In a bid to make the city more hospitable to immigrants and multi-generational families, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen is weighing changes to how occupancy is calculated. As the mayor’s policy director, Casey Millburg, explained at a committee hearing last week, “The change is being made, again, because the city wants to attract and keep families, particularly larger ones.”
The brainchild of Alderwoman Daniela Velazquez, Board Bill 18 would no longer count children under 6 for purposes of occupancy (currently, only children under 30 months are exempt). It also eliminates the requirement that a dwelling’s largest bedroom be designated the master and limited to two occupants—in essence, allowing that square footage to count for other family members. Said Building Commissioner Ed Ware, who spoke in support of the bill at a July 1 hearing, “Some of these master bedrooms are huge.” Thanks to that change, a 650-square-foot unit can now house five people, along with as many kids under six as are related to the other inhabitants.
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The bill drew pushback from Alderman Shane Cohn, who said the Building Division is “woefully and inadequately staffed,” while expressing fear that bad landlords would take advantage of the new limits.
“I have very serious concerns that this is almost akin to tenement housing that we would be sanctioning,” he said.
Other aldermen, however, expressed hope that the changes would help immigrants trying to get their foothold in St. Louis. Alderman Michael Browning asked to be added as a co-sponsor, saying, “I just want to get more people in the city … and I want to make sure we have safe housing for them to do it,” he says. “Let’s be honest, we’re not building enough housing in the city to grow our population. Where are people going to live if we don’t supply more places for people to live?”
Gilberto Pinela, the director of the city’s Office of New Americans, said the idea originally came from Welcome Neighbor STL, which was seeking to find housing in the city for larger families. He pushed the idea that more crowded apartments were only a first step toward a new life in St. Louis.
“They just need a moment of opportunity to be able to establish themselves here,” he said. “They don’t want to live their whole lives in a one- or two-bedroom apartment.”
As Alderwomen Alicia Sonnier explained, though, the changes could help multi-generational families displaced by the May 16 tornado. “How are they going to find a place to relocate and be compliant with the code?” she asked. “I’ve observed this tension many times. I don’t like seeing that families have to split.”
Velazquez notes that the bill mimics similar occupancy rules in San Francisco, Seattle, and Ann Arbor, Michigan. The bill won 6–1 approval in committee last week and could gain final passage as early as Friday. It would go into effect immediately.
