Bill could block new Fiji house

The fight about IU’s plan to tear down old houses and build a new fraternity in the University Courts neighborhood could make its way to the Statehouse floor.

State Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, has introduced a bill that would require all state universities to comply with local zoning and historical preservation laws whenever they plan new construction, which could get in the way of the planned Phi Gamma
Delta house at Eighth Street and Woodlawn Avenue.

“It’s the proposal to demolish some historic homes in a historic neighborhood in order to make room for a new structure,” Pierce said. “That’s going to have impact on people who live in the neighborhood.”

Currently, state law treats universities as arms of the state, so they supersede local government ordinances.

“The idea is the state government is above the local governments,” Pierce said. “You’ve had universities making some decisions unilaterally without paying attention to the community.”

The IU Foundation announced this summer that the University would acquire the current Fiji house on Third Street and Indiana Avenue, while the fraternity would move into a new house near Kappa Alpha Theta sorority on Woodlawn once they raise the funds.

The University Courts neighborhood, which is on both the state and national registers of historic places, has been defended by the Bloomington Historical Preservation Commission. While the commission seeks to save historically significant parts of the city, it is powerless to legally protect University land.

House Bill 1284 would force IU and all other state universities to follow the policies of local historic preservation districts, just like other developers are required to when building in protected areas. The bill will be heard by the House Local Government Committee, though it isn’t yet scheduled.

For its part, IU hasn’t developed a position on the bill yet.

“As you probably know, there are hundreds of bills introduced during the session and probably dozens that IU will follow for one reason or another,” Mark Land, IU associate vice president for media relations, said in an email. “This bill was just filed and we really haven’t had time to develop a position on it yet.”

Pierce said this isn’t the first time IU has altered historical parts of its campus, and he thinks it’s likely other universities have as well.

“I’ve been reading about their concerns and what the University has to say,” he said. “I just thought it was time to introduce legislation that would try to create more discussion between the University and the community.”

Follow reporter Michael Auslen on Twitter @MichaelAuslen.