Council approves multiple zoning and downtown measures; debates West Lafayette ADU ban and parking for townhouse plan

Lafayette City Council on May 20 approved a series of zoning and downtown measures and sent two study requests to the Area Plan Commission, while rejecting an accessory-dwelling-unit (ADU) proposal that originated in neighboring West Lafayette.

The council passed ordinances that: add a new “fueling center” definition for hybrid gas stations; allow accessory dwelling units by right in unincorporated parts of Tippecanoe County in certain agricultural and rural estate zones; rezone several parcels (including a school corporation purchase and a townhouse site); and expand the city’s designated outdoor refreshment area (DORA) downtown. The council also approved two resolutions asking the Area Plan Commission to study possible expansion of the courthouse proximate overlay and to study gasoline service station zoning inside the city limits.

Why it matters: the package clarifies how mixed-use and commercial properties will be regulated in Lafayette and neighboring unincorporated areas of Tippecanoe County, preserves a regulatory path for downtown activation, and opens formal study of gasoline station siting and downtown first-floor commercial preservation that could shape future redevelopment and public-safety rules.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 2025-06: Passed 7–0. (Roll call recorded as unanimous.) Public comment on this item included concerns about household battery disposal and bottle recycling; a resident said she had contacted Batteries Plus about a recycling option. The ordinance text was not discussed in detail on the record at this meeting.

- Ordinance 2025-02 (first reading, West Lafayette ADUs): Failed 0–7. The council followed a recommendation reported in the meeting that, after consultation with the West Lafayette mayor and city attorney, the council should vote this down. The council…