It may soon be easier for fraternities and sororities to open or expand chapter houses around the University of Minnesota, thanks to proposed changes to the city's zoning code.
Under the new guidelines, chapter houses could be taller, house more people and be built on smaller lots. It's an effort to serve the U's growing Greek community.
"It was clear to me the code was outdated," said Council Member Jacob Frey, who represents parts of the U campus and introduced the proposed changes in July.
The city's Planning Commission signed off on the changes Monday. The City Council will have final approval.
Students, alumni and the U administration drove the push for zoning code changes, said Maggie Towle, associate vice provost for student life.
The U has 33 fraternity and sorority chapter houses, all privately owned. Since 2011, Greek membership at the U has grown from 6 percent of undergraduates to about 11 percent, according to the Office for Fraternity and Sorority Life. In fall 2016, more than 20 percent of U freshmen joined a Greek organization.
"A lot of our groups do feel like they are outgrowing the facilities that they're in," said James Ehrmann, program director at the Office for Fraternity and Sorority Life. "When you have a fraternity or sorority house, you want that to sort of be the home for students — the home away from home."
Attracting new chapters
In addition to the need to expand housing for existing chapters, there's also interest in bringing new fraternities and sororities to the U, Ehrmann said. To attract them, he said, there needs to be an opportunity to secure housing soon after they arrive on campus.
