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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/11/2026 Item 4c, Walker, K. kathie walker <kathiewalkerslo@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, March To:Advisory Bodies Subject:Fraternity Land Use Compatibility / Need for Long-Term Solutions Attachments:Fraternity Parties dismissed as Unfounded.pdf Dear Planning Commissioners, In anticipation of the March 11 Planning Commission meeting, I would like to provide background information regarding Cal Poly’s fraternities and their ongoing impacts on residential neighborhoods. I will submit separate correspondence regarding the individual fraternities on the agenda. This letter is intended as an overview of the broader land use issue. First and foremost, I have genuine empathy for the students who participate in Greek life. College is a time for friendship and social connection, and students naturally want places where they can gather and build community. Those experiences are an important part of student life, and I do not fault students for wanting to socialize and enjoy their time at Cal Poly. The issue is not whether fraternities should exist, but whether fraternity land use is compatible with residential neighborhoods. Years of experience in San Luis Obispo have demonstrated that the scale and intensity of fraternity operations are not workable in residential neighborhoods. The resulting conflicts are not isolated incidents but the predictable outcome of placing an intensive organizational use into areas intended for residential living. A lasting solution will require Cal Poly to come to the table. The University frequently states that it strives to be a good neighbor and values its relationship with City residents. Those commitments should be supported by concrete action. Fraternities exist because of the University and serve its students, and Cal Poly should play an active role in developing appropriate locations and long-term solutions where fraternity organizations can operate without harming residential neighborhoods. While my own experience has informed my understanding of this issue, the incompatibility of fraternity operations with residential neighborhoods is reflected in testimony and records from multiple neighborhoods. Delta Upsilon at 720 E. Foothill Blvd At the Delta Upsilon Conditional Use Permit re-review hearing for the property at 720 E. Foothill Blvd, a property manager for an apartment nearby testified on behalf of more than twenty tenants, approximately half of whom were Cal Poly students. She described ongoing complaints from her tenants about the loud fraternity parties and repeated disturbances. Her testimony reflected the concerns of residents who were simply trying to live, study, and sleep in their homes. Another nearby tenant described repeated unsuccessful attempts to communicate directly with fraternity members regarding late-night noise and disruptions. He testified that he had been kept awake 1 at night and that his property was damaged when fraternity members or their guests cut through his property. These accounts were consistent with police records considered by the Planning Commission. The examples illustrate that the impacts of fraternity operations extend beyond a single neighborhood or a single complainant. The pattern reflected in the public record is consistent across multiple locations. Organized fraternity events generate a scale and intensity of activity that is not compatible with residential living, even in higher-density residential zones such as R-4. The record developed through multiple CUP re-reviews demonstrates that the issue is not isolated or temporary. It is a land-use incompatibility that has proven resistant to mitigation through permit conditions. Cal Poly Fraternity & Sorority Life (FSL) Party Registration The persistence of these impacts is reinforced by practices that continue to support fraternity operations in residential neighborhoods despite known permit limitations and zoning restrictions. One of the most significant factors is the ongoing role of Cal Poly in reviewing and approving fraternity events. City staff, including Code Enforcement personnel, have met with Cal Poly staff, including the Dean of Students, leadership of Fraternity and Sorority Life (FSL) and other employees who oversee FSL. City staff provided Cal Poly with copies of fraternity CUPs, and the University is therefore aware of the conditions governing each location. Despite this knowledge, Cal Poly FSL continues to approve fraternity events that violate zoning laws and exceed CUP conditions, including the two fraternities scheduled for re review on March 11. On February 6, 2026, Cal Poly produced fraternity and sorority event registration records in response to my public records request. The records include events in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The IFC records for 2025 alone total 1,758 pages. Although Cal Poly redacted most of the party addresses - primarily in R-1 and R- 2 neighborhoods - the records include dates, times, event descriptions, and expected attendance for events where alcohol is served. Many events anticipated attendance between 100 and 200+ guests. On most weekends, multiple fraternity parties occur simultaneously throughout residential neighborhoods. Each event generates noise from DJs, amplified music, and large numbers of attendees. The impacts extend beyond the individual properties. Party guests travel between party locations throughout the night. Rideshare vehicles (evident by their Uber and Lyft signs on the dashboard) frequently stop in the roadway while passengers arrive and depart, slamming car doors and conversing. Groups of attendees move through the neighborhoods late into the night, often intoxicated with elevated voices. DoorList Cal Poly’s fraternities use an app called DoorList to track the number of guests at their parties. On the registration forms I received from Cal Poly, there was a comment in the approval emails from FSL that instructed the fraternity to submit their post-event forms to Cal Poly IFC by the Wednesday following the event. An example is below: 2 According to information available on DoorList, during the weekend of February 19 – 21, 2026, there were 16 different Cal Poly fraternity parties with guest lists from 240 – 600+ people. One example was Delta Upsilon's Boiler Room DJ Rave at 388 Chaplin Lane on February 21. The DoorList posting showed 609 attendees. The property at 388 Chaplin Lane is located in an R-1 residential zone and was identified as a Delta Upsilon fraternity location in Cal Poly's AB 524 report for the 2022 - 2023 academic year. The property owner and tenants have been issued Notices of Violation directing them to cease fraternity operations, but fraternity events continue to occur at the property. Another Delta Upsilon fraternity location at 281 Albert Drive, also zoned R1, hosted a similar DJ event on February 20. This property was also identified as a Delta Upsilon fraternity location in the AB 524 report for the 2022 to 2023 academic year. Notices of Violation have been issued for that property as well, yet fraternity events continue. 3 These are only two of at least 16 Cal Poly fraternity parties that weekend, documented on DoorList. It is consistent with fraternity activity that occurs in residential neighborhoods on a typical weekend. Code Enforcement There has been little progress in abating illegal fraternity operations. Code Enforcement investigations are frequently closed as unfounded or unable to verify when staff do not personally witness the event. The Grand Jury report Round & Round with Town & Gown identified the lack of enforcement during typical party hours as a significant deficiency. In some cases, even when events are documented through DoorList postings or police responses, Code Enforcement relies on fraternity members to admit that the event was fraternity related. Fraternity members routinely deny involvement and characterize the events as private gatherings, after which cases are closed by the City as unfounded. I have attached some examples to this email. This circular pattern has continued without resolution. In multiple instances during the last academic year, SLOPD issued noise citations or unruly gathering citations at known fraternity locations in residential neighborhoods. Complaints were then submitted to Code Enforcement for illegal land use. When Code Enforcement investigated, fraternity members denied the events were fraternity related and the cases were closed as unfounded or unable to verify. Cases were also closed by Code Enforcement if no one answered the door. Later, Cal Poly's AB 524 reports confirmed fraternity events on the same dates and times as the police citations. Here is one of many examples: Zeta Beta Tau party on 4/17/2025 at 1646 Fredericks St (R-1), cited by SLOPD with 150 people. Fraternity event reported to Code Enforcement, Code Case # 11956. The property at 1646 Fredericks is a documented fraternity house. Code Enforcement has previously sent Notices of Violation to the property owner and tenants to cease all fraternity activity. Code Enforcement investigation stated: “Visited property and spoke with resident. He denied the party which took place on 4/17 was a fraternity event. Case closed, Unfounded. Cal Poly AB 524 report published 10/1/2025 shows a Zeta Beta Tau event on 4/17/2025 beginning at 8 p.m. 4 This scenario is repeated many times over multiple fraternity events with the same outcome. Code enforcement cases are closed as unfounded because fraternity members deny a party was fraternity- related, while Cal Poly refuses to disclose the addresses where its fraternities are holding events to the City and the public. Budget Surplus At the end of 2025, the City identified a budget surplus of $3.4 million and the City Council determined how to spend those funds in February 2026. City residents wrote to the City Council, asking for one-time funds to be spent on a contract code enforcement employee for one to two years to get on top of the problem, track the illegal fraternity locations, and meaningfully abate the nuisances. The Council did not commit to such funding. Delta Chi at 1236 Monte Vista Place The enforcement difficulties documented by the Grand Jury are clearly illustrated by the re-review and eventual revocation of Delta Chi’s Conditional Use Permit (CUP) at 1236 Monte Vista Place. Cal Poly’s event registration records for 2025 show that Fraternity and Sorority Life staff approved numerous Delta Chi events at this location with projected attendance of 200 to 250 guests, despite the CUP condition limiting occupancy for meetings or gatherings to a maximum of 53 persons. Cal Poly was fully aware of the CUP conditions, yet approved events that exceeded the allowed occupancy by roughly four times. Delta Chi was likewise aware of the CUP limitations but repeatedly disregarded them and continued to host events far beyond the permitted occupancy. The City’s re-review of Delta Chi’s CUP by the Planning Commission was triggered by repeated noise complaints to SLOPD, as well as noise citations and unruly gathering citations issued over a couple of years. The process required substantial staff time to collect evidence, prepare reports, and conduct public hearings before both the Planning Commission and the City Council. This represented a significant use of City resources to address conduct associated with a university-affiliated organization. Cal Poly does not contribute to the costs associated with this enforcement process. 5 During this period, the City did not have access to Cal Poly’s event registration records and therefore had no ability to verify projected attendance or actual occupancy at Delta Chi events in advance or in real time. The CUP revocation became final after the fraternity declined to apply for a new permit under the reduced application fee offered by the City Council during the October 22, 2025 appeal hearing. The Council indicated that approval of a new permit would depend on Delta Chi receiving no noise citations during a sixty-day review period from October through December. Delta Chi chose not to apply, and the CUP revocation became final. Despite the revocation of the CUP, Delta Chi has continued to host fraternity events at 1236 Monte Vista Place. Noise complaints related to fraternity parties at this location continue to be reported to the San Luis Obispo Police Department. Cal Poly Leadership (Jeff Armstrong, Mike McCormick, etc.) Must Help Solve the Problem The problem will not be solved without the leadership of President Jeff Armstrong and other top administrators such as Mike McCormick, Cal Poly’s Vice President for Facilities Management and Development. Ironically, one of the items on the Planning Commission’s agenda on March 11 is an appeal by Mike McCormick for an approval of infill development near his home. Mr. McCormick is a Cal Poly official with authority to advance on-campus fraternity housing solutions. The proposed Greek Village discussed prior to the COVD-19 shutdown has stalled since he was hired. (Links to related articles are here: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/education/article39517977.html and https://mustangnews.net/a-greek-village-could-be-coming-to-cal-poly/) I am hopeful that Mr. McCormick will be more receptive to finding solutions if he better understood the incredibly severe burden placed on the City’s residents by Cal Poly’s fraternities operating in the residential neighborhoods, and the fraternity members’ need for a suitable location to hold their events. He is appealing a development near his home in an R-2 zone, which reflects his concern about land use impacts in residential neighborhoods. For that reason, he should understand the effects that multiple fraternity houses operating illegally or in violation of their CUPs have on surrounding residents, especially in R-1 and R-2 neighborhoods. As Cal Poly’s Vice President for Facilities Management and Development, he is one of the key individuals who should be involved in developing solutions, along with the City, Cal Poly’s fraternities, and neighborhood residents. The Problem is Growing While long term solutions will take time, the impacts on residential neighborhoods cannot continue. The burden placed on residents by fraternity events has become unsustainable. Cal Poly continues to recruit more fraternities to its campus without requiring legal fraternity housing. About 20% of Cal Poly students participate in Greek life. Cal Poly is increasing its enrollment and transitioning to year-round operations which means the fraternity parties could potentially be happening all year long. 6 In the near term, meaningful progress could be made by shifting fraternity events away from residential neighborhoods and toward more appropriate locations. Cal Poly could help facilitate this transition through the use of on campus facilities or coordination with appropriate commercial venues designed to accommodate gatherings. Residential neighborhoods from R-1 through R-4 cannot continue to serve as the locations for fraternity events. A temporary shift toward more appropriate venues would provide immediate relief for residents while longer-term housing and land use solutions are developed. I remain hopeful that through cooperation, practical solutions can be developed that allow fraternities to thrive in appropriate locations while preserving the livability of San Luis Obispo’s neighborhoods. Thank you for your time and for your thoughtful consideration of these important land use issues. Respectfully, Kathie Walker 7 •Theta Chi has been identified by Code Enforcement for multiple years as holding illegal fraternity events at 1350 Stafford (& 496 Kentucky, on same parcel). •Property owner and tenants were sent multiple “courtesy” Notices of Violation to cease illegal fraternity operations at 1350 Stafford / 496 Kentucky. •On 1/29/2026 Theta Chi held a “Casino Exchange” with Sigma Kappa (sorority) at 1350 Stafford starting at 8 p.m. •SLOPD issued a citation with “60 people” self-reported by party host. Citation issued to Jacob Frumovitz, who is also a member of Theta Chi per Theta’s Instagram account. •Code Enforcement complaint filed (Issue # 15143) for event, advised Code Enforcement of DoorList post of Theta Chi’s party. •Code Enforcement complaint dismissed as “Unfounded” because tenants told him “it was just a gathering” and was not a fraternity event. •Theta Chi has been identified by Code Enforcement as holding illegal fraternity events at 385 Albert Drive. •Property owner and tenants were sent Notices of Violation to cease illegal fraternity operations at 385 Albert Drive. •On 1/30/2026 Theta Chi held a “Club 1820 Sensory Overload” party at 385 Albert with doors open at 8 p.m. •SLOPD issued a citation at appx 10:30 p.m. with “100 people” self-reported by party host. Citation issued to Charles “Charlie” Even, a member of Theta Chi. •Code Enforcement complaint filed (Issue # 15147) for fraternity event in an R-1 neighborhood. •Code Enforcement complaint dismissed as “Unfounded” because Charlie and Conor (tenants) told him it was not a fraternity event and was their roommate Logan’s “birthday party”. •281 Albert has been illegally operating as Delta Upsilon’s satellite fraternity for many years. •The property owner/tenants were sent Notices of Violation to cease illegal fraternity operations at 281 Albert. •On 1/30/2026 Delta Upsilon held a “Apre Ski” party at 281 Albert from 8 pm – midnight. •Code Enforcement complaint filed (Issue # 15148) for illegal fraternity operations, cited DoorList post for event. •Code Enforcement complaint dismissed as “Unfounded” because tenants told him it was “only a party” and denied it was a fraternity-sponsored event. 281 Albert Drive has been one of the most egregious violators in the neighborhood, holding extremely large fraternity events including a live concert in the backyard with 300+ people with a band from Shabang (videos are posted on DU’s Instagram) ; and it held a similar sized party on St. Fratty’s Day 2024 which was issued an unruly gathering citation. Despite loads of documentation regarding the illegal fraternity operations continuing at this address for years, and Notices of Violation from the City to cease operations, Delta Upsilon continues to hold fraternity events at 281 Albert Drive. •Kappa Sigma has been previously identified by Code Enforcement as holding illegal fraternity events at 148 Orange Drive. •The property owner and tenants were sent courtesy Notices of Violation to cease illegal fraternity operations at 148 Orange Drive, but Kappa Sigma has not stopped. •On 1/30/2026 Kappa Sigma held a “Y2K Party” at 148 Orange Drive starting at 8:30 p.m. •Code Enforcement complaint filed (Issue # 15149) for event. •SLOPD issued a citation with “75 people” self-reported by party host, and listed Dean Cavanna as host. Dean Cavanna is a member of Kappa Sigma. •Code Enforcement complaint dismissed as “Unfounded” because tenants told him it was “a house party.”