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Politics & Government

Public Hearing- Rent Stablization

Opportunity Lost- Why Extension of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance Will Have a Negative Impact

 This evening a public hearing will be held in council chambers on whether to continue the rent stabilization ordinance in College Park.  The City Council is poised to enact the rent stabilization ordinance for another five years with a one year moratorium on enforcement.  Many year round residents outside of the Old Town area of the City and students have been surprisingly quiet about legislation that may have a major impact on the direction the City takes in the near future.

 During the last few months, a lot of positive things have taken place including much overdue dialogue between the College Park City Council and the Prince George’s Property Owner’s Association (PGPOA) and the joint participation of the City Council, University of Maryland and PGPOA landlords in a Town-Gown relations course.  The Town-Gown team developed a strategic plan for addressing the relationship between the student population and the year round residential community.  They titled their initiative- “One Community One Vision.”

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 One Community One Vision recognizes the need to strengthen the relationship between the student population and year round residents and provides an outline for an inclusive process that will engage students, year round residents, business owners, landlords, UMD staff/faculty and UMD alumni. 

 Likewise, in response to meetings with the City Council, the PGPOA has proposed an alternative to the rent stabilization approach that is inclusive and proactive.  The proposed partnership between the City, UMD and PGPOA includes a proposal to strengthen the City’s noise ordinance and establish a landlord accreditation program.  This potential of this very promising partnership may never be realized if the Council authorizes the five year extension of the rent stabilization ordinance.

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 In contrast, College Park’s rent stabilization ordinance is based on exclusion.  The ordinance seeks to reduce the number of landlords in the City and to remove students from single family homes.  Year round residents certainly have a right to enjoy their homes without having students urinating on their property and yelling obscenities at them. However, to think that our city can host the state’s Flagship University without allowing its students to live in our community is both unfair and unreasonable.  College Park’s rent stabilization ordinance goes so far as to declare that the “current rental market in the City continues to pose a threat to the public health, safety and welfare of the citizens of College Park.”   Since the City Council continues to hold their discussions about rent stabilization in Executive Session rather than during public sessions, no light has been shed on how the current rental market is creating this threat.  However, with the emphasis that is being place on removing students from the single family homes one can surmise the Council has concluded students pose a threat to the public health, safety and welfare of the citizens of College Park.  

 In my opinion, in addition to being untrue, this pronouncement will have adverse impacts on the City’s ability to attract the owner occupied homeowners they desire. Just last week the City hosted a marketing consultant who will design a promotion campaign for the City.  When the consultant asked what they should include in that campaign one Councilmember requested the campaign promote our neighborhoods as a great place to move in, other Council members listed the benefits and amenities of living in College Park offers, including the University of Maryland.  Same City a week later and the rental market “poses a threat to the public health, safety and welfare of the citizens.”  How can we promote College Park as a great place to move into if the current residents are faced with such a menacing a public health, safety and welfare threat?

 Rent stabilization may have had some merit in 2005.  The housing market has changed considerable since that time. Additionally there are better alternative to enhance the sense of community and quality of life in College Park; it is time to sunset rent stabilization. 

 Christine Nagle is former City Councilmember and a community activist.

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