The Auburn City Council approved a private dormitory moratorium Tuesday evening, Dec. 15. The new moratorium extends and redefines the coverage of an existing moratorium, which was passed earlier this year.
The moratorium approved Tuesday will prohibit the construction of purpose-built student housing — a specific type of multiple-unit developments now categorized in city code as "private dormitories."
Construction of new private dormitories will be prohibited until May 3, 2016 throughout the entire city, excluding an area west of downtown and south of Martin Luther King Drive, which is currently composed mostly of developments that would be considered private dormitories.
The old moratorium was approved in February of this year and included lots zoned under the "university service" zone east of South College Street. The moratorium prohibited the construction of multiple-unit developments in that area of the city.
February's moratorium expired two hours before the city council meeting on Tuesday. The expiration of the moratorium would have left a gap in coverage until the approval of a new zoning ordinance expected late next spring.
According to the approved ordinance, a private dormitory is a residential development intended specifically for Auburn students. It has a typical configuration of a common space with a varying number of bedrooms — generally two to four. Each bedroom connects to its own bathroom, amounting to a one-to-one bedroom and bath ratio.
Additionally, "most properties offer furnished units that rent by the bed with parental guarantees." Utilities are also generally included in the lease rates, and those leases run for one academic year.
"I felt like the definition was subjective," said Ward 3 councilwoman Beth Witten. "I also feel that it's changing what we originally had the moratorium on, that expired."
With the expiration of the current moratorium, the construction of large, multiple-unit developments can now continue wherever they are legally permitted under the city's existing zoning ordinance.
The new moratorium does not prohibit large, multiple-unit developments that fall outside of the definition of a private dormitory.
According to Witten, the moratorium proposed Tuesday night does not address the concerns of citizens and singles out a single category with a subjective definition. The moratorium passed with two council members voting no, Witten and Ward 2 councilman Ron Anders Jr.
The Keep Auburn Lovely movement has been a robust proponent of not only the current moratorium, but also the moratorium that passed Tuesday night.
"The approval of this moratorium will go a long way to restoring the trust that you have had in the community, because it does respond to what we've been asking you to do," said Sherry Griswold, an Auburn local and member of the Keep Auburn Lovely movement. "It prevents the projects from being approved before the code that you've asked for can be enacted."
According to its membership, Keep Auburn Lovely is intended to preserve the small-town character of the "Loveliest Village on the Plains." The grassroots movement's members have said the construction of large, multiple-unit developments disrupts the essence of Auburn.
During five work sessions held by the city planning commission and planning department staff intended to define and begin codifying the City Council's Downtown Master Plan, the planning commission agreed to recommend an extension of the moratorium.
The planning commission also agreed that private dormitories will not be allowed in the downtown, urban-core zoning area under the city's new zoning ordinance set for implementation next year.
In other City Council news:
- The City Council approved a multiple-unit, cottage-style development planned for northwest corner of North Donahue Drive and Alabama Highway 14. According to planning commission documents, the development will be called "Cottages at Donahue." The development will contain 10 separate cottages, ranging from two to four bedrooms.
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