West Campus fraternity and sorority houses, which have been subject to increased property taxes in recent years, are optimistic that their appeals for lower taxes will pass after coming to an agreement with the organization that regulates West Campus zoning and planning.
UT student and alumni representatives from the Greek houses celebrated their compromise by attending the Austin City Council meeting Thursday in support of their amendments, which faced no public opposition.
"I'm really glad Panhellenic got out here," said finance junior Cameron Clark, president of the Panhellenic Council.
Because of West Campus zoning changes, which allow developers to construct much larger buildings and increase the density of living in the area, property values went up by 313 percent between 2004 and 2006, said Tim Aynesworth, UT Sigma Chi alum. Therefore, the fraternity and sorority houses' property taxes essentially tripled.
"Since we are nonprofits, but yet we still pay full property taxes, what we were having to do is pass the increased taxes onto the residents, which is a huge burden, and the students pay for that," he said.
In order for University Area Partners, which manages West Campus planning, and the Greek houses to come to a compromise, the nine affected houses agreed to support the streetscape, which includes landscape plans and the construction of larger sidewalks. The houses also agreed to join a parking district in which the now-free parking in front of the houses would become permit parking, and the groups' lots could not be used for expanded development, Aynesworth said.
"We could put enormous buildings on our property, but we don't want that," he said.
If University Area Partners and representatives from the nine houses sign the agreement by next week's council meeting, which will be the last meeting before the end of the year, the amendments will officially pass, said Nathan Wood, Interfraternity Council president and civil engineering senior.
Wood said it is important for the amendments to pass before the end of the year so the appraisal district will recognize the agreement for next year's property taxes.
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