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Lafayette council reviews draft objective design standards amid heated public debate over roofs, glass and materials
Summary
The Lafayette City Council gathered extensive public and staff feedback on draft objective design standards intended to implement the city's housing element. Residents urged stricter limits on flat roofs, large glazed areas and stucco/concrete facades; council directed staff to revise the draft and return with an adoptable ordinance.
The Lafayette City Council spent the bulk of a meeting reviewing Phase 2 of proposed objective design standards (ODS), a set of ministerial design rules the city plans to adopt into its municipal code to implement the housing element.
Staff and consultants from Lisa Wise Consulting walked council through the draft, which covers where ODS will apply, building massing and articulation, roof forms and how to measure height, upper-story stepbacks, fenestration standards, permitted materials and required site-design elements including parking and public open space. Senior planner Arlie Cassidy said the draft is intended to replace the previous point-based checklist with an objective yes/no ministerial pathway required by state law.
The nut of the public debate centered on roof forms and visual character. Several members of the public, including Elias Hudson, told the council the draft would permit the kind of flat-roof,…
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