A free-for-all parking system at the old Sigma Chi house is a thing of the past after fraternity alumni erected parking barriers around the property last week.
But there is a fair chance the house, which has been empty and up for rent for more than a year, will remain that way as expensive improvements and a lease-only strategy by the owners have deterred many potential renters.
The Sigma Chi Association of New Mexico is planning to generate some revenue by dividing the house's parking lot into about 30 private spaces at an estimated cost of $150 each.
"We hope to have that in place within the next couple of weeks," said John Brown, a member of the fraternity's alumni association.
Brown said the free parking was beginning to attract motorists to the property's lawn, which became too much to handle for a group of volunteer alumni working to maintain the house.
"The point is it's private property and we didn't do anything about it (in the past) and that's OK, but now it has been taken advantage of," Brown said. "A lot of folks have kind of torn up the place."
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Revenue from the parking spaces will go toward the Sigma Chi Housing Corporation, a nonprofit group that manages the property.
John Henderson, president of the corporation and the property's leasing agent, said owners are considering selling the parking spots because the property has not made any money since fraternity members were booted off campus in May of 2002 after having their national and UNM charters suspended.
"There's a lot of things the house lacks that makes it less than likeable," Henderson said, noting that the building has no air conditioning.
The lease is available for $3,650 a month.
Henderson said the 16,000 square foot building is available on a triple-net basis meaning that the renter is responsible for many expenses and services including taxes, maintenance, sewer and trash.
There has been interest in turning the house into a small dormitory or a privately owned SUB, but renovations the house needs have discouraged renters.
One stipulation that is keeping UNM away from acquiring the property is the owner's refusal to sell it.
"We are not eager at this stage to sell it," Henderson said.
Kim Murphy, UNM director of real estate, said that leasing the property would make no sense but that the University could use the property because it's in a prime location -across from Dane Smith Hall.
Brown and Henderson say it is very possible Sigma Chi will petition to have its charter taken off suspension sometime after June 2006 and if that happens, the fraternity will return to the house.
"That's a possibility and like all possibilities we would like to keep that option open," Brown said.
But before the fraternity could be re-chartered, it would have to "flush the system" of any of the members present during a year of suspensions, probations and an incident when members taped a swastika to a car illegally parked at the house, Henderson said.
The fraternity would also have to reapply to Greek Life and the Dean of Students, but only after the four-year suspension ends in 2006.
