2008 Woodie Awards
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Living next to students can be rewarding, challenging
There are a few things students should know in order to be
by Jill Aho | Senior News Editor
Lockhart said once more than three students live in a house, problems regarding parking and garbage begin to escalate.
"Too many people in a house, those kinds of violations just mushroom," she said.
"If you had a really big, giant house and could comfortably accommodate a number of people, you're still limited to five," she said.
Parking
Parking is one issue when too many people occupy the same house. Lockhart said many homes are designed to accommodate two vehicles. She said three students who were sharing a house recently received a complaint because of their parking habits.
The city requires the first 10 feet from the property line to be landscaped, and this means it is against code to drive across it.
Beyond this 10-foot space, referred to as a setback, people can park their cars without regulation. Lockhart said the three students were actually parking in an appropriate area of the yard, but instead of using the driveway to leave the residence, were driving across the lawn into the neighbor's yard to exit using the neighbor's driveway.
"A lot of people say 'I don't care if you park on the grass' because that's not their grass," Lockhart said.
Most city ordinances are enforced on a complaint-based response. City of Eugene Parking Enforcement Manager Kay Kronholm said most parking enforcement is driven by neighbor complaints. Cars may not be on an unregulated street for more than 72 hours. The city will come and document the vehicle before issuing a citation in the amount of $25. Any additional citations that a vehicle may get will be $40. After three days, the vehicle will be towed away at the owner's expense.
"They're extremely expensive," Kronholm said of the tow costs. "It's not something folks want to get into if they don't have to."
Although it may bother some neighbors when students take most of the on-street parking, Kronholm said the city doesn't regulate legally parked vehicles. She said students are more likely to block sidewalks with their vehicles, which carries a $15 fine, than to violate other city parking codes. She said this is dangerous to pedestrians.
"Too many people in a house, those kinds of violations just mushroom," she said.
"If you had a really big, giant house and could comfortably accommodate a number of people, you're still limited to five," she said.
Parking
Parking is one issue when too many people occupy the same house. Lockhart said many homes are designed to accommodate two vehicles. She said three students who were sharing a house recently received a complaint because of their parking habits.
The city requires the first 10 feet from the property line to be landscaped, and this means it is against code to drive across it.
Beyond this 10-foot space, referred to as a setback, people can park their cars without regulation. Lockhart said the three students were actually parking in an appropriate area of the yard, but instead of using the driveway to leave the residence, were driving across the lawn into the neighbor's yard to exit using the neighbor's driveway.
"A lot of people say 'I don't care if you park on the grass' because that's not their grass," Lockhart said.
Most city ordinances are enforced on a complaint-based response. City of Eugene Parking Enforcement Manager Kay Kronholm said most parking enforcement is driven by neighbor complaints. Cars may not be on an unregulated street for more than 72 hours. The city will come and document the vehicle before issuing a citation in the amount of $25. Any additional citations that a vehicle may get will be $40. After three days, the vehicle will be towed away at the owner's expense.
"They're extremely expensive," Kronholm said of the tow costs. "It's not something folks want to get into if they don't have to."
Although it may bother some neighbors when students take most of the on-street parking, Kronholm said the city doesn't regulate legally parked vehicles. She said students are more likely to block sidewalks with their vehicles, which carries a $15 fine, than to violate other city parking codes. She said this is dangerous to pedestrians.
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