Many students living in the University District might lose a place to relax outside if a new rule is instituted to ban stuffed furniture from porches.
Porches and decks on the front of houses or apartments have been the subject of numerous problems in the University District. Among these issues are instances of stuffed, interior furniture being placed on porches and incorrect placement of grills.
The University District includes the area between the Olentangy River and the railroad tracks adjacent to Interstate 71 and the area from 5th Avenue to the Glen Echo Ravine. According to the 2000 U.S. census, the University District had 43,664 residents in more than 17,000 housing units.
According to University District Code Enforcement, stuffed furniture was observed on 10.9 percent of properties, while grills were found on the front porches of 8.8 percent of properties.
Stuffed furniture located on porches can be a source for harboring pests such as insects and rodents. They have also become safety hazards, as evidenced during the OSU riots when they were targeted for burning.
The Code Enforcement Task Force has been in contact with the Columbus Fire Department and the Department of Neighborhood Services to heighten awareness of these problems. They also are looking to amend the current law to ban stuffed couches on porches in the University Area.
"We feel that stuffed furniture is a health risk to everyone in the community," said Jennifer Cowley, an assistant professor at OSU and member of the Code Enforcement Task Force. "We've had too many incidents with fires and rodent infestation because the students don't realize how hazardous those couches can be."
While Code Enforcement is trying to deal with these problems, they do not want students to think they are trying to ban all outside furniture.
"We don't want to get rid of all furniture on porches because we feel that it's a good way for students to congregate outside and enjoy the nicer weather in spring quarter," Cowley said. "We just want to get rid of stuffed furniture because it provides so many possible health risks."
Several students were glad to hear that the ban would only deal with stuffed couches and would not include all exterior furniture.
"I agree that some of those couches are disgusting and need to be thrown away," said Jason Feth, a senior in electrical engineering. "But I actually have a decent couch that I want to move outside when the weather gets nice so that I can get out and relax."
Code Enforcement has proposed some small incentives for students to get rid of their stuffed couches.
"We came up with a few ideas, such as gift certificates for groceries or coupons for free pizza," Cowley said. "We're just hoping to persuade students to be safe and get rid of those couches."
Incorrect placement of grills under or on top of covered wooden porches, as well as their placement on decks in apartment buildings, is another fire safety hazard, which many residents are unaware.
The City of Columbus does not regulate the location or operation of grills.
"We are currently working on spreading the word about how dangerous these grills can be," said James Manning, a local firefighter. "We know how much students love using their grills when it's nice out; we just want them to do it safely."
Code Enforcement also has noticed that the lack of maintenance of many University District housing units has led to a decline in their exterior appearance.
The City of Columbus requires the exterior of buildings be kept in proper repair. In a recent focus group made up of University District residents, they said the general exterior appearance of many units detracts from the neighborhood as being a quality place to reside.
They noted that not only are the neighborhood aesthetics affected, but health and safety issues arise from code violations involving exterior maintenance and cleanliness of outside living spaces. These code violations include rotting wood on houses, improperly boarded houses and sidewalk disrepair.
"It's very disappointing to see how poorly the housing in this area is maintained," said Michael Mitchell, a University District resident. "We need to make a bigger effort to get the landlords and everyone else in this community involved."
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