Residents of the South University Neighborhood expressed concern Wednesday regarding what they see as deteriorating relations with neighborhood students.
At the neighborhood association meeting, a panel including Eugene Rental Housing Program representatives, Eugene police officers and ASUO President Adam Walsh took questions from residents.
The meeting began as a discussion of the new rental housing code, but it quickly turned to questions about whether the code will affect homes where trash and other problems spill out into the neighborhood.
The Eugene City Council passed the housing code in November, and it went into effect in July. It is a complaint-driven system, meaning the city will not do inspections; tenants must bring complaints themselves.
The code is slated to sunset in 2008, when the city can decide to renew it, scrap it or change the system. Many residents at the meeting expressed interest in expanding the code to include other areas, such as tenant cleanliness.
Brett Rowlett, who helped craft the code as part of Eugene Citizens for Housing Standards, said its scope is limited right now because of the previous problems of creating a complex housing code.
“In the past they tried to create so complex a code that they couldn’t find a compromise,” Rowlett said. “We focused on habitability and on the most basic needs of renters.”
But Rowlett held open the possibility of expanding the code after the sunset. Code enforcement inspector Randy Sangder said members of the housing code program will be studying the data that it generates and looking for trends.
“We are in the process of documenting this as well,” Sangder said. “The whole program will be reviewed over the next three years.”
Rachelle Nicholas, code enforcement supervisor for the Eugene Rental Housing Program, explained to questioners that other ordinances besides the new housing code cover areas such as garbage pick-up.
“These issues can be addressed through other codes,” Nicholas said. “There are other means for you to deal with that.”
Attendees also discussed what residents can do to control noise violations and crime in the neighborhood, two problems that many people agreed are not improving.
Gary Kreger, a neighborhood resident and operator of the McGarry House bed and breakfast on 19th Avenue, told stories of marauding groups of students moving from party to party.
“The weekend of the Washington game I called the police all three nights, and I was told the Party Patrol was not available,” Kreger said. “That did not feel good.”
Eugene police officers Chris White and Dallas Hall told residents that much of the problem has to do with the understaffed police department.
“When we get a call we put them in the order we receive them,” White said, “but there are lots of them.”
Hall said EPD is distributing fliers on how to party safely and legally to keg distributors, 7-Eleven stores and other places in the community to let people know the consequences.
Extra officers will be out for the Halloween weekend, Hall said.
Walsh said there are many University events planned for the weekend, and the ASUO is distributing literature to try to let people know how to party responsibly.
“We are trying to let them know what the repercussions are and how to be safe,” Walsh said.
Residents were also concerned about a perceived increase in crime, especially car thefts. Officers and some other residents were quick to point out that thefts are not usually perpetrated by students.
“Thieves we catch on campus are almost universally drug addicts,” White said.
Walsh agreed that students aren’t the ones causing the thefts.
“Students will cause noise violations, but a meth addict will steal your things,” he said after the meeting.
Walsh believes it’s important for the University to reach out to the
surrounding communities to solve these problems.
“The University borders these neighborhoods, and if they’re having a problem with students, we should be here.”
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