HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-17-25 Public Comment - B. Antonopulos - UDC Update - Greek housing - Community Development Board & City CommissionersFrom:Beth Antonopulos
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]UDC Update - Greek housing - Community Development Board & City Commissioners
Date:Sunday, November 16, 2025 10:30:33 AM
Attachments:Greek house ban in UDC update - Google Docs.pdf
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Dear CDB & Commission members,
Attached is a letter asking you to amend the current UDC update to restore the ban on Greek
housing in residential zones.
Thank you,
Beth Antonopulos
Dear Community Development Board Members and City Commissioners,
This is my first letter concerning the UDC update as it pertains to possibly allowing
fraternities and sororities to proliferate in residential zones. I urge you to reinstate the
previous ban to prevent such an expansion. We have enough of these houses in our
neighborhoods, and no clear reason to add more.
The September 19, 2025 draft of the UDC has improved some items regarding this issue
– clear definitions and mandates for parking to partially support the extensive social
functions of these organizations are pros. It still contains strange language cobbling
together a meeting room out of all the rooms in a house. Common sense defines a
meeting room as one where all group members (who are often required to attend
functions whether they live in the houses or not) can collect and reasonably meet as one
unit. Saying that membership meetings can be held in various rooms added together
(upstairs, basement, living room?) in order to meet state assembly code requirements is
contorted. This requirement also needs to be tied to the average size of existing groups,
to make any sort of sense.
The real problem is that in an effort to stick stubbornly to the idea that because
fraternities and sororities provide housing to some of their members, the UDC should
shoehorn them into residential zones. This ignores the extensive secondary uses these
groups make of their homes that far exceed activities of any other groups. Many of
these secondary uses are intensely social – they bring in all of the groups’ members and
large numbers of non-members for parties, meetings, etc. that are different from a
typical party house because they are so frequent and so large. They conduct rush parties
and regular parties all semester long that far exceed neighborhood norms and the
capacity of regular homes; they hold car washes, car smashes, giant blowup
waterslides, membership meetings, alumni events, etc. – again, we prohibit other
organizations that have similar activities in residential zones (entertainment centers,
businesses, etc.). Why make this exception?
Some commissioners have expressed the possibility that new groups will behave better
than past groups. This flies in the face of citizen testimony heard this year (and that was
also expressed in great detail during the recent lawsuit on the issue). Please listen to the
lived experience of current Bozeman residents instead of projecting wishful thinking
towards future Greek groups. You have another letter on this issue with 72 signatories
asking to restore the ban - please listen to the voices of the residents. Also, I wonder if
anyone has consulted with the Bozeman Police Department about the effects of
encouraging more Greek houses to be crammed into normal-sized residential homes?
Can’t imagine that law enforcement is in favor!
In short, the existing Greek houses are already enough for Bozeman neighborhoods to
cope with. We should not be forcing more such social groups on our residential
neighborhoods. There’s been much talk of MSU needing to be a more active partner in
helping solve Bozeman’s housing woes. This would be a great place to start! If the
university wants more frats and sororities, MSU should use campus properties where
adequate buildings could be newly constructed to accommodate meeting and housing
needs, parking, and social functions.
Please amend the UDC draft to restore the ban on Greek housing in residential
neighborhoods.
Sincerely,
Beth Antonopulos