SBP aims to address housing
By: Kristen Cresante, Staff Writer
Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: City
Helping develop more affordable housing options close to campus will be one of Student Body President J.J. Raynor's goals.
Some students said it's hard to find a place to live because information about housing is difficult to come by and there aren't many off-campus options.
"I know a lot of people who are having trouble finding a place," junior Emily Van Tassel said. "It's hard because a lot of apartments don't list their prices."
The limited housing causes competition, Raynor said.
"We're seeing some competition between students who usually have less money to spend on housing and those who have more," Raynor said.
To influence the process, Raynor plans to work with Chapel Hill's inclusionary zoning task force, which is working on a draft of an ordinance that would require off-campus apartments to reserve a percentage of rooms for low-income buyers.
Glen Greenstreet, a member of the task force, said the student body president's involvement in this issue could be helpful.
"This is hard to accomplish," he said. "But I would agree that it's the only realistic way to provide housing that's the appropriate location and … price range for students."
Raynor said she plans to advocate for students when talking to town officials about housing.
"I can go to meetings and advise the (Chapel Hill) Town Council members as to what students are looking for," she said.
Raynor will have to continue to work with the town on issues of growth and housing, as the University has done for the past few years, Greenstreet said.
"If she can encourage the administrators of the University and the government of the town to work together, that would certainly be helpful," Greenstreet said.
Although Raynor's platform said she will advocate for zoning ordinances that favor student housing, she said she is not very familiar with the specifics of zoning ordinances in the area. She plans to assign others to do that research.
"One thing about this position is you get to delegate like crazy," Raynor said.
Her platform also states that she will offer incentives to potential developers by meeting with them and talking to them about what students want. Information will be their biggest incentive, she said.
"We have to make sure that developers know the student government wants to meet and talk with them," she said.
But Greenstreet said developers will build more or less based on how much money it would bring in.
"It might be helpful to have some information about what students currently value," he said. "But when it all adds up, I think the economic decision will drive the equation."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Some students said it's hard to find a place to live because information about housing is difficult to come by and there aren't many off-campus options.
"I know a lot of people who are having trouble finding a place," junior Emily Van Tassel said. "It's hard because a lot of apartments don't list their prices."
The limited housing causes competition, Raynor said.
"We're seeing some competition between students who usually have less money to spend on housing and those who have more," Raynor said.
To influence the process, Raynor plans to work with Chapel Hill's inclusionary zoning task force, which is working on a draft of an ordinance that would require off-campus apartments to reserve a percentage of rooms for low-income buyers.
Glen Greenstreet, a member of the task force, said the student body president's involvement in this issue could be helpful.
"This is hard to accomplish," he said. "But I would agree that it's the only realistic way to provide housing that's the appropriate location and … price range for students."
Raynor said she plans to advocate for students when talking to town officials about housing.
"I can go to meetings and advise the (Chapel Hill) Town Council members as to what students are looking for," she said.
Raynor will have to continue to work with the town on issues of growth and housing, as the University has done for the past few years, Greenstreet said.
"If she can encourage the administrators of the University and the government of the town to work together, that would certainly be helpful," Greenstreet said.
Although Raynor's platform said she will advocate for zoning ordinances that favor student housing, she said she is not very familiar with the specifics of zoning ordinances in the area. She plans to assign others to do that research.
"One thing about this position is you get to delegate like crazy," Raynor said.
Her platform also states that she will offer incentives to potential developers by meeting with them and talking to them about what students want. Information will be their biggest incentive, she said.
"We have to make sure that developers know the student government wants to meet and talk with them," she said.
But Greenstreet said developers will build more or less based on how much money it would bring in.
"It might be helpful to have some information about what students currently value," he said. "But when it all adds up, I think the economic decision will drive the equation."
Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.
Be the first to comment on this story