Nothing is more disheartening than paying rent to a bad landlord. You write huge checks month after month, all the while knowing little of this money is going back toward keeping up the house you live in or improving the neighborhood. But often there is no choice; living downtown as a student means renting.

However, in Madison we are lucky enough to have an alternative to faceless property management companies in the 24 cooperative housing communities throughout the city. Co-op houses are owned and managed by the people who live in them. Some have as few as eight members, some as many as thirty. Most create a communal living environment in which group meals are served several nights a week, and housework is divided among the members.

Compared with typical rental properties, cooperative houses are better for neighborhoods. The people who live in co-ops actually own the building, and as a result are more invested in caring for it than any absentee landlord or anonymous property management company. Because there is a somewhat selective application process, co-ops attract people who are motivated to live there and dedicated to forging a working relationship between the house and the neighborhood.

Madison is unique in its density of cooperative housing communities, but even so, there are waiting lists at most houses, and vacancies seldom stay open for long. This is a clear sign there is desire for more co-op space in town, yet under Madison’s zoning codes, it is nearly impossible to start a new house.

Most new co-op houses are actually old multi-unit buildings that used to have three or four flats. They are converted into one large house with a common kitchen, eating area, living space and separate bedrooms. The problem is that with the current zoning restrictions, no single housing unit can be inhabited by more than five unrelated people. If a multi-unit structure is consolidated into one large co-op house, as far as occupancy limits are concerned, it is counted as a single unit of housing. A building that used to contain three four-bedroom flats could legally house 15 people, but if it were turned into a co-op, the maximum occupancy would be five.

A co-op can apply for a special use permit, but the process can take several months, and the outcome is uncertain. Groups looking to start a co-op must find a seller willing to wait several months before finalizing the sale. This puts them at a significant disadvantage when buying property when compared with large landlords who do not face the same restrictions.

This year, Madison is in the process of rewriting the zoning codes for the first time in 40 years. One proposal recommended by the housing subcommittee would allow the conversion of multi-unit structures into single housing units for the purpose of forming new housing cooperatives, as long as the overall occupancy of the building is not increased. There is opposition to this proposal because some fear more co-ops will lead to overcrowding and more problems with noise and partying in previously quiet neighborhoods.

Under the proposal the overall number of inhabitants in a building would not increase, and only the living arrangements would change. Whether tenants share a kitchen and common area in one large house or are divided among four flats, a 20-person house is still a 20-person house. So opposition to the proposal over fears of crowding is unfounded. As far as noise goes, co-ops tend to be more self-policing than an average college house precisely because they attract such diverse mix of people, from undergraduates to professionals to families.

Co-ops are good for their neighbors because, as organizations, they have an investment in building stronger neighborhoods. They also attract members who work to achieve that goal. Madison as a whole benefits because the availability of cooperative housing sets it apart from other cities and attracts people looking for a communal living experience. With current zoning restrictions there is little room for growth in the number of co-op houses; we would all benefit if these restrictions were loosened.

Geoff Jara-Almonte ([email protected]) is a fourth-year graduate medical student.