This editorial board has said it over and over again. It is time Chapel Hill repeals the ordinance banning more than four unrelated people from residing in the same house.
The Land Use Management Ordinance, which restricts the number of occupants, is unrealistic and in need of a revision.
The ordinance unfairly burdens landlords and students alike from pursuing reasonable housing options without fear of legal repercussion.
Having more than four students residing in houses allows students to pay affordable rent and landlords to receive fair value for their property.
Affordable student housing can be hard to come by, and limiting the number of unrelated occupants pushes students farther away.
Landlords are often willing to skirt the ordinance by signing only four names to a lease and putting students in danger.
Town residents must recognize that Chapel Hill is first and foremost a college town. But that’s not to say students have the right to be disruptive.
Pegging the number of unrelated residents in a house to the number of bedrooms seems like a fair compromise for the town to settle disputes between family and student neighbors.
It is not reasonable to expect students to have only four occupants in an eight bedroom house. There simply are not enough four bedroom homes available around the campus.
