Residents, Officials Complain of Rowdy College Renters

College students living off campus are taking center stage in an ongoing debate among city officials about how to better deal with repeat violators of Fredericksburg's neighborhood nuisance laws.

The Fredericksburg City Council now wants to meet in person with representatives from the University of Mary Washington to discuss how to address problems which may be caused by students living off campus. A UMW representative was supposed to have attended last night's City Council meetings, but had to cancel citing a death in the family.

Fredericksburg Mayor Thomas Tomzak had harsh words for the university, which he said was "oblivious" to the problems caused by their students in residential areas of the city.

Nuisances Get Second Look

Fredericksburg city officials are now looking at ways to improve the enforcement of nuisance laws, saying that it will improve the quality of life for residents in the city's neighborhoods. Last night they were presented with a draft version of an ordinance which could help the city more aggressively deal with problem residences. The draft law modifies and slightly expands the definition of a nuisance and clarifies the steps the city can take to address problems at residences.

The initiative follows a staff review of how Fredericksburg enforces and tracks violations of the nuisance laws. Those laws, as currently construed in Fredericksburg, cover things like overgrown yards, late night loud noise, building maintenance and fire codes, and zoning regulations, among others.

"How can we be more effective with these uses?" asked City Attorney Kathleen Dooley, rhetorically. "In terms of the ordinances we have in place, are they working?"

Answering her own question, Dooley said the staff review showed that various city departments which handle nuisance violations—zoning, police, building and development services—could communicate better among each other to address issues as they arise. That means city officials could take more direct steps to alert property owners of the problems which their tenants might be causing and to work with property owners to abate issues before they escalate.

Until recently, according to Dooley, the city's neighborhood quality initiatives have been focused on the effects of urban blight and other problems normally associated with abandonment. Now she says the city is trying to hone in on occupied dwellings which consistently violate city nuisance laws.

Rowdy Renters: Just a College Problem?

Complaints about the behavior of University of Mary Washington students living off campus were frequently cited by members of the City Council and members of the public as the driving force behind the current review of the city's nuisance ordinance enforcement.

Meredith Beckett, president of the College Heights Civic Association, says that she has a hunch that many of the nuisance properties in her neighborhood are occupied by students.

"I can't prove it, but from the comings and goings in the neighborhood, it's likely," said Beckett during the public comment period during last night's regular session of the City Council.

Ward 2 Councilor George Solley says that the larger problem has not been loud noises or parties, but rather late night, public boisterousness.

"It's when they go outside and talk and yell," said Solley. "Sometimes they aren't even in the yard, they are on the street."

But Dooley cautioned against scapegoating UMW students.

"The problem of residential properties are often attributed to UMW students," said Dooley, noting that frequent nuisance properties were occupied by people from all walks of life.

At-Large Councilor Kerry Devine agreed, lamenting that the actions of a minority of local college students is tarnishing the reputation of the student body as a whole.

"The public face of their classmates does not put them, as a group, in the best light," said Devine. "It's not all of the students at the University of Mary Washington."

Further complicating the issue is the difficulty in determining who is and is not a student of the university.

Repeat Offenders

During the work session, city officials presented a list of four properties which they classified as frequent violators of nuisance ordinances. The data was collected by the Fredericksburg Police Department, which tallied up calls for nuisance disturbances dating back to August. The information was presented as a snapshot of the problem in its most recent manifestations.

They were told details of 1405 Charles St., which has had police respond to five disturbance calls for violations of the noise ordinance, loud parties and arguments taking place outside.

There is also 1503 Stafford Ave., which has had three noise violations reported since Aug. 28.

The residents of 1202 Anderson St. made the list of nuisance properties for a single, apparently raging, party on Aug.13 which resulted in two calls for service and multiple arrests.

Perhaps an even more prevalent nuisance complaint among city residents are derelict cars parked in the street.

"I've gotten into more confrontations over junk cars than anything else," said John Walsh, who enforces property maintenance laws for the Fredericksburg Department of Building and Development Services.

City planning administrator Ray Ocel highlighted a property at 1928 Lafayette St., owned and occupied by Noel Schmidt, which he says has become a de-facto unlicensed junkyard. The city won a verdict in a General District Court trial against Schmidt ordering him to clean up his lot, but Schmidt has appealed to the Fredericksburg Circuit Court. A date for the appeal has not yet been set.

In their review of the city's enforcement of nuisance laws, Fredericksburg officials are looking near and far for inspiration. At the suggestion of Ward 3 Councilor Fred Howe, a major champion of nuisance enforcement reforms, the city examined nuisance property laws in place in South Orange Village, N.J. Dooley said her office also looked to Norfolk, Lynchburg and Herndon as benchmarks for Virginia municipalities dealing with nuisance violations.