City officials addressed the problem of too many people dwelling in too little space by clarifying Harvard’s occupancy ordinance Tuesday night.
“These changes that we made tonight are merely technical changes,” Ald. Tom Hay (4th) said. “But still it’s a very, very difficult ordinance to enforce, which is why we’re looking at home rule, which is of course something the people would have to vote on.”
Acting on the recommendation of the Zoning, Planning and Ordinance Committee, aldermen unanimously voted to delete or amend several sections of the occupancy ordinance.
Sections removed included a definition of “family” and the allocation of the tenants by square footage of floor space. The new ordinance will allow only two residents per bedroom, plus one.
Officials aim to make the code more enforceable, including administrative adjudication and home rule.
Administrative adjudication would allow the city to handle the cases locally to increase citizen participation in the investigation process.
The adoption of home rule would allow the city to license landlords and inspect residences at the time of home sales.
City administrator Dave Nelson plans to research the cost of instituting these plans and will present his findings to the board at a later date.
