Norman resident Nancy Harrington plans to present an amendment to Norman City Council’s oversight committee at their next meeting after her son had to evict a roommate from his house because of a city ordinance.
The next oversight committee meeting will be at 5 p.m. on Oct. 16. Meetings take place in the Municipal Building's multi-purpose room at 201 West Gray St.
The Three Unrelated Persons Ordinance limits single-family dwellings to residents that are family members, meaning that more than three unrelated people cannot live together, with a few exceptions, said Greg Jungman, Norman City Council’s Ward 4 representative.
“It’s Norman’s rule in this case, but a lot of cities have a rule like this,” Jungman said.
Harrington approached the City Council on Sept. 9 and asked they consider amending the law to allow one person per bedroom, allowing students to have as many roommates as they want as long as there’s only one person per bedroom.
"My focus is young adults," Harrington said. "I think that it'll provide better living conditions for young adults in Norman who are just getting started."
As it stands, the ordinance is meant to control the peacefulness of neighborhoods, Jungman said.
"It controls noise and traffic and other problems that occur when you have large numbers of adults living together," Jungman said.
While those opposed to the amendment of the ordinance are concerned about noise and traffic, Harrington said there are other ordinances in place to protect against that.
Another common criticism of the rule is that four people can make noise in a home whether they are unrelated college students or a family of four, Jungman said.
"You really have to work hard to protect your neighborhood against bad neighbors, and a disproportionate amount of those bad neighbors are students who chose to live in a way that is not conducive to a family neighborhood," Jungman said.
Landlords also criticize the ordinance because it prevents them from making more money, Jungman said.
Amendments to the ordinance have been considered earlier this year, including in February and May, according to the Norman City Council website.
"We have considered and reconsidered it over the course of the past several months. So I think that what Mrs. Harrington is asking for has already been resolved," Jungman said.
