Auburn is considering instituting a moratorium that would entail a delay or suspension of the construction of new apartment buildings.
A public hearing on the issue is scheduled to take place at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce at 714 E. Glenn Ave. on Monday, Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m.
Mayor Bill Ham said at the Auburn City Council meeting Nov. 4., new apartment growth was getting out of control.
"I don't like the m-word, I don't like moratoriums on anything," Ham said. "I'm not proposing that we do something for a long period of time, and I don't know whether it needs to be 90 days or six months or whatever, but we need to call a timeout for just a little bit."
Auburn studied how much apartment growth the city could sustain each year, 300 beds per year, according to Ham.
"Since 2011, we've had about 2,200 new beds to date, and we have over 2,000 already approved, passed by the Planning Commission and the (city) council currently," Ham said. "That exceeds 300 per year by a long shot."
Ham said at three times the suggested rate, it would not be long until Auburn was inundated with vacant units.
"It's no secret what happens," Ham said. "Our Auburn University students move to the newest stuff and they leave in their wake the older stuff."
Ham said the issue becomes a health, safety and welfare problem as the older buildings start to deteriorate.
"I think there are strong feelings on both sides of the argument and the city council has made it clear that they want to hear from people so they can make an informed decision about it," said Kevin Cowper, assistant city manager.
American Campus Communities, the company building the new 160 Ross apartments, as well as Serendipit Consulting, the marketing company for 319 Bragg, Auburn Reality and Northcutt Reality did not return calls by deadline
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
