holding off on this one but after last night, gloves are off. Where do YOU fall on the "rental" issue? Last night, I watched drunk underage UMD freshmen scatter from a house party as the house renters barricade themselves inside. "This is the Dultuh Police, OPEN THE DOOR!" At one point, a girl and guy jumped off the roof od the front porch, 15' to the ground. He was ok but the girl hit like a sack of potatoes and was carried off by her friends to avoid trying to blow a breathalizer with a cracked rib cage. Point is I love living in a college town, I'm super excited to be in Duluth when there's something that could be called a "Duluth Latino Community" I'm in love with DIVERSITY...It's DENSITY I have a problem with...the RAPE of the college neighborhoods by the "investors" , as they call themselves, who own countless FRAT HOUSES. As they put it in a full page stetesman ad last week, "The city council wants you out of the neighborhoods"...Oh really!?!?! I'm here to say,I WANT STUDENTS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, I DONT WANT DRUNK ASS PARTIERS PISSING ON MY PEONES...please share...

Comments

yeah thats a tough one, all tied up with youth and the allure of alcohol combined with freedom along with college becoming seen not as a place for education first, but a place to go to not live with the folks. Colleges are expected to become huge babysitters once Jr leaves home, which is ludacris. Obviously someone has to be held responsible, perhaps if a stricter fine for landlords who have repeated calls for these types of calls to their properties they would be a little more wary of who they rent to.


are there university regulations that stipulate when a student can move off campus? (i.e., no off campus living until after freshman year...)

A few have suggested that a university business district of sorts be established near there...but that means a lot of eminent domain...

What about students living downtown?


When I started at UMD in '97, there was no rule forcing freshmen to live on-campus, although it was strongly encouraged. Not sure if that's still the case or not--I know they've built a lot more housing since then, so maybe it has. (When I started, they were so short on room that they were putting people up at motels.)

In addition to the dumb college kids themselves, I think absentee landlords are a huge part of the problem here. I just don't think you can effectively manage/monitor a rental property from hours/days away (Minneapolis, Texas, etc.).


I'm sure it will take greater minds than mine to figure it out. About absentee landlords...I know a guy who owns many rental properties in Duluth and he lives in California. He of course doesn't "manage" the properties. He hires a local real estate agent to do that. However, I feel he has every right to own property wherever he chooses.....that's America. Those places are his retirement money some day. Oh he was born and raised in Duluth but left many years ago.


The big problem with the whole rental issue is that UMD needs to build something like 2,000 new dorm rooms. They have almost none, and it's absurd. There is no on-campus life for students living there, because there are so few students on campus all the time. They need way more dorms. This shouldn't be the City's issue. Bottom line, UMD shouldn't be relying on the private market to provide housing. UMD needs to provide housing. This is the root of the issue - the City Council doesn't need to create rental ordinances, they need to work with UMD Admin to create a long-term program to create more on-campus living opportunities for students.


The big problem with the whole rental issue is that UMD needs to build something like 2,000 new dorm rooms. They have almost none, and it's absurd. There is no on-campus life for students living there, because there are so few students on campus all the time. They need way more dorms. This shouldn't be the City's issue. Bottom line, UMD shouldn't be relying on the private market to provide housing. UMD needs to provide housing. This is the root of the issue - the City Council doesn't need to create rental ordinances, they need to work with UMD Admin to create a long-term program to create more on-campus living opportunities for students.


not in my back yard? when will this issue be settled? when the police taser and prosecute each student? when the students are all run out of town? when 4 instead of 6 live in one house? when the nasty 'investors' have all their rights taken away? when we all decide it's ok to discriminate against an entire segment of our society? when umd floods the market with government paid for housing and the private market collapses and the previous rental homes sit vacant? this must be the first city / campus town to ever have college parties and renters.


When I moved to Duluth I was struck by the lack of mid-range rental units for professionals without families who didn't want to live in, or above, a frat house. Although I have mixed feelings about the proposed ordinance, if Duluth truly wants to attract 25-45 year old professionals improving the stock of available rental units would be a good first step...


not that this has anything to do with the student rental issue, but i couldn't resist the chance to try and preserve my 'good' name...

i live right by chester creek and i have had my garbage burglarized by a black bear. i caught him red pawed in the act. he (ever so gently) lifted the lid on my trash can and (ever so daintily) lifted out a bag of trash, and then sauntered off into the creek with it.


i'm sure he then ripped the bag open in the creek leaving trash (some probably with my name on it) all over the place. i walked up and down the creek a couple of times looking for it but since i'm like 7 months pregnant, i gave up my waddling search.

i'm now waiting for an alice's restaurant style phone call accusing me of littering.

wouldn't it be hard to enforce any new rental ordinances? i think people would end up renting without a lease because landlords would start renting 'under the table'. and that would suck for everybody.


"well officer, i must confess, i put that envelope under that garbage..."


not that this has anything to do with the student rental issue, but i couldn't resist the chance to try and preserve my 'good' name...

i live right by chester creek and i have had my garbage burglarized by a black bear. i caught him red pawed in the act. he (ever so gently) lifted the lid on my trash can and (ever so daintily) lifted out a bag of trash, and then sauntered off into the creek with it.


i'm sure he then ripped the bag open in the creek leaving trash (some probably with my name on it) all over the place. i walked up and down the creek a couple of times looking for it but since i'm like 7 months pregnant, i gave up my waddling search.

i'm now waiting for an alice's restaurant style phone call accusing me of littering.

wouldn't it be hard to enforce any new rental ordinances? i think people would end up renting without a lease because landlords would start renting 'under the table'. and that would suck for everybody.


"well officer, i must confess, i put that envelope under that garbage..."


not that this has anything to do with the student rental issue, but i couldn't resist the chance to try and preserve my 'good' name...

i live right by chester creek and i have had my garbage burglarized by a black bear. i caught him red pawed in the act. he (ever so gently) lifted the lid on my trash can and (ever so daintily) lifted out a bag of trash, and then sauntered off into the creek with it.


i'm sure he then ripped the bag open in the creek leaving trash (some probably with my name on it) all over the place. i walked up and down the creek a couple of times looking for it but since i'm like 7 months pregnant, i gave up my waddling search.

i'm now waiting for an alice's restaurant style phone call accusing me of littering.

wouldn't it be hard to enforce any new rental ordinances? i think people would end up renting without a lease because landlords would start renting 'under the table'. and that would suck for everybody.


"well officer, i must confess, i put that envelope under that garbage..."


okay, i don't even know how i just posted that 3 times.


I like bears and Alice's Restaurant so I really like that story.


Wait a minute--we can taser bros now?

It is appalling that UMD continues duck and weave as much as possible. Versus, say, actively being a part of the community.

Speaking of... when is UMD going to get them students training & working at "incubators" downtown in that new Soft Center? —Oh, right, they quietly stepped away from that mess six months after they said they were "totally committed." (And the Center for Economic Development doesn't count.)

But don't take my word for it! Take a look at the Duluth Public Library's clipping archives—those library ladies are so nice!


And this is priceless.


(last one, sorry)

*to

better link.


Cripes. I'm going back to bed.


Duluth bears DONT DRINK BUD! Only mama's boys from hopkins and coon rapids are dumb enough to do that. What gets me is hoe the landlords are making themselves out to be victims in this. They play the students off against the long term home owners for PROFIT! When will off capums living students see beyond that?? To UMD's credit, there was a UMD Cop who was part of the response to the party. He laid into the kids and called them out by name...to me, THAT is a MASSIVE step forward and UMD admin must be commended for that practical contribution to this isse


I live in a house with 5 other people, and it works out perfectly fine. But even still I have mixed feelings about the ordinance. I am completely for having less students in a normal size house, but I am against the city trying to define "related" people. I wish more landlords would take this matter into their OWN hands. And I wish students would realize that spreading out into downtown apartments, etc, isn't a horrible thing. I despise the students that give other students a bad name. I am the only graduate in my house, but the rest of the tenants are great. We don't have big parties at our house and have great relations with our neighbors, who plow our driveway if we don't have dangerous/loud parties & if we bring them baked goods. I wish students would learn to be more respectful of their city & neighbors & land, and not be so damn selfish, but can we ever really expect that to happen? That small minority will always be there making everyone else look bad. Like the students that announced a gathering at City Hall to protest the act that the "Duluth Congress" is trying to make "against students." It's all just ridiculous. If they'd learn how to communicate with their council members, they might fare a bit better.


On another note, this was funny to stumble upon because I just got back from a hike at Chester today. While I was there I was doing some exploring/climbing and saw some trash (although there is a lot of good hard work that is done to keep the creek area beautiful). Whether or not it's humans or bears, I suggest being proactive about it & carrying a plastic bag with you when you go for a walk...pick up the trash you find. That's all.


The ordinance includes a definition of "family?" Tell me they're not relying on that. If they are, it's on shaky constitutional ground, and I hope someone contests it. The only way an ordinance like this should work is based on rental licenses - not on the definition of family. Most ordinances will say something like "a family can't be comprised of more than 5 unrelated..." which has been contested time and again. It's generally accepted, but if you made a claim about a non-traditional family, you'd have a shot.


as a matter of fact, Sean, the ordinance appears on the schedule for tomorrow as exactly that "amending the definition of the term 'family'" if you'd like to read the proposed amendment, you can do so here http://www.ci.duluth.mn.us/city/council/resord07/07-058-o.htm


I think all around, Duluth needs to do a better job of enforcing the laws already on the books, and not spend so much time making up new ordinances- especially ones that target and discriminate specifically against students.

My husband and I have lived in one spot or another on the hillside for going on seven years now. We came to Duluth as students and renters, and we're now professionals and homeowners. Over the years, most of our "problem" neighbors were not students at all. Trashy yards? Overgrown sidewalks? Broken windows? Half torn off siding? I see it all up and down our street, and I'll tell you the homeowners next to us are far from being students, but that doesn't exclude their property from looking like crap. They have old appliances all over their yard, and they regularly drive their vehicles right up to their front door and leave them parked in the grass for days. Why isn't someone busy telling them to shape up?

Most of my friends would have loved to live in nicer conditions when they were students, if such places had only been affordable and available. When a house is in such poor condition that you have giant mushrooms growing out of the walls in your bathroom, where is the incentive to treat the property with respect? What sort of example is being set for students by the city and the rest of the neighborhood? So many rentals are in terrible condition, and then it seems like the prevailing attitude is that it is somehow the students' fault.

Does run down property excuse bad behavior? Of course not. But if a student is outside drunk at 3 am screaming at someone's window, go arrest or ticket them or do whatever it is I wish they would have done with my 40-something neighbor who would regularly do the same thing.

People mention living on campus; I don't think most people realize how expensive that is either! I don't know about the other schools, but currently an apartment at UMD runs about $483.50 a month per person. They get nearly $2,000 a month for their apartments which have small bedrooms one generally has to share with another person, and that doesn't include a meal plan. When I was a student, that was definitely more money than I could afford, especially after considering what it got you. I lived on campus my first year, and then couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Bottom line, in my opinion? Find a way to start enforcing the existing laws first. Don't just concentrate on students, but target any people or properties that are problems. After we do that we can start worrying about new rules.


When you have to get and work early in the morning, you don't want to listen to some drunk dingbat extolling his virtues at one in the morning. Right then you feel hatred for UMD college students.


MJ's point is a valid one, not all problem tenets are students, but students do seem to be concentrated in particular areas and in those areas they often are the bulk of the problem, yeah existing laws should be enforced across the board, all landlords with problem tenets should face the same sanctions, which are then passed on to those tenets. All rental property should have the owner, or a manager within somewhat close proximity, rental property, being a business should be inspected regularly, some of these fucking condos should be affordable housing and UMD should be proactive in creating an on campus affordable community, and being part of student's social education.


Abolish the drinking age. Less binge drinking will occur.


Okay. Well, I'm not a lawyer, but from what I can remember from a law class I took one time, straying from the 5-people unrelated was kind of shaky. This seems to me like a bad idea, from the prospect of being sued. Duluth does not need to get sued. Also, from the greater policy point of view. Don't we generally want people in our community? Doesn't everyone bemoan the lack of young people? Alcohol aside, we need to spend more time making it a relatively more-friendly place than a relatively less-friendly place. Maybe we need to come up with some good places for underage binge drinking, as opposed to reducing the number of places people can live. Focus that energy, instead of fighting it.


Mushrooms growing on the walls? Isn't that indicative of the problem? Does anyone think that the landlord of that house gives one bit of crap for students? Tomorrow's ordinance is NOT anti-student. The amendment is trying to bring law to a lawless group of people--the landlords. Although there are some very decent landlords, some are completely greedy and nasty. There is one guy who lives in Hawaii who profits over $50,000 off thirty rental properties he owns in the college neighborhoods each month. Most of the time he does NOT provide off-street parking and many of his rentals are on 4th Street which doesn't even HAVE parking at all. So he profits off the students and provides very little for that money. Most of his houses never have the lawns mowed, are in need of external repair and in some cases he just paves or gravels the lawn for parking, which is illegal and unsightly.
Another thing, the definition of family is not just a Duluth idea. This has taken place all over the country as college towns lose their single family homes to boarding houses and issues such as parking and safety become huge factors. It has not been proven unconstitutional anywhere.


some are completely greedy and nasty

Like UMD itself?

There is one guy who lives in Hawaii who profits over $50,000 off thirty rental properties

name names

Also,
If 18, 19 and 20 year 0lds
could have a drink in a socially sanctioned setting we would have many fewer house party problems.

you can not even have a smoke outside at umd, and
they wonder why no one wants to live on campus.


What do the Mayoral candidates think about this?


Or as those of in the central hillside would say, "I want students in my neighborhood, I don't want methed out duluthians, breaking into my house/ car."


"Most of his houses never have the lawns mowed, are in need of external repair and in some cases he just paves or gravels the lawn for parking, which is illegal and unsightly."

Yes, like you said, "illegal". Things like this are already illegal. Renting out illegal bedrooms is already illegal, too. Big parties with underage drinking and loud noises are already illegal. If all these things are already illegal, why aren't we doing a better job of enforcing the existing laws to begin with? Why are we busy making new laws? We should be busy figuring out how to better implement and enforce our existing codes, and we shouldn't just pick on students, but target any person or property that's a problem. If bad landlords, renters, and other homeowners saw that the City was serious and actually followed through, perhaps things would start shaping up.


That's what doesn't make sense to me. It is easy to say "enforce the current laws," but even easier to say "make a new law, one that works!" Sometimes new laws can be made that attack a problem like this from another angle, at a manageable bottleneck... but this isn't it. It goes at it in the same way, and like the existing ordinances, won't go enforced in the long term while also being silly.

Maybe next month the council can make a law to make it ilegal to have more than 4 Hip Hop Candy Shops crack power-sales franchises on the same square block? I mean, sure, crack is illegal and all, but maybe...


People outside of UMD read the Statesman?


I agree it is a hard thing to have parties in your neighborhood. I deal with it almost nightly. The problem is that this kind of bill puts wayyy too much stress on the students. I lived in a house last year with four other guys. Our rent was outrageous. subtracting one of those guys would have been impossible. More emphasis should be put on enforcing current laws.


My neighbors actually ended up getting a restraining order against someone (a homeowner and not a student) on our street because of her loud obnoxious parties and drinking. She actually had to move out of her house and away from her family because of the restraining order. And amazingly, our neighborhood is a much nicer place now. Can we get restraining orders against the problem renters and force them to move?


My neighbors actually ended up getting a restraining order against someone (a homeowner and not a student) on our street because of her loud obnoxious parties and drinking. She actually had to move out of her house and away from her family because of the restraining order. And amazingly, our neighborhood is a much nicer place now. Can we get restraining orders against the problem renters and force them to move?


Enforcing existing laws is boring.

Let's make new and exciting laws instead!


we need laws, ordinances & amendments banning things that are already banned. for good measure. just in case. wait. "they" are doing that already.


I hear ya, ya'll. My all-time favorite slum was down the alley from 6th & 6th on the central hillside. It was listed in the paper as "a nice, sunny place". When I first took a look inside, I had to step over a piss-soaked mattress leaning against the door. Nice! First order of business was cleaning and painting over the super fantastic shit splatter on the living room wall. The gas stove leaked. A couple hundred maggots took up residency under the kitchen carpet (which I also got to clean up). Whole place was heated by one gas space heater that worked when it felt like it. Had to rip up all the rest of the carpet because someone's pet pissed in every room. Heard gunshots and all sorts of domestic disturbances often. Remember the place, Adam? Why on earth did I live there? It was CHEAP! There was no way I could afford a nice place in Duluth back then - about 6 years ago. It actually didn't look so bad once my roommates & I cleaned it up and threw some paint on the walls. No, wait... it was still a shithole. The landlord was an alcoholic who eventually lost his mind and all his slum properties which were strewn out all over Duluth. About six months after I moved out, the city claimed it because of unpaid taxes. It's since been condemned.


Don't even get me started on my landlord...


Yeah, I head he is notorious... the worst in Duluth and sooo unreasonable. Surprised he doesn't have you living out of a van down under the bridge.


Why is the solution to a social problem always more government regulation?

"The current ordinances don't seem to be doing the job, therefore, we [obviously] need newer, more exciting [but unenforceable] ordinances."

Enforce the laws that are already on the books!

I am no longer a renter, but I wouldn't want the city to tell me who I could or couldn't live with.

"Umm, yeah, they are all my cousins."


I'd like to see the City, possibly the schools, or just someone take up a bit more renters' advocacy. Make it easier to report problems with properties or landlords, and then actually find a way to resolve the issues. I know that there are some groups that do attempt to do this already, but they seem to be rather obscure. Bergson does his property tours where he hits up a small number of homes, but then what happens after that?

I'd like to be able to file complaints on the City's website, but I've never found a spot to do that. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.) I'd also like a clear idea of exactly what I could expect to happen after filing a complaint. Does the report just disappear into a void, or does someone actually respond? If so, who? When? What exactly is it that they will do?

I'm not personally into the idea of narcing on ones neighbors, but I'll admit that I've often fantasized about a site dedicated to terrible local properties. Renters could upload photos and stories of their awful apartments, and perhaps it would shame some property owners into actually fixing things. Maybe. Either that or it would just make people feel a bit better because they know they're not the only ones with flooded basements, caved in ceilings, and lighting fixtures that produces sparks when someone flips the switch.


There must be a way to humanely cull the overpopulated herd of UMD students. Isn't this really an issue for the DNR? We need solutions and experience counts.


"Duluth city councilors voted 7-2 against changing an ordinance that would have limited the number of unrelated people in a home to four instead of the current six.

...

Stewart [again] said he wants the next council to rezone an area specifically for students, like many college towns across the nation already have.

Councilors Jim Stauber and Garry Krause were the only two to support the ordinance change.

[¡SURPRISE!]
Several councilors voiced how disappointed they were that no officials from the local universities showed up."


Stewart [again] said he wants the next council to rezone an area specifically for students, like many college towns across the nation already have.

They had a pretty good thing going in Poland in the forties, maybe the city council could get some ideas from that venture.


Well, I just moved to Duluth in July. Since I am new to the area, I want to rent for a year to get a feel for the city's neighborhoods before I buy a place. I never thought it would be as hard to find a rental to meet my needs as it was in Duluth. After looking at 30-40 different rentals I found two I could actually handle living in for a year. Several of the rentals that the landlords said were " ready to move in today, all the work was done" had broken windows, garbage on the floors, and painting and carpet cleaning to do. Several looked like they had not been cleaned since the last person moved out. I walked out of 5 different rentals as soon as I opened the door. While my current rentals does not fit me well, I still like my landlord. When I call about a problem he gets back to me quickly. He does yard work every Sunday. He keep the place up. He actually does all the things that current laws say he has too. Wondering instead of getting the school or the government involved, is there a website like angie's list for rentals. People could post about there landlords goood or bad. I think that would be more effective then pasting a new law that they are not going to enforce. I mean they do not really enforce the laws we have. Just my opinion.


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