Planning Commission’s decision to revoke Cal Poly fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi’s (AEPi) conditional use permit—doling a double whammy to the appealing students.
“We disagree with the commission’s conclusion that no set of conditions could ensure compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood or protect public health, safety, and welfare,” Joshua Pinsky, president of AEPi’s Sigma Omega chapter, wrote to the City Council ahead of the appeal hearing. “We acknowledge that there were three violations and that occupancy limits were exceeded. However, these incidents do not tell the whole story.”
The City Council denied AEPi’s appeal at its May 19 meeting in a 4-0 vote. Councilmember Michelle Shoresman was absent.
The rejection followed the Planning Commission’s revocation in March: a result of AEPi and another frat racking up a total of 13 citations from the SLO Police Department from 2024 to 2026. The city’s Code Enforcement Division also gave them several notices of violation and administrative citations.
Though the Planning Commission approved revoking the frats’ permits, it declared that the conditional use permit process was an ineffective way to curb misbehavior. The commission also stressed that Cal Poly doesn’t separate Greek life from residential neighborhoods in the city, leading to fraught relations between several frats and longtime residents.
‘I believe Cal Poly has really been irresponsible in terms of their lack of support for the fraternities and the sororities.’
—Jan Marx, SLO City Councilmember
City staff told the City Council that it isn’t bound by the Planning Commission’s recommendation.
AEPi argued that the frat house’s location in an R4 high-density residential area is suitable for the neighborhood since that zoning is meant for student housing. It also alleged that revoking the permit risks frat activities leaking into lower-density residential areas.
Echoing his statements at the Planning Commission hearing, Pinsky told council members in his letter that the frat has shown improvement since receiving numerous citations. He added that violations decreased, with frat members engaging with Code Enforcement, city staff, and Residents for Quality Neighborhoods, and undergoing safety trainings.
The chapter president stated that feedback from neighbors don’t support claims of disruption.
“Of 14 residents surveyed within about 200 feet of our property, 12 reported no disturbances linked to the fraternity,” Pinsky wrote. “The other two noted occasional noise but could not pinpoint … the source.”
City Assistant Planner Mallory Patino said at the meeting that frats are conditionally allowed in high-density residential areas through permits. Permit revocation requires operations at the frat to cease and doesn’t authorize those activities to move into other residential areas.
She added that AEPi didn’t provide any evidence to support its claim about the favorable neighborhood survey, such as copies of the results, names, addresses, and methodology.
Patino also highlighted records of self-reported event registration forms submitted by Cal Poly’s Interfraternity Council to the university’s Fraternity and Sorority Life Office. The city received the records after the Planning Commission’s revocation decision.
“These records show that 30 events were registered with that office at [AEPi’s address] since the modification of the [permit],” she said. “Sixteen of these events included an expected attendance count ranging from 65 to 160 individuals, all in excess of the 25 allowed without a special event permit.”
AEPi is a faith-based organization. An alleged antisemitic assault took place outside the Jewish frat in February. At the time, SLOPD said that four to five white men, between 20 and 25 years old, arrived in a lifted white truck and yelled antisemitic slurs at frat residents. During the confrontation, one of the suspects punched a resident in the head.
Code Enforcement Supervisor John Mezzapesa told the City Council that the student residents can continue to host gatherings like Shabbat dinners if they’re not sponsored by the fraternity. The city will pursue a land use violation if events take place through the fraternity.
A longtime neighbor to a fraternity until noisy parties forced her to move away, Councilmember Jan Marx said it’s hard to create a cohesive neighborhood with a constant turnover of students.
“The problem that we come up against is not students as individuals and not organizations as individuals, but it’s the party culture and it’s bigger than the fraternities,” she said. “I believe Cal Poly has really been irresponsible in terms of their lack of support for the fraternities and the sororities.” ∆
This article appears in May 21-28, 2026.