When the city cracked down on unrelated roommates living in single-family areas two years ago, Mary Jo Spreitzer felt the effects.

“As a college student, I really want to rent a house with all the space so we can have barbecues and things like that,” said Spreitzer, a Kansas University junior from Overland Park. “The law made it more difficult for me to do that.”

That was the intent of the Lawrence City Commission in 2001 when it reduced the number of unrelated roommates allowed to live in single-family homes from four to three. They wanted to chase out renters to make room for families to own homes in older neighborhoods.

Now Greg DiVilbiss wants to undo that ordinance.

The City Commission candidate is courting potential voters among KU students by telling them he’ll vote to repeal the limits on unrelated roommates — as well as the inspections process designed to enforce that law.

DiVilbiss said the roommate limits were “unenforceable”; KU students have told him they’re living in greater numbers in single-family homes. There are better ways to help revitalize the neighborhoods, he said.

“I am in favor of sensible solutions to problems, not having laws that are not enforceable,” he said. “I would work with all parties to come up with these solutions. I do recognize the situation in the neighborhoods.”

Neighborhood opposition

There will be opposition to his stance. The Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods asked in 2000 for the city to cap unrelated roommates at two — and only grudgingly went along with the compromise measure that reduced the number to three.

“LAN would be opposed to going back to four or repealing the law,” said Caleb Morse, the organization’s president. “We hope the City Commission will hold the line, at least, no matter who’s elected.”

Lawrence landlords, some of whom are still contemplating a lawsuit about the inspections program, are skeptical DiVilbiss can succeed with the effort.

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“I don’t think he has the votes to do it,” said Bob Ebey, vice president of Landlords of Lawrence. “I don’t think that’s going to help his agenda any by doing that.”

But DiVilbiss noted the 25,000 students at KU, many of whom opposed the roommate limits, make up potentially the largest voting bloc in the city.

KU students don’t traditionally turn out for city elections, however. The Allen Fieldhouse precinct that serves many students has drawn between 10 and 20 voters the past two elections, a county elections official said.

Mark Lehmann, a Lawrence landlord, ran for commission in 2001 on a platform of opposing the roommate limits and inspections. He didn’t make it out of the primary election.

Spreitzer, who actually favors the roommate limits as a means of helping Lawrence families economically, will be among the nonvoters.

“I’m still registered in Overland Park,” she said.

What others think

So far, DiVilbiss is the only candidate to call for all-out repeal of the ordinance.

“He’s obviously given up on the neighborhoods,” candidate Dennis “Boog” Highberger said of DiVilbiss, “and is courting the student vote.”

Highberger, along with candidates Lee Gerhard, Mike Rundle and David Schauner, said the roommate limits law should be given a chance to work.

“We need to be monitoring it to see if it’s being effective,” Rundle said. “We’re trying to maintain the vitality of these neighborhoods.”

Lynn Goodell, another candidate, said an in-depth study of how the law has worked should be done before he commits either way.

“Have we done any good?” he said. “And I’d like to see what it’s cost to enforce that.”

All of the candidates expressed reservations about the inspections process, particularly a provision that allows landlords to admit city inspectors into homes without the tenants’ consent.

“I do believe they may infringe on a renter’s rights to privacy,” Schauner said.

And Gerhard said it was unfair the inspections applied only to single-family zoned homes.

“If it’s a health and safety issue, we ought to do it for everybody,” he said.

The election is April 1. The top three vote-getters will receive terms on the commission.