City of Erie Pa. now enforcing no more than 3 unrelated persons ordinance

[rhaas01]

The City of Erie, Pa Zoning board on Oct 9,2008 went door to door delivering violation notices involving no more than 3 unrelated person(s) can occupy and live in a low density R1 dwelling. The city hand delivered these notices to the students living in these "suspected houses" in and around Mercyhurst college and other college neighborhoods. Apparently I have been told this ordinance has been part of city of Eries ordinace 80-2005 for numerous years. Although no one in the city can tell me when the law was adopted. Apparently the city is "caving in" to enforcing this old outdated ordinance due to a local neighbor watch group claiming that their property values are decreasing due to the influx of college students living in their neighborhoods, and the fact that some of these houses contain unruly college students causing disruptions to their neighborhoods. My question is has laws such as these already been overturned by the Iowa Supreme Court. ex: No. 38 / 05-0463
Filed July 27, 2007?

 

[Michael Wechsler]

To begin, the Iowa Supreme Court isn't the law of the land in Pennsylvania. Second, the case clearly states that such zoning laws are validly enacted:

We find Ames's zoning ordinance, which allows an unlimited number of related persons to live together while limiting to three the number of unrelated persons in single-family zones, is rationally related to the government's interest in providing quiet neighborhoods. Accordingly, it does not offend the equal protection clause of either the Iowa Constitution or the United States Constitution.