The Planning and Zoning commission for the Town of Hamden will hold a meeting Tuesday where Quinnipiac will be a priority on the agenda.
The sixth item on the agenda concerns the university, as it is to address the commission’s review of housing and parking data, Assistant Town Planner Dan Kops said. The commission requires that the university provides annual information on the number of students living on campus and commuting, as well as data on parking. In recent years, there has been increased concern with the commission about the growth of the student population.
“There is a condition of approval from the dorms at York Hill that there should be a bed to every student and the commission’s concern is that the number of students has increased while the number of beds has not,” Kops said. “We want students to be living on campus and not off renting.”
The seventh item on the agenda is not specific to Quinnipiac, but all universities in the Hamden area. There has been an increase in complaints recently from the residents of northern Hamden about students living in their neighborhoods, Kops said. The people have joined together to form the Facebook group “People of Hamden,” in which residents can openly discuss their concerns about Quinnipiac students.
“Almost all complaints we get involves students who attend Quinnipiac,” Kops said. “The commission is considering changing the zoning regulations or other possible changes to solve this problem. On Tuesday we will be discussing these possible improvements.
“The issue has really grown. Most students aren’t disruptive to their neighbors, but the few who are cause concern. When people complain publicly, it strikes a nerve with others. We don’t have a college town where there are apartments. Students are spread throughout the neighborhoods where the lifestyles are very different.”
Associate Vice President for Facilities Administration Joseph Rubertone will represent the university at the meeting. He did not wish to comment on student housing.
In addition to the student housing trepidations, the commission also has concerns about the limited parking on the Mount Carmel campus.
“It came to our attention that students from York Hill were commuting with their cars and it was clearly understood by the commission that this wouldn’t happen,” Kops said. “We do not know what we will be deciding. We are most concerned about the congestion at the intersection at Mt. Carmel, Westwoods and Whitney Ave. that affects the residents of Hamden.”
Rubertone said that he believes the problem has been resolved after security implemented that only seniors living on York Hill and commuters would be allowed to park in North Lot and Hogan Road Lot on the Mount Carmel campus prior to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays.
“The commission is upset because we allowed seniors to drive down to campus from York Hill without going back to get their permission,” Rubertone said. “I have no idea if this will be resolved, but we did supply them with a traffic report on the 3rd of December. We will see how they will react to the report tomorrow night.”
The meeting will be held on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Thornton Wilder Hall in the Miller Memorial Library Complex.
