Gainesville, Florida

Gainesville Student Housing Study
   

For the City of Gainesville, Duncan Associates examined issues related to the impacts of student rental housing on neighborhoods around the University of Florida. Although the City had a complex system of regulations in place to limit the occupancy and use of rental housing in traditional neighborhoods, continued neighborhood complaints led to the request for the study – with the hope of developing an improved regulatory program.

The Duncan Associates study involved four parts: analysis of data, comparing the situation in Gainesville to that in other small cities that are homes to major universities; review of regulatory approaches used in other communities; examination of the neighborhoods around the university; and interviews with people involved with the issue, including landlords, neighbors, enforcement and other city officials.
The completed study, totaling 73 pages plus extensive appendices, recommended that the City adopt a licensing ordinance that would increase the responsibility of landlords to control activities at the properties that they own. In addition, the study recommended use of neighborhood conservation districts within which the density of number of student rentals would be limited. Other recommendations in the study addressed issues ranging from site design controls at rental houses to enforcement techniques

Period:    January 2001 - April 2002               Contact:    Marion Radson, City Attorney
Team:      Duncan Associates                                       352.334.5011