Boston Herald: Rental crackdown a study in stupidity

Rental crackdown a study in stupidity
By Boston Herald editorial staff
Friday, March 14, 2008


The Boston Zoning Commission believes it has come up with an astonishingly simple fix to one of the city’s most vexing problems - the specialty of so many public officials these days.

Backed by a coalition of supporters, including City Councilor Michael Ross and Mayor Tom Menino, the Zoning Commission has decreed that no more than four undergraduate students will be allowed to share a single dwelling in this city.

They would have us believe that once they evict that fifth student, suddenly there won’t be any more loud parties - and the families who have left student-centered neighborhoods will begin pouring back in.

We’re not buying it.

For starters, it’s not just undergrads who throw keggers - graduate students and young workers have been known to party till the wee hours, too.

Then there is the utter disregard for the presence of so many students in Boston - a major force behind this city’s economy - by so many city officials who really ought to know better.

Of course, none of that is a comfort to the parent who has to soothe a baby back to sleep because of the chaos next door. Understanding that, let’s examine the practical impact of this new ordinance. Namely, where will the displaced students go?

Not back to the housing office in search of a pricey (and often times, scarce) dorm room. Remember, the reason many of them are doubling and tripling up in a bedroom off campus is to save expenses.

No, the students will instead break up into smaller groups - and gobble up more off-campus apartments. Instead of two apartments with five students each, they’ll take up three apartments of, say, four, three and three. And that helps families seeking affordable apartments how, exactly?

Finally, there is the irony of neighbors who use one side of their mouths to demand a crackdown on rowdy renters - while using the other to wage war against colleges and universities that want to build new dorms.

Nope, not a simple problem. No simple solution, either.