City officials may rezone Greek Row to address the unique challenges of the neighborhood including parking and population density.

The DeKalb Community Development Department is working through the rough ideas for the proposals.

The area currently is zoned as a multi-family district, and the Greek houses are subject to that code despite being much denser than the residential units surrounding them, Community Development Planner Sue Guio said.

“If a fraternity house was destroyed by a fire, under the current zoning, they would not be able to rebuild and use the building as before,” Guio said.

If the overlay district is implemented, none of the Greek houses would have to worry about zoning complications associated with fires or other catastrophes, Guio said.

One possible solution is to convert the Greek Row area into an overlay district with a separate, special set of zoning criteria, Guio said.

The proposed district would stretch from Annie Glidden and Normal roads and Ridge Drive and Greenbrier Road.

One of the first issues the Greek Row Revitalization Task Force is looking at is parking, particularly along Greenbrier Road.

Chris Juhl, activities supervisor and general adviser for Greek Affairs, said limited parking is one of the major complaints he has heard from Greek Row residents.

Planners consider parking concerns as a top priority, City Planner Russ Farnum said. The city will consider widening roads to alleviate the troubles.

Rezoning will not affect current density requirements in the neighborhood, Guio said.

The older buildings in the neighborhood have been grandfathered in and fall under the building code that was in effect when they were built.

The buildings can maintain their density as long as they continue to pass routine building inspections, Guio said.

The rezoning plans still are in the early stages and will not be ready for submission to the city council for at least six months, Guio said.

All the options need to be weighed and debated before the plan can get off the ground, Farnum said. Public hearings could be held by September, Farnum said.

Rezoning Greek Row is another step in the Greek Row Revitalization Plan that began last year. The first step, scheduled to begin in spring, is to increase street lighting in the Greek Row neighborhood. Rezoning is the next logical step, Farnum said.

Any official proposals will be run by the Greek Row Revitalization Task Force for review as well, Juhl said.