Clarksburg council pauses new rental-registration ordinance, sends rezoning question to planners
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Summary
After hours of public testimony, the Clarksburg City Council voted to table a proposed rental-housing registration ordinance and advanced a separate resolution asking the planning and zoning commission to review rezoning selected neighborhoods to single-family (R‑1) status.
The Clarksburg City Council voted to table a proposed rental-housing registration ordinance after extensive public comment and council discussion, and separately approved a resolution asking the planning and zoning commission to review rezoning certain areas to R‑1 single-family residential.
Residents and housing advocates warned the council the registration and a companion rezoning could reduce affordable rental supply and increase homelessness if not designed carefully. “If this policy isn't designed carefully, it can unintentionally reduce the supply of affordable housing and increase homelessness in our community,” said Melissa Rhine of 349 Washington Avenue during the public-comment period. Sekila Garcia of the Resilience Collaborative at United Way of Harrison County urged coordinated supports, saying, “Enforcement alone is not the solution.”
City staff and several council members said the program’s primary goal is tenant safety. A council speaker explained the ordinance would require a certificate of occupancy for every rental, two‑year inspections and a fee structure intended to recover inspection costs. The proposal as presented would raise the upfront per‑unit fee from about $20 to $150, with a proposed 50 percent discount for units that pass an initial checklist without deficiencies.
Council members pressed staff on details: whether HUD‑inspected voucher units would be subject to duplicate inspections; what inspection checklist would be used; how failed inspections and noncompliant landlords would be handled; and whether properties that had been converted to multiple units long ago would be grandfathered. Several members urged a roundtable with landlords, the housing authority and service providers before further action.
On the rezoning resolution, council debated parking, density and emergency access in older neighborhoods. Proponents said rezoning to R‑1 could limit future conversions that strain street parking and emergency response; opponents cautioned that downzoning could remove options for affordable housing and leave large houses vacant. Council approved sending the rezoning request to the planning and zoning commission; staff said the P&Z review, required notices and subsequent council readings mean any zoning changes would likely take months to complete.
The tabling motion for the rental ordinance was carried after a recorded vote; council members who spoke in favor of postponing said they wanted more data, stakeholder meetings and a clearer implementation plan. Council members who supported beginning the process said they feared continued safety hazards and unregulated conversions.
Next steps: the rental-registration ordinance remains tabled for further stakeholder engagement, and the planning and zoning commission will review the R‑1 rezoning request and return a recommendation to council.
