-- THAT INFAMOUS REZONING APPLICATION

When I was serving as chair of the Provost neighborhood, I applied to rezone a portion of my neighborhood from an R-1-8 (Residential-Single Family-8000 sf lots) to an R-1-A (Residential-Single Family-Accessory Apartment.) I filed this application, NOT because I wanted to see the zone changed, but because I wanted to "call the question." I did NOT own property in the area propsed for rezone. I did NOT live there. I did NOT want to rent my own basement. I did NOT want to get a better price for my home.

There were, in the proposed area, over 50 homes with illegal basement apartments. The city was not enforcing the law, the neighborhood was deteriorating, many homes were going up for sale as the population aged or moved up, realtors were advertising properties in the area as duplexes, and absentee landlords, who previously had been buying homes for rentals in the Maeser, Joaquin, and Dixon neighborhoods, had targeted our neighborhood after protective ordinances were passed in those areas of the central city. I had learned that in order to force the City to address the problem, all I needed to do was file an official application. I wanted the discussion to begin.

The process worked. The neighbors were polled. The majority did NOT want to have the area rezoned. The Council voted to deny the request. End of story.