Tippecanoe Area Plan Commission recommends approvals for multiple rezonings, subdivisions; continues Purdue case

The Tippecanoe County Area Plan Commission on Aug. 20 recommended approval for multiple zoning and subdivision petitions affecting Lafayette, West Lafayette and Dayton and continued one Purdue Research Foundation rezoning to the commission’s Oct. 15 hearing.

Commissioners voted to forward recommendations on a 249‑lot preliminary subdivision in an unincorporated area (Everwood), a planned development for a six‑story apartment building in West Lafayette ("The Sullivan"), a planned development for permanent supportive housing by Lafayette Transitional Housing Center (McCarty Hope Apartments), and the rezoning of 53 acres for a single‑family subdivision in Dayton (Baker Farms West). All of those items were advanced by unanimous ballots or motions recommending approval. The commission also approved a countywide procedural motion to admit the unified zoning and subdivision ordinances, the comprehensive plan and related materials into each case record, and it continued Z‑2983 (Purdue Research Foundation) to Oct. 15.

Why it matters: the recommendations now move to the appropriate final decision bodies — West Lafayette City Council, Lafayette City Council or the Dayton Town Board — where final votes and any site‑level conditions will be decided. The items together include both market‑rate and affordable/permanent supportive housing and will affect traffic, parking and service needs in several neighborhoods.

Most important outcomes

Votes at a glance

- S‑5287, Everwood Subdivision (major preliminary): Staff presented a proposal by Arbor Homes for a 249‑lot subdivision on about 102 acres. The commission recommended primary approval (white ballot). Staff noted the project exceeds required R‑1 lots along County Road 500 and that bonding was requested. Motion carried; vote count not specified in the record.

- Z‑2982, Double A opt‑in rezonings (Wabash & Tippecanoe townships): Staff described an "opt‑in" approach to convert selected parcels into the agricultural (Double A) zone where owners requested it; the commission gave a unanimous ballot recommending approval to forward to commissioners.

- Z‑2984, The Sullivan (Talmesh Developers LLC; PDMX for West Lafayette): Petitioners presented a six‑story building proposed for Fowler and Chauncey with up to 285 units and about 551 bedrooms, ground‑floor retail potential (~7,000 sq ft), and a below‑grade garage for up to 178 vehicles. The commission recommended approval (yellow ballot) to carry the recommendation to West Lafayette City Council on Sept. 2. Commissioners and a nearby resident speaker raised concerns about parking supply and pedestrian safety; staff said the project’s parking ratio matches recent near‑campus projects.

- Z‑2987, McCarty Hope Apartments (Lafayette Transitional Housing Center; PDRS): The commission recommended approval of a planned development for permanent supportive housing on a city‑owned parcel on McCarty Lane. The PD covers roughly 3 acres of a larger city‑owned property and would be phased: Phase 1 is a single‑story building with 26 one‑bed units targeted to seniors and veterans experiencing homelessness; Phase 2 would provide an additional 40–54 units. Staff supported the request and the mayor of Lafayette spoke in favor. The recommendation will carry to Lafayette City Council.

- Z‑2992, M and C Development (annexation/rezone to R‑1; Baker Farms West): Petitioners requested rezoning of 53 acres in newly annexed Dayton for about 109 single‑family lots; staff cited the 2023 Dayton plan that shows this area as future residential growth. The commission recommended approval and will forward to the Dayton Town Board.

- Z‑2983, Purdue Research Foundation: Continued to the Oct. 15 Area Plan Commission hearing at the petitioner’s request.

What commissioners and speakers said

Staff member Amanda Esposito briefed the commission on West Lafayette site conditions for Z‑2984, describing the proposal’s consistency with the West Lafayette downtown plan and recommending approval contingent on standard PD conditions and alley vacation before final development plan approval. Ryan Munden, attorney for the petitioner, said tenants in existing structures were notified and that no current leases would be terminated before construction.

Samantha King, president of the McClure Alumni Association and a resident adjacent to the Sullivan site, objected to the parking ratio and said increased traffic would worsen existing safety issues around Chauncey and Wiggins. She told the commission, "There's a severe lack of parking spaces," and urged the developer to increase on‑site parking and consider traffic safety. Staff responded that the project's parking ratio "exceeds" the standard used on similar recent projects and that a traffic‑safety context would be considered by the city council stage.

Joe Videlberg, attorney for Lafayette Transitional Housing Center, and Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski both urged approval of Z‑2987; Roswarski said the city is "very pleased to be partnering with Lafayette Transitional Housing to build this very needed facility." Videlberg described the project as permanent supportive housing with on‑site services intended to address homelessness.

Context and next steps

All recommended rezonings and planned developments presented to the commission are advisory; final approval for rezones and PDs rests with the governing city or town council where the property is located. Some items (for example subdivision approvals) will require subsequent final development plan (FDP) reviews, bonding, or traffic studies during subdivision engineering. For the Dayton single‑family project, petitioners said a traffic study would be performed during the subdivision stage if required.

Meeting procedure and other business

The commission approved minutes from the July 16 public hearing and adopted staff documents (unified zoning/subdivision ordinances, comprehensive plan, application materials and staff reports) into the evidentiary record for the evening's hearings. The commission also handled administrative matters including placement of two minor subdivision sketches on the Sept. 3 executive committee agenda and determinations of variance requests as not eligible for consideration.

For more: the commission's recommendations will appear on the agendas of West Lafayette City Council (Sept. 2), Lafayette City Council and the Dayton Town Board for final actions; Z‑2983 (Purdue Research Foundation) will return to the APC Oct. 15 for further hearing.