Lafayette council approves Silo Phase 2 sketch plan with conditions after months of debate

Lafayette City Council on Tuesday approved the sketch‑plan amendment for the Silo neighborhood Phase 2 planned unit development (PUD), voting unanimously to allow the applicant to move to the preliminary plan stage provided two areas of the PUD review criteria are more fully addressed.

The council’s motion approved the sketch plan while instructing the applicant to update its application to better address (1) community housing needs (PUD review criterion 26‑185(b)(8)) and (2) diversity and quality of development (26‑185(b)(18)). The vote followed extensive public comment from Silo residents and a multi‑hour presentation from the developer and its consultants.

Why it matters: Silo is a multi‑phase subdivision on the south side of Arapahoe Road that was originally approved with a mix of housing types, a central community park, and a neighborhood‑scale commercial component. The Phase 2 amendment replaces previously‑planned multifamily buildings and some commercial/CSA elements with a new mix of townhomes, paired homes and alley‑loaded single‑family homes, reducing the overall unit count compared with the older PUD approvals. Council’s direction seeks to preserve or restore greater housing variety and to ensure community housing needs identified in the city’s planning documents are considered as the plan advances.

Details of the decision and what the council asked for - Action taken: council approved the Silo Phase 2 sketch plan amendment and allowed the applicant to proceed to preliminary plan work, subject to the two PUD criteria (b8 and b18) described in the motion. - Vote: unanimous roll call (Councilors Friedland, Gallegos, Mongette (mayor), Samson, Tapia Vega, Mayor Pro Tem Wong, Barnes — all voted yes). - What council expects next: staff and the applicant will work together on more detailed engineering, drainage, traffic and landscape plans during the preliminary plan stage; council and Planning Commission will get additional, more technical reviews before any final PUD entitlement.

What residents said - Multiple Silo homeowners told council they had purchased based on earlier marketing and approvals showing timber‑frame homes, a large central park, community supported agriculture (CSA) and an on‑site community center. Kelly Doan, who…