San Marcos needs new 'town, gown' committee

By: RICHARD J. RIEHL - for the North County Times | Thursday, March 13, 2008 9:45 PM PDT ∞

My first college roommate was a neatnik. He sometimes slept on top of his bed to avoid disturbing the covers. He was less meticulous in the classroom, flunking out after his first semester.

My second roommate was a slob. An imaginary boundary divided our tiny dorm room in half. So long as his soiled socks and underwear stayed on his side, I could keep my side relatively tidy.

Not that I was all that tidy. When I lived for a short time off campus, I learned a potato can grow branches if left under the sink for a month.

Living on your own and getting along with the neighbors are among a college student's most valuable learning experiences.

Unfortunately, the learning process can cause problems for college towns.

The locals didn't pay much attention to Cal State San Marcos when it was a small commuter campus. But when 460 students moved into campus apartments five years ago, the neighborhood took notice.

New students from outside the area spread the word about the attractive young campus to others beyond North County, triggering the arrival of others who couldn't be accommodated on campus. The conflicting interests of a college town emerged: young people testing their wings by living on their own, landlords exploiting a new market and homeowners valuing their peace and quiet.

Unscrupulous landlords have long been guilty of stuffing as many students as possible into a single residence while allowing the structure to fall into disrepair. As a result, neighborhoods deteriorate. Longtime residents move out or complain loudly to city officials to do something about it.

In San Marcos the first response has been a proposal [http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/12/12/news/inland/san_marcos/18_24_0712_11_07.txt] to restrict the number of individuals who can rent a single-family residence. That's a threat to individual property rights and doesn't guarantee the reduction of noise, trash and careless parking on party nights.

To his credit, Mayor Jim Desmond recognized the need to create a town and gown committee to find a way to preserve neighborhoods while providing affordable student housing.

The charge to the Student and Neighborhood Relations Commission [http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/02/27/news/top_stories/1_05_262_26_08.txt] is to "recommend actions to promote collaboration, tolerance and mutual respect in the city's neighborhood communities."

That's a good start, but such groups come and go. They have no power to implement their recommendations. They cannot resolve the inevitable ongoing problems.

In the college town of Muncie, Indiana, the mission of the University Area Landlord Association [http://www.ualaonline.org/index2.html] is to provide "clean, safe and well-maintained student rental housing in the neighborhoods surrounding Ball State University," and "to ensure that properties are maintained in such a way that they contribute positively to the university-area neighborhoods." The city's housing code is the foundation of their standards and expectations.

Landlords and homeowners have the greatest stake in good neighborhoods. Working together, they have the power to help students learn to be responsible tenants. Maybe the first recommendation of the newly formed San Marcos town and gown commission should be to encourage landlords, homeowners and students to form a permanent alliance.

Carlsbad resident Richard J. Riehl is a freelance columnist for the North County Times. Contact him at RiehlWorld2@yahoo.com.

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