STANTON : Housing Occupancy Limits May Tighten

Following a complaint that too many people are living in some Stanton residences, city staff members are researching whether occupancy should be more closely regulated.

The city now relies on a housing code that specifies occupancy based on the square footage of a dwelling unit, Community Services Manager Bonnie Kirk said. The code may be revised so that occupancy limits would be based on the number of bedrooms or bathrooms in a residence and other variables.

Kirk said that an occupancy ordinance is needed to maintain public health and local property values.

The matter of overcrowding is “focused on the health and safety issues, because when there’s too many people in a dwelling unit you’re taxing public utilities, the sewer, and deteriorating the inside,” Kirk said.

The city staff is also reviewing an ordinance proposed by the Apartment Assn. of Orange County. Under that proposal, a residence would be illegally overcrowded if there were more than six people to a bathroom or if the number of residents exceeded twice the number of bedrooms, plus one.

However, Kirk said that although the proposed ordinance is an excellent starting point, it is geared to rented residences.

“There are a lot of considerations that must be looked at,” she said. “Cities certainly do not want to penalize large families.”