At the DeKalb City Council meeting Monday, a proposed ordinance was unanimously defeated to a round of applause.

The ordinance was requested by Chris Tsiftilis, the owner of 628 High Terrace, to change the zoning from single-family to multi-family residential. Tsiftilis bought the property under the assumption it could be used as a rental property with three units.

A zoning map error in 1980 classified 628 High Terrace as multi-family. The property lies on the border of a multi-family zone, and surrounding it in most directions are single family residences.

DeKalb is investigating if the contested property was legally converted to a multi-family unit and its classification prior to 1980, said Community Development Director Russ Farnum.

Implications for the property’s current residents are unclear.

Eighty-four residents of the area signed a petition against the rezoning. Several letters to the Community Development Department stated the residents’ concerns, many of them common to these situations. These concerns included increased traffic, littering and loud noise at late hours.

After 10 p.m. anything over 55 decibels outside violates the DeKalb noise ordinance.

Mayor Frank Van Buer said it was important to get this kind of excitement from every neighborhood in the community. Of the nearly 40 people in attendance, about three-quarters applauded the move.

Multiple students occupying homes designated as single family was another potential problem discussed.

“There is a growing problem of single-family homes being occupied by three or more unrelated adults,” fifth-ward alderman Patrick Conboy said,

These homes are often bought by NIU parents with their child as one of the occupants. Surrounding residents complained the students are generally inconsiderate to their neighbors.

Conboy suggested the city work with NIU to solve the problem. He said they should “cross reference lists of NIU addresses in order to determine whether there are more than three students at one single family address.”

DeKalb employs two full-time property inspectors that investigate zoning violations.

Third-ward alderman Steve Kapitan said investments by parents for students is a growing trend in college towns. He suggested using the university to initiate a dialogue between these parents and the surrounding community in order to alleviate some issues.