Apparently outdoor drinking games at the U. have to be played on natural grass or mud. Just not on artificial turf.
At least five fraternity houses on University Avenue at the University of Minnesota are fighting with the city after the fraternities violated building codes by installing artificial turf on their front yards. So far, the houses are losing the battle. But if they ultimately prevail, it could have ripple effects throughout the city.
Although it looks better than trampled, beer-soaked grass, according to the city, artificial turf in the form used by student fraternities is not permitted.
Despite recent advances that may make synthetic turf systems superior to natural grass in terms of drainage, astroturf in Minneapolis is currently characterized the same way pavement is: an impermeable surface. When the houses along the college dorms replaced their lawns with synthetic turf, they fell below their allowable “impermeability limit,” a technical term intended to limit the amount of runoff from rain or meltwater (or other liquids) that can burden a city’s stormwater drainage system and potentially lead to flooding.
The latest setback for the fraternities came last week when a City Council committee rejected Sigma Chi’s appeal. Sigma Chi was one of several chapters ordered by the city to remove the artificial turf. Sigma Chi has two buildings with artificial turf in front of them. The full City Council will vote on whether to reject the appeal this week.
Flip-cup trend
For those keeping count, other fraternities that have been criticized for their neatly installed artificial turf include Delta Kappa Epsilon, Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Alpha Epsilon, according to Brad Ellis, the city’s zoning officer. Ellis said the city’s action – issuing “non-compliance notices” that do not include fines – was the result of inspections prompted by complaints about the artificial turf that had cropped up in the historic neighborhood over the past year. But these fraternities are not the only ones that have opted for artificial turf.
On a recent morning, Chi Psi’s front yard looked like wet dirt, with several large patches of astroturf spread loosely around a wooden table on which a dice game sat. Pi Kappa Psi has also installed astroturf. And Theta Chi, tucked behind other houses on a branch of 19th Avenue, has covered part of its front yard with astroturf; an examination of the property lines suggests that much of the turf was installed on university property.
The lawns stand out from the relatively homogenous line of historic brick buildings, ivy-covered, decorated with Greek letters, and accented with barbecues and the odd overturned chair, orphaned beer can, or unattended keg. The centerpiece of most front yards is a counter-height table, reminiscent of a workbench, and of varying degrees of handcrafted craftsmanship. This is where drinking games like flip cup are played; the foot traffic suggests this is where the action is.
The artificial turf stands out because it is not unkempt. No weeds, no mud or dirt, just a carpet of short-cut plastic grass blades.
“The lawn is completely destroyed,” said Daren Jenson, president of the Theta Chi Alumni Association, which owns the fraternity house, where part of the front lawn is now artificial turf. “We’re just trying to make it look nicer.”
Lawns on trend?
When artificial turf first appeared in sports stadiums and on occasional lawns decades ago, it was usually little more than a bristly carpet on concrete – neither visually appealing nor an effective way to prevent stormwater runoff. Local and state building and drainage codes, including Minneapolis’s, still treat the material the same way today. Not only does Minneapolis consider the brothers’ synthetic lawns impermeable, they also violate part of the city’s code that requires lawns to be made of natural plants; the artificial turf is considered an “obstruction” to any home’s lawn.
But there are efforts to change that. From high school sports fields to urban dog parks, artificial turf systems are increasingly being used, laid over porous materials like sand. This is not only because they are resistant to wear and tear, but also because they are good at absorbing rainwater.
A bill in the state legislature this year sought to require certain types of artificial turf to be recognized as best practices in the state’s official stormwater management manual, potentially opening up new markets for those products. The measure was supported by the Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association. But the bill, which was supported by some Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate, failed to pass.
Even though city ordinances forbid artificial turf, if the fraternities win their appeal, it would set a precedent for the entire city, Ellis said. In other words, if the City Council sided with Sigma Chi, artificial turf would essentially be considered a drainable surface citywide and could be used more frequently.
But that seems unlikely.
Council members skeptical
Nick Valle, an attorney representing the fraternities, tried to convince members of the council’s Business, Housing and Zoning Committee on Tuesday that the fraternities had installed modern, well-draining turf systems.
But city zoning officials responded that they had no way to verify this. They had no training to inspect such systems and no requirements for ensuring that drainage systems for artificial turf would not break down over time and become no better than concrete slabs. Several council members agreed.
“Some turf may be a plastic bag laid on the ground,” said Councilman Jeremiah Ellison. “Some turf may be sophisticated and laid in a sophisticated way. We wouldn’t know the difference.”
Ellison said it’s possible the City Council could decide to change the city’s lawn ordinance, but that would be a lengthy process that would require careful review.
If the fraternities lose their appeal before the city council, they could still apply for a special permit that would allow them to keep their artificial turf fields without setting a precedent.
If they are denied a deviation, they can sue.
