A petition to place occupancy ordinance reform on the April 2017 city election ballot will begin circulating February 23. The Associated Students of Colorado State University wrote the language of the proposed amendments to city occupancy ordinances in collaboration with the law firm they hired in November.
The amendments will pursue a “Me+3” occupancy ordinance: four unrelated adults and their dependents, or one family.
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Currently, the city limits occupants of a property to three unrelated adults, commonly known as “U+2.” Fort Collins recently began actively enforcing the ordinance in a half-mile area west of campus in January.
In addition to petitioning, voter registration opportunities will be available on campus throughout February and during the petitioning period.
ASCSU has been pursuing revision to the “U+2” ordinance since summer 2015, said Edward Kendall, ASCSU director of university affairs. Drafting the language for the proposed amendments was a result of persistent student concern, according to an ASCSU press release.
“In addition to the fact that every single year it (U+2) gets brought up during election season, it’s something everyone has heard of,” Kendall said. “It has affected you or it has affected someone you know. That says something about how prevalent this issue is to the student experience at CSU.”
The petition will require about 5,000 to 7,000 signatures, said Jason Sydoriak, president of ASCSU.
“Of all the things we’ve talked to students about, it is pretty obvious that U+2 is their number one issue in the last few years,” Sydoriak said in December at a college council meeting.
For information about petitioning volunteer efforts and questions about Me+3, send an email to ASCSU_Community_Affairs@Mail.Colostate.edu.
Collegian ASCSU Beat Reporter Erin Douglas can be reached online at news@collegian.com.
