The properties included in the district would be protected by stricter regulations regarding sale, modification and deterioration, community development analyst Ron Springer said.

The initial reason for the district’s creation was to protect the historic look of a handful of greek units, but the list expanded over time, Springer said.

“Originally, the goal was to protect them under the umbrella of an ordinance,” Springer said. “The unit can still be modified or demolished, but it has to meet specific criteria.”

Thirteen fraternities are included in the proposed district, but city staff has recommended just six of the 13 be included in the final plan.

A public hearing was held last week to discuss which units should be kept or removed from the district.

Three of the 13 units are no more than 50 years old, which the council tentatively has determined could be too new to be included in the district.

Greg Thon, president of FarmHouse Fraternity, 151 Bogue St., said his fraternity, which is 50 years old, might not be included within the district.

Thon said there are drawbacks and benefits to being excluded. The fraternity needs a new roof, which he said the fraternity could not install if it was included in the historic district. But if FarmHouse were included, the house would have greater protection from sale or changes to its look.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” Thon said. “We’ve had a lot of great people in our fraternity, and we’d like to stick around for awhile … but there would be some restrictions on what we can and can’t do, and some of those restrictions could be a hindrance.”

Three more of the units have had significant restoration work within the past 50 years, which the council potentially has deemed as not meeting the qualifications for the district. One other fraternity, Delta Chi, 101 Woodmere Ave., may be excluded because it is in the way of the city’s plans for the East Village development project, Springer said.

The proposed district would be unique in that it’s solely a thematic district and not a geographical one. All other historic districts are located in a certain geographic area, but this district would include units dispersed across the city.

Alex Fike, president of the Inter-Fraternities Council, said fraternity chapters had mixed opinions on the proposed district, but he sees it as a benefit for the future of greek life near campus.

“It serves to help ensure there’s going to be housing available for a long term and helps preserve the prosperity of greek life as a whole,” Fike said.