HomeMy WebLinkAbout4/15/2025 Item 7a, Walker, K.
kathie walker <
To:Stewart, Erica A; Marx, Jan; Francis, Emily; Boswell, Mike; Shoresman, Michelle; E-mail
Council Website
Subject:4/15/2025 Item 7.a. : City Livability - Greek Life & Illegal Fraternity Operations
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Dear Councilmembers,
Please provide funding to solve the "fraternity problem" that has plagued our neighborhoods for several
years. There are over 50 illegal fraternity houses in San Luis Obispo, where fraternity members have
rented houses in residential neighborhoods (zoned R-1 & R-2) and are holding fraternity-related events,
including rush events and large, noisy parties that are disrupting the peace of others who live nearby. Of
the 19 current fraternities at Cal Poly, only six have Conditional Use Permits. Most fraternities have
their MAIN CHAPTER HOUSES in R-1 and R-2 residential neighborhoods, primarily in the Alta Vista
neighborhood. Additionally, most of the 19 fraternities have multiple satellite fraternity houses that hold
fraternity events, including large, noisy parties.
In 2023, the City was given documentation, including Cal Poly's AB 524 Reports, that showed the
addresses of every fraternity, yet the main chapter houses for every fraternity listed in the report continue
to operate illegally. None have stopped operating and are full-fledged fraternity houses in our residential
neighborhoods.
Since 2023, ongoing documentation and evidence have continued to be supplied to the City, yet none of
the fraternity operations have been shut down. These illegal fraternity houses have made the
neighborhoods unlivable. It's beyond frustrating!
The current system is broken, and the City must fix the problem. Please provide funding to Community
Development and SLOPD for a program to solve this problem so those who live in the affected
neighborhoods can have the quiet enjoyment they are legally entitled to. The necessary tools to solve the
problem include:
A dedicated Code Enforcement Officer to document every Cal Poly fraternity operation, ensure
they have CUPs, bring them into compliance, and handle complaints.
Community Service Officers (CSOs) to respond to noise complaints on weekends.
IT to create and coordinate a database between Community Development and SLOPD with
documented fraternity houses, terms of their CUPs, and violations, including noise and municipal
code violations, so there is essential communication and coordination between these
departments.
There should be regular meetings between Code Enforcement, SLOPD, and representatives in the
affected neighborhoods or RQN to evaluate whether current tools are effective. Adjustments should be
made until the problem is brought under control. For example, documented illegal fraternity houses
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should not be allowed to wipe their citation history clean through SLOPD's Early Removal Program to
evade fines for citations. Meetings between Code Enforcement and SLOPD should be scheduled to
continue regularly, to ensure compliance.
Approxiamtely 20% of Cal Poly students are involved in Greek Life. Additionally, Cal Poly has approved
the expansion of more fraternities that do not have CUPs or legal locations for operation, such as Pi
Kappa Alpha or PIKE. The City needs to get control of the situation as soon as possible, and it can only be
solved if funding is provided to create a program to handle the problem. Thank you for taking this
problem seriously and working toward a solution.
Sincerely,
Kathie Walker
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