Purpose-built student housing will not be allowed in Auburn's downtown urban core.
Under the Auburn Planning Commission's preliminary regulations for the new Downtown Master Plan, which is set to be implemented in March, multi-unit housing specifically for students will not be permitted in the urban core.
The commission will recommend designating purpose-built student housing as a new category of residential developments named "private dormitories" when it submits its recommendations to the City Council next spring.
A private dormitory contains no additional commercial space and is aimed solely at housing college students.
The Auburn Planning Commission discussed the issue again at its fifth and final work session Tuesday evening, Dec. 1.
The planning commission has been holding public meetings to discuss the implementation of the Auburn City Council's Downtown Master Plan, which was approved in September.
Mixed-use developments and other multiple family developments will be permitted in the urban core zoning area and the university service zoning areas under the commission's recommendations.
Private dormitory developments will be permitted in two of the three university service areas and conditionally permitted in the third.
The three university service areas include most of the surrounding areas west of the traditional downtown to Byrd Street, several blocks east to Ryan Street and south to Reese Avenue.
Mixed-use developments may contain both commercial or retail space and residential units above. Multiple family developments, as opposed to a private dormitory, may include apartments, which must be open to any demographic and priced at a market rate.
The commission is tasked with codifying the City Council's Downtown Master Plan, and the issue of private dormitories has been consistently remained in the forefront of the meetings.
The Downtown Master Plan expanded the urban core area from the traditional downtown area to as far south as Samford Avenue and as far east as Armstrong and Burton Streets. Many of the lots in the expanded urban core area currently bear private dormitories, which will not be permitted for future redevelopments of those lots.
"I have no problem with us leaving [private dormitories] out of the urban core," said Sarah Brown, chair of the Planning Commission. "It's the expanded urban core that I have a problem with. Urban core current is where we've had the issues and concerns from the public [not the expanded]."
The Downtown Master Plan is intended to bolster a more vibrant and economically attractive downtown area, according to planning commissioner Charles Pick.
"If we don't restrict [private dormitories], we will have an entirely urban-living, student-housing [area] downtown," Pick said.
Both Pick and commissioner Warren McCord said a diverse and prosperous downtown will only be possible by prohibiting purpose-built student housing in the entire urban core area.
"I don't think we'll ever get a diversity of housing in the urban core without blocking purpose-built student housing," McCord said.
McCord and Pick said the downtown area should residential areas, but not developments aimed specifically at students.
"We don't necessarily not want people living in the urban core," Pick said. "We want a mix of people living in the urban core."
Multiple-family and mixed-use, market rate residential developments may still house students, but are generally more spacious and oriented toward a wider range of renters.
Most new developments in the urban-core, and some in the university service ares, will be required to maintain commercial or retail frontages as well.
"Wherever we don't restrict [private dormitories], it's like kudzu, it will expand," Pick said. "If you don't preserve an area for [commercial development] to expand, then there won't be any area for it to expand."
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