Cobb officials want to ban home crowding
By JEREMY REDMON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ten people are living in Zugey Arzate’s little brick house in east Cobb County, and her neighbors say the crowd is causing big problems.
Arzate says her 1,511-square-foot home on Little Road has ample space for her and her nine relatives from Mexico.
Neighbors say that’s far too many people in a single-family home. They have counted as many as 10 cars on her property. They fear for their property values.
Such complaints have caught the attention of Cobb County officials, who are targeting homes like Arzate’s through a proposed ban on overcrowding in homes that is scheduled for a vote tonight. The proposal would limit the number of people who can live in a home based on its size — one adult per 390 square feet. That would mean Arzate could have perhaps only three adults in her home.
The county also wants to bar people from seeking day labor, a common practice among illegal immigrants hoping to get paid under the table.Cobb’s actions come as other local governments, frustrated by the federal government’s inaction, are moving to crack down on illegal immigrants. Cherokee County adopted an ordinance in December to punish landlords who rent to illegal immigrants. Gwinnett County voted last month to require companies seeking county contracts to verify that all of their employees are legal U.S. residents.
Immigrant advocacy groups argue Cobb’s housing ordinance violates federal fair housing laws while the ban on day laborers would be an unconstitutional violation of free speech.