On March 13, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino approved an amendment to the city zoning code that made it illegal for four undergraduate students to live in a single apartment together. Boston City Councilor Mike Ross, who proposed the amendment, advertised it as a way to reduce rent in the Allston-Brighton neighborhoods. This thinking, though, was flawed from the beginning, and eight months later, the effects are becoming clear: Available housing for students has decreased, and because of this, the cost of rent has spiked in the area.
According to independent researchers, the average increase in rent for the greater Boston area was 3.9 percent since 2007. This has been largely attributed to the current state of the national economy, especially compared to other metro areas. For the Allston-Brighton region, however, the average increase in rent was 7.7 percent, well exceeding the neighboring regions.
The overwhelming concentration of college students in these neighborhoods made the ‘no more than four’ amendment a specific law to affect Boston’s student population, whether that was the intention or not. By forcing the unlucky fifth students out of their apartments, no matter the living situation, Ross’s amendment has simply increased demand in an area where supply is not likely to increase in any significant way. Simple economic theory dictates that prices will continue to rise until a new equilibrium between student demand and room availability emerges.
It’s important to remember that the amendment was never really intended to help students ‘-‘- but that is no excuse for an ill-conceived law that is making life difficult for Boston’s significant college student population. Absentee landlords are still a major issue for much of Allston’s rental properties, and existing renters are facing quickly growing rates, with little benefits to show for it.
This upcoming year, the city of Boston needs to take a serious look at the amendment, which is causing no small amount of havoc for college renters. The already sky-high cost of living in Boston gives students little incentive to remain in the area after graduation, a further drain on the state economy. Though no longer undergraduates, recent graduates are unlikely to look kindly on a city that used the long arm of the law to spurn them.
With even less room available for larger groups of student-renters, the college-populated areas of Allston-Brighton are doomed to accelerated rent increases, ultimately leading to neighborhood-debilitating gentrification if left unchecked. Allston may have earned its reputation as the college students’ neighborhood, but that shouldn’t be considered a problem by the city.
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