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Council approves Lafayette Crossing PUD with access and buffer conditions
Summary
Council approved the Lafayette Crossing planned unit development and related rezoning with conditions including Traffic Safety Advisory Board recommendations on access points and added evergreen buffers along Paris Lane; residents raised concerns about Paris Lane traffic and buffering.
The council approved a planned unit development (PUD) for a commercial project at the corner of South Illinois Avenue and Lafayette Drive, approving a substitute ordinance that incorporates conditions recommended by the city’s Traffic Safety Advisory Board (TSAB) and staff.
Staff briefed the council on the Lafayette Crossing preliminary master plan, describing a multi‑building commercial development anchored by a car wash and a three‑tenant commercial building. TSAB recommended full access farther west on South Illinois and a write‑in/write‑out on Lafayette Drive; it also recommended changing one South Illinois access point to "in only." Staff and city engineering agreed with those recommendations and included two of TSAB’s conditions in the substitute ordinance.
Applicant Rick Chin addressed council and said the developer is "fine" with TSAB recommendations and that the project would bring property and sales tax revenue to the city without public incentives. Several nearby residents, including Joy Henderson, expressed concern about an access point onto Paris Lane and about traffic and compatibility with the neighborhood. Henderson told council she is "against it" and said an exit onto Paris Lane would be "like a disaster." TSAB and staff explained sight‑distance concerns led to the "in only" change at one access; staff said final site plan details and any trip‑generation analysis would come with site‑plan review.
Council adopted a substitute ordinance that included the TSAB recommendations and two zoning conditions related to buffering: an additional evergreen buffer along Paris Lane and a requirement that shared property‑line buffers meet the ordinance's Type D buffer standards. The substitute ordinance passed with a majority recorded in the meeting.
Staff said the city will bring final site‑plan details and any required traffic study during later approvals; the developer may work with engineering on final access design and TDOT coordination for access on state routes.
