subject: west Vally city homes for sale [print this page] west Vally city homes for sale west Vally city homes for sale
In recent months residents have increasingly complained about too many people living in single homes, too many cars parked on the street and front lawns, "even a camper trailer with a power line and a water hose hooked up to it," City Manager Wayne Pyle said.
But enforcing the city's maximum occupancy ordinance is tricky. The city's ordinance states that for every 200-square-foot bedroom in a home, a maximum of two people can live there. That means only six people are allowed to live in a three-bedroom home.
Pyle acknowledges that for many households in West Valley City Homes , this is simply not a reality. Given West Valley's cultural diversity, some cultures encourage families to live together for strength and togetherness. "I think there's a cultural factor, but I think the biggest factor is economic," Pyle said.
In an effort to address the complaints, the City Council instructed city staff Tuesday to enforce nuisance ordinances stemming from some overcrowded homes, Pyle said.
Race and culture are also an issue. In Chicago, the U.S. Justice Department sued the city for racial discrimination after it tried to enforce its maximum-occupancy ordinance in an area of the city occupied by a specific ethnic group.
South Weber too has taken legal hits. In 1997, the local Episcopal Church sued South Weber utah Homes over the construction of a 17-person, in- house substance abuse recovery facility. The city's ordinances forbade more than four unrelated people living in the same residence, but The Haven center argued that the city could not discriminate under the Fair Housing Act's disability clause.
Pyle said the city believed it was justified under its own ordinances, took the case to court and lost. In 2001, the city ended up settling out of court, granting The Haven a building permit. The city paid no monetary damages, The whole experience has left city officials a bit gun-shy over residential occupancy issues.
One Syracuse utah Homes resident who comes from a large family said she believes it is none of the city's business how many people live in a home, as long as it is safe and does not bother neighbors.
Kim, who did not want to use her last name, said her family of nine children and two parents came to Utah as refugees from Vietnam. Living in a three-bedroom home, with a makeshift bedroom for smaller children, was a matter of necessity, she said.
"When we came here to the U.S. the state put us in that home, knowing how many people would be in that home," she said. "I mean, where else could we go?
"It worked out fine," she said. In some cultures, she said, in- laws and grandparents stay with families. "It's cultural ignorance on the part of some people to assume that once your parents get too old they need to go to the rest home," she said.
However, Kim said she felt the city needed to step in when overcrowded homes get out of hand with parking and noise, or if the homes become a danger to children.
"You really can't enforce this ordinance unless you're willing to go into people's homes," Pyle said. "Frankly, at this point, we're not willing to do that. It's pretty invasive."
"We can only attack the visible signs," Pyle said. "I don't think people really care how many people live in a house. Their main concern is noise, parking and the effect on neighbors."
