A Utah landlord has the backing of state and federal officials in his move to ban smoking from an entire government-subsidized property – including outside the complex, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
"We made a policy of 25 feet off our grounds, and our property ends one inch inside the sidewalk," Randy Banks, manager of the 111-unit Skyline View Apartments in Layton, told The Tribune.
In a letter dated April 29, Banks informed his low-income tenants that they can either quit smoking – or move out.
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"What smoke free means is that you can’t smoke within 25 feet of the apartment property, which means sidewalks are not 25 feet away and the middle of the road won’t work either!" the notice warned, according to the Tribune.
Banks, who has managed the complex for 37 years, has the backing of the Davis County Health Department and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
But some residents think the mandate is too much.
"It’s a bunch of BS," said 32-year-old Randy Batchelor, who has lived at Skyline View for eight years.
As early as 2009, HUD "strongly encouraged" public housing authorities to implement smoke-free policies, according to the paper. In Utah, several have done so.
The Utah Indoor Clean Air Act currently bans smoking within 25 feet of any entrance-way, exit, open window or air intake of buildings where smoking is prohibited. It also establishes the rights of owners, agents or proprietors to bar smoking anywhere on their premises.
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