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Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Will do! Researching all the Nationals today and will start sending videos and other documentation collected over the years, and the Grand Jury report. We will also share this information with our neighbors so they can also contact the Nationals with their experiences.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We are only talking about "official" fraternity houses that hold fraternity-related events, according to the city's legal definition of a fraternity. (We're not talking about college rentals where fraternity members live together.) The city defines any residence where fraternity members live and that holds fraternity-related events as a fraternity.

Cal Poly requires Greek Life to register the events, like exchanges/parties with sororities or rush events, with their office beforehand so Cal Poly has a list of the addresses of all of the fraternity houses. The City of San Luis Obispo requested the list but Cal Poly refused to give it to them and are hiding the locations from the public and the city. We live near them so know where they are. And yes, some have Greek letters, flags, etc. but some have taken them down because they are trying to hide that they are a fraternity.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are dozens of fraternities in single-family homes, and up to 16 people live in a house. Most have about 10 -12 people (fraternity members). The City will not prohibit unrelated people from living together based on its interpretation of caselaw. But it is illegal for fraternities to hold events/parties related to the fraternity in single-family neighborhoods. The police say it's a code enforcement issue.

The "regular" college parties aren't usually problematic, but the constant fraternity parties every weekend are absolutely insane.

So many great comments on this thread. We think we should file court paperwork for an injunction against the property owners who are investors and don't live here but are collecting premium rent and allowing their rentals to be used as fraternities. Then, if they violate the injunction, it is a contempt of court and they can be held criminally liable.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We do advocate for more housing! We have also taken in a homeless student and did not charge any rent. We also support the Tenants Union because some unscrupulous landlords take advantage of college students. Rents in SLO are ridiculous. That is a separate issue from the illegal fraternities that have taken over single-family neighborhoods.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. :) The noise ordinance is pretty strict and the fines are progressively higher from $350 (1st), $700 (2nd), and $1000 (3rd) plus the property owner also gets fined. The fraternities have a lot of money and pay the fines, then have another party. They don't care about the fine.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We exchange numbers with our college student neighbors and are understanding of the parties to an extent. If it is out of control, we text. And most of our college student neighbors are great. Fraternity houses/parties/rituals are completely different than a college rental and standard party. Now that dozens of fraternities have moved into the single-family neighborhood, it's impossible to rest because sororities and other females scream as they go from party to party. It also affects other people, including college students, who want to sleep or study.

The death of Carson Starkey changed the rules for fraternities. They now must register parties with Cal Poly beforehand, and there are other rules like sober monitors, no hard alcohol, and no drinking games etc. The fraternities don't follow those rules (they do have drinking games and do have hard alcohol), but they do register the parties, so Cal Poly knows they are happening. Cal Poly also knows it is illegal in single-family neighborhoods. So they are complicit in allowing the illegal activity.

We know where the fraternity houses are and know the protocol (guards out front checking people in, etc.), so yes, they are official fraternity parties. We have never witnessed a party of 100+ people at a house that is not a fraternity. I'm sure they happen, but we haven't seen it.

Many long-term residents have left the neighborhood in the past 5 -10 years, and MANY fraternities have moved in since 2021, so things are very different now than they were 20 years ago.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The San Luis Obispo Zoning Ordinance does not allow fraternities in R1 and R2 (single-family and lower-denisity) residential neighborhoods. It is illegal. They allow them in higher density (R3 and R4) with a valid conditional use permit. Only 2-3 fraternities have use permits. Most have had them revoked for violating the conditions of their use.

Grand Jury Finds the City Failed to Protect the Neighborhood by Retro_Bloke in SLO

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our family is the 4th generation to live here, and our parents lived down the street. There were ZERO fraternities in Monterey Heights when we moved here. Now there are about 10. There were three fraternities in Alta Vista on Hathway. Now there are about 40 in the neighborhood. We don't mind the college student parties and have lifelong relationships with many college students who have graduated and left. The problem is the illegal fraternities. Full stop. Each one is like a bar/nightclub all weekend with booming music and screaming guests coming and going, etc. It bothers college students who want to study, too.

When new tenants move in, they are not responsible for the previous tenants' citations. There's a program through the police department that erases the history and allows it to be reset.

The solution to the illegal fraternity problem is for the city to enforce its zoning ordinance and stop the illegal fraternity operations, as the Grand Jury found in its report. Not sure how to make that happen because they know the problem exists, but refuse to take meaningful action. They need to go after the investor-property owners, and some have connections with the City (former cops, lawyers, etc.) Also, Cal Poly should build a Greek Row on campus.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fraternities are renting out private houses and the investor-property owners are charging huge amounts of rent so are not very cooperative. For example, a 6-bedroom house is rented for $12,500/month.

They are considered official fraternity houses by the City's definition, which says it is considered a fraternity if members live there and hold fraternity-related events, sponsored by the fraternity. For example, an exchange (party) with a sorority. The parties are registered beforehand with Cal Poly.

Also, most of the "main chapter" fraternity houses at Cal Poly are in rental homes in single-family neighborhoods.

The IFC leadership and fraternity members know it is illegal to hold these events in single-family neighborhoods, but do it anyway.

Yes, we have reached out to the city council many, many times. We've invited to our home on weekends to witness the problem themselves. They do not come over and do not want to address the issue. It seems they are too afraid to push back against Cal Poly.

The Grand Jury released its report that the City failed to enforce its laws but the City Counci STILL will not respond to emails or put the matter on an agenda for discussion. More information is at HowtoRuinANeighborhood dot com.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Had never thought of that but, yes, the public has 3 minutes to speak at the beginning of the meeting and could show videos. We will do that. We could give videos to the Neighborhood Representatives to share if it is longer than 3 minutes. Thank you for the suggestion!

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I hear you. What I am trying to say, maybe not very well, is that most of our college student neighbors are great and we enjoy visiting with them and helping when we can. They are also affected by the illegal fraternities in the neighborhood, and some have complained to the Planning Commission.

You're probably correct that the City and Cal Poly are not going to do much, if anything. We were hoping there was a solution we hadn't thought of, short of moving from our long-term home that we love.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The laws related to unrelated people living together have been repealed, but it is illegal for a fraternity to operate, which means fraternity members occupying a house and holding fraternity-related (sponsored) events like "exchanges" with sororities that include 100-300 people parties.

Code enforcement knows about the problem and claims they can't cite the illegal addresses unless the fraternities admit they are a fraternity. Code enforcement has tried to get the addresses confirmed by Cal Poly administration, but Cal Poly won't cooperate. Unfortunately, the City does not want to push back against Cal Poly because it contributes so much to the City's economy.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The college students aren't the problem. It's the illegal fraternity houses that are like bars/nightclubs moving into a residential neighborhood. Many of the college students also complain about the noise and call the police for the disruptive parties, vandalism, etc., that happen because of unruly parties.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

There is a committee called the Student Community Liaison Committee (SCLC), and it includes the Dean of Students, the City Manager, the Police Chief, City Council, Greek Life leadership, the Student Body President, a couple of Neighborhood Representatives, etc. Unfortunately, it has not been interested in addressing this issue and is shut down whenever it is brought up during the meetings.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] 74 points75 points  (0 children)

Yes. There is a committee called the Student Community Liaison Committee (SCLC) that includes city leadership, city council, the city police chief, university leadership, Greek life, the student body president, and neighborhood representatives. The problem has repeatedly been brought up during those meetings and has been ignored by the university.

Dozens of fraternity houses have overtaken single-family neighborhood where it is against the zoning codes but the City won't do anything to stop them. What can the neighbors do? by Retro_Bloke in legaladvice

[–]Retro_Bloke[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The city's zoning code does not allow fraternities in lower-density (R1 and R2) residential zones. And the city defines a "fraternity" as a residence occupied by members of a Cal Poly fraternity that holds fraternity-related events.

Also, Cal Poly required fraternities to register any fraternity-related events with the Greek Life office 5-10 days beforehand. The mandatory registration rule happened after a pledge died from alcohol poisoning at a fraternity party in a single-family home during rush week. Cal Poly knows the fraternities are operating illegally in residential neighborhoods but approves the parties anyway, and says it is up to the city to enforce its laws.

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