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TechnographUrbana zoning law spawns new discussion
By Nate Sandstrom
Posted: 1/24/05 Section: News
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The Urbana City Council is scheduled to discuss creating a domestic partner registry when it meets tonight.
A domestic partner registry would provide an official way to recognize long-term relationships between people who are not married, said alderwoman Danielle Chynoweth. Cook County and the Village of Oak Park, a Chicago suburb, are two places in Illinois that have the registries.
The issue came up while the City Council was reviewing a zoning ordinance that increased fines for landlords who allow more than four unrelated people to live in a property, said alderwoman Ruth Wyman. Before passing the ordinance during their Jan. 18 meeting, several aldermen expressed concerns about how the law would affect unmarried couples - gay and lesbian couples, specifically. Wyman requested the item be added to the agenda for tonight's meeting.
Under the law, a married couple could legally live in a home with three other non-related people, but a same-sex couple could not, said city attorney Steve Holz.
Alderman Chris Alix said he thought allowing domestic partners to be treated equivalently to married couples for purposes of the zoning ordinance makes sense. However, he said he thought that careful considerations need to be made before a registry could be realized, such as how changes would apply to other areas of city law and in relation to federal and state laws.
Wyman said it was uncertain whether there was majority support on the City Council for a domestic partnership registry. If support exists, aldermen need to decide what requirements and rules are necessary to implement a domestic partner registry, Wyman said. Two considerations are whether only same-sex couples would be eligible to register or if opposite-sex couples would also be included, and if couples must live in Urbana to register or if the registry would be available to everyone, she said.
Alderman Joe Whelan said he opposes the addition of the domestic partner registry.
A domestic partner registry would provide an official way to recognize long-term relationships between people who are not married, said alderwoman Danielle Chynoweth. Cook County and the Village of Oak Park, a Chicago suburb, are two places in Illinois that have the registries.
The issue came up while the City Council was reviewing a zoning ordinance that increased fines for landlords who allow more than four unrelated people to live in a property, said alderwoman Ruth Wyman. Before passing the ordinance during their Jan. 18 meeting, several aldermen expressed concerns about how the law would affect unmarried couples - gay and lesbian couples, specifically. Wyman requested the item be added to the agenda for tonight's meeting.
Under the law, a married couple could legally live in a home with three other non-related people, but a same-sex couple could not, said city attorney Steve Holz.
Alderman Chris Alix said he thought allowing domestic partners to be treated equivalently to married couples for purposes of the zoning ordinance makes sense. However, he said he thought that careful considerations need to be made before a registry could be realized, such as how changes would apply to other areas of city law and in relation to federal and state laws.
Wyman said it was uncertain whether there was majority support on the City Council for a domestic partnership registry. If support exists, aldermen need to decide what requirements and rules are necessary to implement a domestic partner registry, Wyman said. Two considerations are whether only same-sex couples would be eligible to register or if opposite-sex couples would also be included, and if couples must live in Urbana to register or if the registry would be available to everyone, she said.
Alderman Joe Whelan said he opposes the addition of the domestic partner registry.
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