LEWISTON — A moratorium on establishing lodging houses, which are used increasingly in the city for off-campus student housing for Bates College, was extended by six months Tuesday.
The extension until February 2018 gives city officials more time to come up with solutions to an increased presence of student housing in the largely residential neighborhoods around White and Davis streets, which neighbors say is resulting in constant disruptions.
For landlords, acquiring a lodging house license allows multiple students to live in a home based on heightened code requirements such as installing a sprinkler and alarm system. Normally, only four individuals are allowed per dwelling unit, but lodging houses allow more.
Among the alternatives looked at by the Planning Board to address the issue are overlay zones, which would restrict where lodging houses could be located. Other considerations are a nuisance party ordinance and the creation of permitted parking for residents, which could address the influx of cars during the school year.
Councilor Jim Lysen, who brought the issue to the city based on constituent concerns, said Wednesday that the moratorium extension gives the city more breathing room to address the issue from a variety of angles.
“More accountability is needed,” he said, referring to the rising complaints of loud parties.
He said a nuisance party ordinance, modeled after a similar approach in Buffalo, N.Y., may be the way to go. He said it would give the police department greater ability to take action against loud parties.
From a zoning perspective, Lewiston allows lodging houses in the neighborhood conservation “B” and downtown residential districts. The neighborhood conservation zone abuts the southwestern side of the Bates campus.
According to City Planner David Hediger, Planning and Code Enforcement allows the conversion of structures with a dwelling(s) into a lodging house as long as zoning, parking and building code requirements are met.
In his memo to the council, he said Lewiston Fire Prevention regulates one- and two-family dwellings as lodging houses if each dwelling unit is occupied by members of a single family and more than three outsiders, at which time a sprinkler and alarm system is required. If zoning and fire codes can be met, the applicant must also apply for a lodging license from the city.
The moratorium was set to expire Aug. 13. A second reading on the extension will be held Aug. 15.
