Tougher Off-Campus Housing Rules Near TCU
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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The City of Fort Worth just passed tougher off-campus housing restrictions on Tuesday night for Texas Christian University students, as police start cracking down on large parties. Students come from all over to be at these parties, and homeowners in the neighborhoods said that it has gotten out of control.
The Fort Worth Police Department is done giving warnings, and has now promised to write tickets and even make arrests.
During just one weekend last month, there were 15 disturbance calls at the same time for parties around campus. Every officer on west side patrol duty was handling a call. According to the officers, the students are leaving trash -- mainly beer cans -- and urinating in public.
A letter was sent to fraternities and sororities and, as of last week, only one arrest had been made.
Homeowners want to keep the quiet community surrounding TCU from becoming party central. So, on Tuesday night, the city voted unanimously to change the definition of the term "single housekeeping unit" when it comes to off-campus housing. This now regulates the number of unrelated people who can rent a home together.
Months ago, the city moved to restrict the number of students who could live in rental homes to three. However, students and property owners have been very vocal about the changes, arguing that the definition of a family has changed, and that it would be unconstitutional for the city to have a specific standard.
