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Home My WebLink About6/25/2025 Item 4a, Reeves Terry Reeves < To:Advisory Bodies Subject:Planning Commission 6/25/25 Item 4a. June 25, 2025 City of San Luis Obispo Planning Commission 976 Osos St., Room 200 San Luis Obispo, CA 93408 To the Honorable Members of the City of San Luis Obispo Planning Commission: On behalf of the Delta Upsilon/Alpha Upsilon Alumni Corporation, I am writing in support to renewal of the Conditional Use Permit granted to the Delta Upsilon Fraternity operating at 720 Foothill Boulevard. We understand that this is a serious issue that demands full attention from the undergraduate active chapter and the alumni organization which owns the property. It’s no secret. Students and residents in college towns all over America exist in a sort of love/hate relationship. There is so much to love in college towns and to any resident or alumni, San Luis Obispo is the top of Mt Everest. What’s not to love? Whether it’s the small college town vibe, the feeling of a forever young community, or all the business the college brings in, everyone loves Cal Poly SLO. With that said, Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo have a student population problem. Enrollment is continually increasing and while they are working at it, campus housing has not been able to keep up. More and more students are having to find off-campus housing and the strain it has on City residents is more pronounced now than it has ever been. More students lead to young adults learning to live on their own, and City residents wondering how to control them. So how do fraternities fit in? To some in the community, fraternities don’t. They have a vision that if fraternities were gone, noise issues would disappear, parties would be non-existent, and every student would be the nice little neighbor we all hope for. Contrary to those misled beliefs, we would argue fraternities are much more than the neighborhood nuisance they are continually made out to be. We believe fraternities are an olive branch, which through philanthropic events and community outreach give back to their community at a rate much higher than non-Greek organizations. For more than 70 years, Cal Poly Chapter of Delta Upsilon International Fraternity has been a part of the fabric of San Luis Obispo; and our Chapter has never been stronger. Since 1955, Delta Upsilon has been shaping highly motivated, fully developed, creative, hardworking and deeply committed young men into model pillars of the community. Our brotherhood includes CEOs, doctors, lawyers, politicians, and engineers to name a few. What started with 15 young men in 1955, has now grown to a multi-generational organization with over 1,000 alumni and 100 active members. 1 Since our founding as a Chapter, Delta Upsilon (originally founded as Alpha Upsilon) has seen several locations throughout the SLO community. We started on Garden Street in 1956, moved to Marsh Street in the late 50’s (now occupied by Nate’s on Marsh), and then to Palm Street in 1975, until we finally settled at 720 & 726 Foothill Blvd in 1988. Beginning in 2013, the Alumni Corporation self-financed a complete teardown and rebuild to the facility you see today. Prior to rebuilding, we did an exhaustive search of SLO looking for other properties, closer to campus, that would be better suited for a Fraternity House. Ultimately, there was no better location. 720 Foothill is zoned R4, is completely surrounded by R4, sits on an arterial road and has retail commercial across the street. In our view, 720 Foothill was perfect. Today, the Alpha Upsilon Alumni Corporation owns and maintains a $2 million, 14 room, multifamily residential facility, that provides housing at a rate nearly 10% below market rate for SLO rental housing. This enables many in our chapter, especially those with financial difficulties, the opportunity to afford and graduate from Cal Poly. While our facility does have a Use-Permit to operate as a Fraternity, the primary use is as a residence where for 14 students who live on-site. Our Alumni Corporation provides active mentoring and oversight of the Chapter though our nine-person executive board. While there may be some other Greek Alumni groups operating at Cal Poly, I believe our Corporation is the only one who own our own Chapter House and takes an active role in the mentoring of our Active Chapter. Together, our Alumni Corporation and active brothers have been operating under a City Use-Permit since 1989, and we take the process very seriously. Fraternities are cyclical. Every 4-5 years there is complete active membership turnover, so as Alumni we have a responsibility to the Community and want to ensure that our active chapter understands and follows the rules outlined in the permit. Much like the undergrads, our Alumni Board experiences turnover, contacts change and focus shifts. To help ensure the proper ongoing attention is given to the Use Permit and other zoning issues, our Board is actively working to establish a new position with a primary focus on the Use Permit and all City related issues. Our goal is to ensure that we are in front of any potential issues rather than responding to problems. We are committed to working side by side with the active brothers and the City to ensure that any issues are mitigated in the future and improve student/resident relations. Furthermore, we would like to actively participate in any future workshops or discussions with the City and Community on how to proactively work for a plan that allows us all to coexist. Delta Upsilon is an organization that has had profound influences on generations of young men who have been fortunate enough to study at Cal Poly and experience the amazing City of San Luis Obispo. As a result, we have a strong core of alumni who have a lifelong passion to an organization and City that shaped us during our formative years and there is unwavering dedication to give the same opportunities to the fine young men that are coming through Cal Poly today. At a time when young men face record levels of isolation, confusion about masculinity, and lack of healthy role models, we are a stabilizing force. This further benefits the community in multiple ways:  Academic Excellence contributes to the university’s reputation and overall success  Community Service and Philanthropy directly benefit local nonprofits and families  Leadership Development prepares responsible, civic-minded men 2  Structured Brotherhood reduces the likelihood of reckless behavior associated with unstructured social circles If we are discouraged from continuing our role on campus and in the community, we risk more than just the loss of tradition. We risk:  Creating a vacuum where unmentored young men are more likely to engage in destructive behaviors  Eliminating a proven structure that holds members to high standards of conduct, academics, and service  Sending a message that excellence, when misunderstood or mischaracterized, will be punished rather than supported With all that said, tonight you are discussing and voting to extend our Use-Permit with modifications, or to revoke it. Yes, there have been some noise complaints (no unruly gatherings) and yes there must be improvement. But while you debate the merits of our application, we ask that you consider our recent merits, our future intentions, and the very real benefits we offer to this city and its people. Delta Upsilon has been part of our neighborhood for over 30 years and we (Alumni and Actives) are committed to improving its health, safety and wellbeing, as well as being standard bearers for all fraternities. We’re committed to:  Open communication with city leaders  Transparent expectations for conduct and responsibility  Hosting events that serve—not disturb—the community  Upholding the highest standards of brotherhood and accountability Our chapter is not perfect, but it is intentional. It is supported. It is accountable. And above all, it is committed to building better men. We thank you for your time and look forward to working with you as we continue to develop young leaders who serve with character, honor, and respect. Respectfully submitted, Terry Reeves, Cal Poly ‘99 President, Alpha Upsilon Alumni Corporation Delta Upsilon International Fraternity, Cal Poly Chapter. -- Terry 3