Efforts to gradually push Valparaiso University's fraternity houses onto campus continue to get a mixed reaction. A proposed amendment to the city's unified development ordinance would no longer allow fraternity and sorority houses in "residential transition" zones, instead restricting them to "campus" zones.
City Planning Director Beth Shrader says the change is in line with the university's vision and also addresses concerns from residents in the College Hill neighborhood. "It could be a single-family home originally, but there's 25 students living there," Shrader told the city council Monday. "So that's a mismatch, I think, with what a lot of neighbors expect."
But current frat houses wouldn't immediately be forced to leave. While the change would prohibit new fraternity and sorority houses from being established off campus, existing ones could remain, as long as they continue being used for that purpose. In fact, some of the off-campus frat houses are already in zones that don't currently allow them. Still, the goal is that, over time, they'd gradually shift to on-campus locations.
Resident Jennifer Hohl spoke in favor of putting fraternities on campus, where the university and its police department could deal with any issues. "The students go from one party to another party, and along the way, the students urinate in our yards, have sex in our yards," Hohl said. "They also steal and destroy items in our yards. They leave beer cans and broken bottles."
But others were concerned that limiting frat houses would change the character of their neighborhood. James Ferguson worried that it would open the door to higher-priced private developments.
"So this really isn't about fraternities," Ferguson told council members. "This is about getting the poor people out of Valparaiso because you guys don't like them."
The proposed change is part of a larger set of amendments to the unified development ordinance. That also includes updating the city's rules for storm water management and nonconforming uses and buildings.
They could be up for council approval, as soon as August 12. But Council President Robert Cotton said he may want more time to consider the impact on the owners of a former frat house that lost its university charter, and council member Barbara Domer felt that some concerns raised about nonconforming properties still need to be addressed.
