More than 50 Towson residents packed into a Baltimore County hearing Friday to protest a proposed boarding house, fearing its approval could lead to a flood of others.
When neighbors reported Alexander Sulakvelidze for housing four tenants in his investment home at Garden and Knollwood roads ? two more than the county permits ? the Hamden resident said he didn?t realize he was in violation and quickly filed proper paperwork. Met with fervent opposition, Sulakvelidze said he fears he will now be punished for his honesty.
“People will continue to rent; you just won?t know about it,” Sulakvelidze said. “I?m doing it right, and maybe I?ll be laughed at.”
Neighbors complained student tenants consume limited on-street parking. They cited instances of noisy parties, indecent exposure and one case where a student hit another with a car.
They complained county code enforcement is insufficient as the demand for off-campus student housing increases. When nearby Towson Manor Village was overtaken by boarding houses, activist Ed Kilcullen said residents had to police themselves.
A county rental registration program, criticized for its inconsistent enforcement, didn?t help, he said. Dozens of houses were boarded up until, fed up with their appearance, residents consented to an apartment high-rise they previously opposed. The houses are slated for demolition.
“No one wants to buy a house next door to what?s essentially a fraternity house, so it?s bought up by an investor,” Kilcullen said. “That pattern continued down three or four blocks. Our community stands as an example of what can happen when it?s taken over by rental homes.”
Under county code, no more than two unrelated occupants can live in a boarding house, and no two rental houses can be side by side.
Deputy County Zoning Commissioner John Murphy presided over the hearing. He said he will render a decision within two weeks.
