HomeMy WebLinkAboutA048 - Letter from Kevin Scheibe (460 Westwood) 4
Dear Ames City Council,
We have been following the discussion regarding the rental cap in our community with great
interest. Additionally, we have been in contact with Sara VanMeeteren, and it is on her
recommendation that we write this letter.
We have lived in Ames at 460 Westwood Drive since June of 2003. In the summer of 2010, we
purchased our neighbor's house (3619 Mary Circle) for my mother to live near us. The house on
Mary Circle is adjacent to our house on Westwood Drive. As she is my mother, we never
considered converting the Mary Circle house to a rental but always thought it would be a good
idea to keep the house in the event that she decided to move. However, with this new housing
cap, we are now wondering if we would need to sell the house when my mother no longer lives
next to us. When a neighbor was canvasing our neighborhood asking for signers on the petition
for the housing cap, we chose not to sign as we would like to keep the house next door. We
believe we could rent it to a family or even a few responsible students and maintain the home
in a way that honors our other neighbors. The fact that the house is immediately adjacent to
ours is strong motivation to that end.
Therefore, we are asking you to consider an amendment to the housing cap policy, specifically
for homeowners who own property that is adjacent to their primary residence. The current
policy states that there is an exception for those who are currently living in a home as a primary
residence. This is not the case for us, but my mother is the occupant in the house right next
door. This is similar to the instances in Ames of person living in a duplex and desiring to rent the
other side of the duplex. Since the owner is occupying one side, there is great incentive to keep
the two properties intact.
The exception we are requesting is to allow homeowners to be able to purchase and rent
homes that are adjacent to their primary residence. This exception would keep to the spirit of
the law in preventing a neighborhood from becoming solely rental properties. Since the owners
of the rental homes are immediate neighbors, if there are ever any issues with the rental
occupants, the owners would be some of the nearest neighbors and the people with the
greatest interest in resolving the issues.
Another way that this exception could work is for a parent of a university student to buy a
neighboring house for their child to live in during their time of study. While this is already
allowed, the cap would not allow for the rental of other rooms to friends of the student. Again,
as the owner of the home would be immediately co-located, there is high motivation to keep
the property in exemplary condition and maintain the beautiful community neighborhoods that
we all value and wish to protect.
We would even think it fair that if we were to move from our primary residence, we would not
be allowed to keep the rental as a rental but would be required to sell it as well. Additionally,
we suggest not allowing the LOC to be transferred to a non-adjacent owner. Thus, there would
not be loopholes to create too high a percentage of rentals in the neighborhood.
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We absolutely love living in Ames, and part of the reason is the strong communities, safe
neighborhoods, and the diversity of cultures and ideas that this university community brings.
We believe this exception to the housing code will continue to promote these values and
protect the quality neighborhoods that are already in place. This exception will ensure that the
rental caps remain in place but will allow an Ames resident to rent a property directly adjacent
to their own as long as they remain living adjacent to the rental property.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully,
Dr. and Mrs. Kevin Scheibe
460 Westwood Drive