Bridgeport officials say they're considering big changes for landlords who rent homes to college students attending Sacred Heart University.
Mayor Joe Ganim created a task force in response to a new round of complaints from residents who complain of noisy neighbors and traffic issues in the North End. He says too many students live in the same addresses.
Kelly Mennillo, who has lived down the block from students for more than two decades, says many elderly people live on her street and that students have no respect for the neighbors.
“I have two 9-year-olds inside and I can’t even let them in the front yard without me being there because these guys speed down this road,” Mennillo said.
The communications director for the city of Bridgeport says the authorities have had to be called multiple times, which is putting a strain on the police department with officers having to constantly respond to noise complaints.
The city plans to draft a new ordinance that would limit the amount of non-related people who can live in a house together, making it three instead of the current four.
Danny Roach, a Sacred Heart University senior, says he and his fellow students do respect their neighbors and that there's a better way to find a “middle ground” besides calling the police.
Sacred Heart released a statement saying the proposal is "ill-conceived" and said it would decrease property values.