Michael Goodman’s mini-dorms have become trademark structures in the neighborhoods north of the University of Arizona—but one neighborhood isn’t allowing new mini-dorms to go up without a fight.
On Tuesday, Jan. 18, the Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association filed a complaint of violation with the city of Tucson’s zoning administrator in an effort to stop some Goodman developments.
At a press conference on Thursday, Jan. 20—in front of an empty lot recently leveled by Goodman on East Edison Street, one of three demolitions completed in late December—JPNA treasurer Robert Schlanger said the mini-dorms violate the R-1 zoning that dictates how single-family residences are defined by city code.
A plan shows that one of the structures on East Edison Street will have seven bedroom suites, each with its own bathroom; the building will also include a smaller living area with a kitchen, and two garages.
This, neighbors contend, is not a single-family residence.
Goodman began building these “single-family” developments, coined mini-dorms, in the Feldman’s Neighborhood. Goodman told the Tucson Weekly in 2009 that he prefers the buildings be thought of as luxury student housing. (See “Welcome to Goodmanville,” Sept. 3, 2009.)
At the JPNA press conference, Schlanger said single-family homes don’t have seven separate suites.
“A single-family home in this neighborhood has two to four bedrooms,” he said. “If a family or a group of people who have a long-term commitment to each other live in it, they share common access to the house. They live together in a traditional manner with the intent of living there for a prolonged time.”
Schlanger said this is the first step in getting the city to protect neighborhoods from incompatible infill projects. Potentially, the complaint could prevent Goodman from building, and if necessary, the JPNA is prepared take a lawsuit to Pima County Superior Court, he said. The JPNA has also started a Facebook page, called “Save Jefferson Park.“
On Dec. 27, as Goodman sent heavy equipment in to demolish two homes on Edison and one on Waverly Street, Joan Hall and other neighbors quickly mobilized via e-mails and phone calls to protest the action.
Hall, who lives next door to one of the homes demolished that day, decided to block a backhoe from proceeding. Hall was arrested and charged with trespassing; she’s slated to go to court in February.
Hall says she’s skeptical that real change will occur to help her neighborhood, but that civil disobedience is the best way to get the city’s attention. She has lived in her home for only three years, but her parents have lived in the neighborhood, on the other side of Mountain Avenue, for more than 30 years.
Neighbor Joan Daniels has lived in the area for 41 years.
“The city is sacrificing us neighborhood by neighborhood, thinking that’s going to eliminate the threat of (Proposition) 207, but it’s not. This will be their legacy,” Daniels said.
Proposition 207, passed by Arizona voters in 2006, mandates that governments reimburse landowners if any action is taken by the government that reduces property values.
To protect their neighborhood, JPNA members are working on historic-overlay zones that will recognize the historic structures in Jefferson Park. They are also working with the city to complete a neighborhood-preservation zone (NPZ), which would determine what kind of development is allowed in areas with historic residences.
On Wednesday, Jan. 26, neighbors, city representatives and developers were slated to get together to look at a final proposal for the NPZ. Right now, the city and developers consider the plan to be purely advisory, but some neighbors said they won’t accept anything unless it becomes regulatory.
At a neighborhood vigil on Jan. 7 in front of a semi-demolished house on East Waverly Street, neighbors spoke out against the mini-dorms—while Michael Goodman stood off to the side near his pickup.
Before the vigil started, Goodman put up banners on the lot’s fence that said, “Stop Hating Students,” and “U of A Million Dollar Impact.” One neighbor, before being led off by her husband, told Goodman “I heard you on the radio. … What you say about us is so foul, that we hate students. I have the keys to houses of some of the students who live here. Parents come to us to help. I take care of their cats when they are out of town. We love the kids.”
As bagpipes played in the background, Goodman was asked if he feels circumstances are different in Jefferson Park then they were in Feldman’s Neighborhood; after all, the Jefferson Park neighbors are giving him quite a fight.
“Not really, but it is a different set of circumstances,” he responded. Feldman’s Neighborhood is a whole lot less taken care of and a whole lot rundown. Nonetheless, this is a core group of people who are anti-development. Where should the students live?”
Is he a good landlord? Goodman said he does as good of a job as he can, but feels that if there’s a disturbance, it’s up to the police to take care of it. “We only want our rent, and we want tranquility. That only makes our life easier.”
Goodman said if anyone tries to redefine “single-family residence,” they can expect him to sue. “It has nothing to do with who lives here.”
Back in 1938, Jefferson Park resident Jim Clark’s grandmother bought the house he now lives in, and he inherited it from her after she died at the age of 104. He grew up in the house and is also a landlord of two other neighborhood houses. He rents to students and lives next door to students on both sides of his home.
“I don’t see us as being powerless. We need to stand up … and quit bowing down to these bullies,” Clark said. “It’s just amazing. … The City Council is basically hiding behind (Prop) 207, but 207 has no merit. It doesn’t. The city attorney is steering them in a direction … that, ‘It’s going to cost you $10, and right now, we don’t have $10.’ But you know what? You’re not going to have any tax revenue as the property owners go down in these neighborhoods.”
This article appears in Jan 27 – Feb 2, 2011.
Has Goodman ever been able to work with any neighborhood he has purchased house in? What is his record? Has he tried? THINK I have been told he is now buying homes west of Tucson Blvd.
When and where do we draw the line. Students do need affordable housing… And what does he build in place of small houses? What are the costs of the rent? Utilities?
Not all college students want to have to live with four to seven roommates… Married medical/graduate students, etc… Jefferson Park offers affordable homes…
Drive buy his yellow and green monstrosities.. California BMWs, SUVs fill the parking lots of the “single family” dwellings. Yes, parking lots at “single family” houses.
WAKE-UP and realize that what you thought was R1 zoning is not going to be enforced… Have one of these mini-dorm/group homes fill the lot next to your home and see what happens to the value of your house and your life style… The police do not come quickly at 2:00 am to stop the fights in the street.
His “Luxury Student Housing” is not affordable or sustainable. Before yet another person comments that Goodman is making affordable student housing – Rent in those places is somewhere between $700 and $1000 dollars PER ROOM per month. He is taking full advantage of rich California parents who either don’t know or don’t care what rental prices in Tucson are actually like.
By knocking down older smaller buildings, he is taking away affordable rental space from people who really do need a cheap place to live close to campus.
In addition (I live next to a few of these places near Feldman’s, so I know), the kids who live in these places don’t ride their bikes or walk to campus for the most part, they drive to class and park in garages. I don’t see the point in their being so close to campus tucked into decent residential neighborhoods. They would be better off along major roads, filling in empty spaces. What about the dirt lots at Speedway and 6th? Speedway and Main? Sure the real estate is more expensive, but I’m sure he can afford it at this point. The company that is building those A-Frame student houses is following a similar model, yet we don’t hear complaints about them because they are building along Grant and Speedway, and being respectful of neighbors and neighborhoods.
Goodman’s main problem is that he’s clueless, greedy, and disrespectful. Every interaction he has with neighbors or media turns into a mess because he is a mess. I feel kind of bad for the guy in a way.
P.S. We have recently been told by police officers attending a neighborhood meeting that they don’t have enough officers to respond to party or noise complaints anymore. He said that unless there was a higher level violent situation, officers will not respond no matter how many calls are being received.
Goodman is a greedy developer and is ruining yet again another neighborhood in Tucson.His motives are stricly selfish and he is only out for profit. His only care about the students is to get rent.If one was to look at the oversized buildings he is responsible for …shock and dismay
Would be apparent.Please check out what he did to the Feldman neighborhood..it looks like a war zone.
curious to find put why and where his campaign donations in the past have perhaps helped grease the palms of city officials.How could any inspector or building permit official allow the pattern of destruction of neighborhoods.His next plan is to probably destroy the Sam Hughes neighborhood and the El Encanto to serve his evil and destructive greed.
imagine anyone having to live next to these structures filled with boisterous students who live nocturnally,park anywhere and everywhere,drink and party and have the homes tagged by Tucson police.
hopefully we will see to his demise as a builder.
Please sign our online petition in support of halting demolition of historic homes and construction of mini-dorms in Jefferson Park and beyond!
http://www.change.org/petitions/view/stop_…
And visit us on Facebook: Save Jefferson Park, Jefferson Park Neighborhood
You have to wonder what the city council members and the mayor are thinking? How can the council members continue to allow these boarding houses to be approved for single family home zoned neighborhoods? Goodman and other developers are running a small apartment business and destroying the neighborhoods in the city. In the long run this will lead to more crime (already this happens over break with the crooks know the students are home for the holidays), lower property values, and no fabric to keep the look of old Tucson.
Come on city leaders – do the right thing that your voting public is asking you to do – protect the old neighborhoods from predatory developers.
great article! i have lived in and owned my home in Jefferson Park for 4 years and love the neighborhood – students, renters, professionals, homeowners…the mix works well.
However, what Goodman is building does not fit with this neighborhood, and he is clearly not serving an unfilled need. There is plenty of affordable student housing in Tucson! just look on craig’s list. In tearing down beautiful old homes and replacing them with so many of these ugly cookie-cutter houses, Goodman is lowering the quality of life for many, and for many years to come. If the city planners can look into the future, they would see that long-standing neighborhoods of single-family homes are threatened and will soon be overtaken by the developers. This will not serve the city as a whole, and will bring down values, which long-term will decrease tax revenues.
Please keep bringing this information to the readers – thanks!
I lived next to one of these monstrosities in the Feldman neighborhood and can atest to the facts of the previous comments. My section of Feldman was very peaceful and I had a nice view of the mountains until these ‘things’ were built. After that it was one continuous frat party. Don’t know how many times I saw all out brawls in the street, had a kid peeing in my yard while coming back from one of their parties and was even called a ‘bitch’ when some smartass tried parking in my driveway. complete disrepect for the people who live in the neighborhood. These kids just don’t have a stake in it, they don’t care about the nieghborhood, so why should they care? And yes, most of them are rich kids with new BMW’s, Porches, and Audi’s in the driveways
It’s like animal house, except without the talent. I have nothing against students but if these things were one level houses, there wouldn’t be as much of a problem. When the police came out, they didn’t know which ‘house’ to tag most of the time (there were 4 house next to each other).
Jefferson Park residents should file a class action suit against the city for not enforcing the single family zoning in that neighborhood.