Is there room for rooming houses?
July 8th, 2007 - Category: Apartments, Real EstateA room with a view of downtown, neighbors from all walks of life, all for $80 per week.
That’s a description of Waukesha’s rooming houses that adds up to the perfect place to call home for some of the down-and-out people of the city.
But for city and business officials concerned about the future of Waukesha’s downtown, the rooming houses are an increasing worry, citing them as a haven for alcoholics, drug dealers and sex offenders who bring property values down and make the city unsafe for families.
Rooming houses have been at the forefront of a political battle since March when Ald. Randy Radish asked the Plan Commission to remove them from the zoning code in order to put a cap on new rooming houses sprouting up and toughen regulations on existing licensed houses.
“People say that we’re going to have rooming houses and dump all these people here because Waukesha is the county seat. Well, I don’t buy it,” he said. “How much is enough?”
Rooming houses are large multi-room houses converted to apartment-like buildings where individuals can rent a room week by week without a leasing contract. Tenants share bathrooms and some other common areas.
Mostly situated within Radish’s District 11, which encompasses downtown, these houses are known to cater to low-income individuals and be run by landlords who are less selective about tenants than apartment landlords.
Concern for downtown
Of the 14 licensed rooming houses, 11 are in or close to downtown, according to city records.
Mary Anne Kessler-O’Neill, who owns Sadie Bryner Home Décor and Gifts in downtown and is vice president of the Business Improvement District, said rooming houses could pose a problem to future plans to redevelop downtown into a bustling destination spot for shopping and dining.
“They somewhat hold back growth and there could be a better use for those houses,” she said. “When you do the math, (the houses are) just a cash cow for those landlords.”
Kessler-O’Neill said there is a negative effect from having a concentration of rooming houses, which is why she said some cities have outlawed rooming houses.
“Personally, I want them out of the city,” she said. “It’s not a great perception and when perception becomes reality, then it’s a problem.”
Waukesha officials have anteed up a significant stake in the redevelopment of downtown.
City officials are lining up $2 million in public financing to support the transformation of a decrepit downtown building into a high-end boutique hotel and upscale restaurant.
Developers Drew Vallozzi and Andrew Ruggeri’s proposed $5 million Clarke Hotel and Black Trumpet Restaurant, city officials hope, will serve as a catalyst for additional downtown renewal.
The city is committing another $1.2 million to additional downtown redevelopment.
