Due to a saturated market, the city is considering banning new apartment complexes for a year.
The Starkville mayor and Board of Aldermen are considering placing a temporary moratorium, or ban, on new rental housing in the city.
City officials and local developers are concerned that Starkville’s residential rental areas are growing too fast. That and the construction of new apartment-like dorms on campus are cause for concern, officials said.
Ward 1 Alderman Sumner Davis said this is a concern that has been brought to the board by a variety of sources, including the Planning and Zoning Commission.
“The perception is that Starkville is oversaturated with rental housing,” Davis said. “There are a lot of vacant properties and something needs to be done.”
Another concern is how these new dwellings are being filled, said Ward 4 Alderman Lee Beck.
“There are new apartments going up, but it’s not necessarily new residents that are occupying them, rather people moving around, leaving the older apartments vacant,” Beck said.
The competition from newer apartments creates a vacancy in older apartments, which can lead to dilapidation of these properties, Ward 6 Alderman Roy Perkins said.
“This is a reasonable governmental measure,” Perkins said. “The board collectively supports the economic development of city and wants to further the city’s best interest-we need to put some control on this over saturation, though.”
The proposed moratorium would be limited to a reasonable time of no more than a year and not less than six months, Perkins added.
“A substantial period of this time would be during the winter when little construction is held anyway,” he said.
By law, a new ordinance adopted by the board must be drawn up by the city attorney and a planner, Beck said.
“We have hired a planner and the order is being drawn up by the city attorney,” he said. “We are being careful to follow all legal formalities.”
Beck also said that no action would take place until the city’s comprehensive plan is completed sometime in January.
“The city’s comprehensive plan is considering what Starkville will look like in 10 years and where the city’s growth needs to be,” Beck said.
Items such as Mississippi State University’s housing trend need to be considered, he said.
“With reconstruction of current facilities and the construction of new housing like Ruby Hall, which is designed more like an apartment, more students may begin living on campus.”
Ward 3 Alderman P.C. McLaurin also said that future Mississippi State housing development would affect the saturation of residential areas.
“If the university starts to construct additional housing, like the current construction of Ruby Hall, this will further affect the use of rental housing,” he said.
McLaurin said that it’s the city’s responsibility protect the current residential properties that could be pushed out of the market. “The number of incentives that are being added to newer apartments could result in undesirable living quarters for the previously established apartments,” he said.
McLaurin added that it’s unrealistic to expect a developer to forego his developing to “prop up” existing apartment complexes.
“It’s the city’s responsibility to ensure that both single and multi-family housing is available in a variety of price ranges,” he said. “We should encourage such.”
Perkins said that the board could set dates for public meetings to hear the concerns of any developers or citizens.
“I do not foresee any negative feedback,” he said. “I feel that this is a positive move and that the city as a whole will come together on this issue.”