Overlay Information Meeting to Be Held

In light of the recent controversy and confusion surrounding rental restriction overlay (RRO) districts in the City of East Lansing, an informational session about overlays will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 17) at the Hannah Community Center.

East Lansing Principal Planner Landon Bartley said the reason the session is being held is because of how often the topic has been discussed recently and concerns brought forward by residents of the Glencairn neighborhood, where an overlay district has been proposed. The overlay district discussions have been led under Bartley’s direction.

“I’m new to the city, in the last four months or so, and it just seemed like a good thing to do,” Bartley said. “When I feel like there’s something especially controversial or potentially controversial or people have heightened sensitivity about it, it makes a lot of sense to try to clear the air.”

“Glencairn, in particular, there have been so many questions that come up, and I would say some misinformation or misunderstandings about some parts of the code, and we felt like some clarity was needed,” Bartley continued. 

The information session is expected to be fairly informal. 

“It will include a presentation by staff, including probably myself, Annette Irwin who is the administrator of housing and university relations, and the city attorney, Anthony Chubb,” Bartley said. 

The topic of overlay districts was brought forward during the Nov. 28 City Council meeting. Residents expressed concern about the RRO that could be put in place in a section of the Glencairn neighborhood.

Two-thirds of property owners in the neighborhood signed a petition supporting the overlay, which was presented to Council at the Dec. 5 meeting. There is now a moratorium on rental licenses in the proposed district.

Many community members spoke in public comment, expressing concerns about the restrictions the overlay would put on their neighborhood. Others expressed concerns about renters in their neighborhoods and approved of the regulations the overlay would provide. Others were simply confused about the rules and regulations of RROs.

Councilmember Erik Altmann discussed and clarified many of the overlay ordinance rules during the Dec. 5 meeting, but many community members remained confused.

The Dec. 7 Housing Commission meeting continued the discussion of the Glencairn R-O-1 overlay district.

The majority of community members who spoke at this meeting expressed their support for the overlay district.

Homeowner Patrick Rose has raised concerns about definitions within the city’s code and who would be allowed to live in a home without a rental license.

Rose and other homeowners have asked for definitions of words such as “family,” “renter” and “domestic unit.” 

“In these specific sections of the ordinance about rental housing and rental restriction overlay districts, they define certain terms, so we’re just gonna focus on those,” Bartley said. 

The city hopes the informational meeting will help provide some clarity on overlays.

Staff from the Planning Department, Office of the City Manager and the City Attorney will be present to discuss details of overlay districts, historical usage within the city, dates of adoption, as well as clarify definitions.

Along with offering information, the session will also provide a space for people to ask questions and discuss. 

“The goal is to just answer questions and help people understand the ordinance,” Bartley said.