Lafayette launches second phase of objective design standards, seeks balance between prescription and flexibility

City planners and consultants on June 23 told the Lafayette City Council and planning and design review commissioners that Phase 2 of the city's objective design standards (ODS) will create a new, ministerial pathway for multifamily and mixed'use projects and be adopted as a new chapter of the development code by the end of 2025.

Senior planner Stephanie Cervantes opened the presentation by saying the kickoff is intended to launch a community-led process, not to deliver final recommendations: "this is the beginning of a process, not the end. We're not coming to you today with recommendations or determinations," she said.

Why it matters: Lafayette's updated zoning now allows higher densities and heights in new zones (including RB60, SRB60 and C60), and the city needs objective (non‑subjective) design standards that match that increased building envelope while providing predictable, ministerial review for housing projects. The standards, consultants said, will shape how larger buildings address massing, street walls, upper story stepbacks, parking configuration, open space and facade articulation.

The consultants from Lisa Wise Consulting said the standards must be "objective" under state law and verifiable by an external…