Fraternities and sororities are barred from establishing new off-campus housing in Gorham and existing houses are now regulated by the town following a contentious town council meeting Tuesday evening.
After a lively public hearing, which included speakers from the university, fraternities and sororities, and neighbors of off-campus Greek houses, the council voted 4-2 with one absence in favor of an amendment to the town’s Land Use and Development Code that excludes Greek housing from the realm of “acceptable use” of land.
The Council also voted 5-1 to approve a proposal regulating existing fraternity and sorority houses. It requires a license to operate Greek housing in town and lays out guidelines under which the license may be revoked.They voted 5-1 in favor of the proposal to regulate existing fraternity and sorority housing.
The zoning amendment — first proposed at the council’s July 6 meeting — was opposed by Councilors Noah Miner and Matt Mattingly. Miner also opposed the amendment to regulate Greek housing.
“I don’t think banning fraternity houses is going to be a solution to the problem,” argued Miner. “The problem we have is noise and behavioral issues, and it is very hard to legislate behavior.”
Several Gorham residents spoke out in favor of both proposals, including Scott Files, whose Preble Street residence has been in his family for three generations. Files expressed frustration at what he perceived as inaction on the part of USM. “They don’t do anything,” said Files. “They pay lip service, but they don’t do anything.”
Students from the Sigma Nu and Delta Chi fraternities and the Alpha Xi Delta sorority spoke against the amendments, citing reduced cost of living among other positive aspects of off campus Greek housing. They were joined by Bruce Roullard, a resident of Gorham and a member of the board that manages the property that houses the Sigma Nu fraternity.