Possible parking changes cause concern

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI0 - The West Lafayette City Council had a public meeting Monday about proposed changes in parking in the Chauncey Village area. Many residents told the council parking is already a problem in their neighborhood near campus.

( Read previous story about the proposed ordinance )

The city's plan is to have residential zoned buildings provide one parking space per bedroom. Currently, the number of parking spaces per unit is based on square feet.

The proposed ordinance doesn't satisfy many living in the New Chauncey neighborhood.

"I think this will worsen the problem," resident Ted Wachs told the council. "The idea that one parking space per bedroom. What about cohabitating couples? Two people in a bedroom. Where will they park if there is only one space per bedroom? They will have to park in the street but the streets have two hour parking."

West Lafayette city engineer Dave Buck said there doesn't seem to be enough residential parking in the Chauncey Village area. It is causing a vicious cycle. He said the lack of residential parking is forcing residents to park in businesses' parking spots, causing customers to park farther away, probably in residential areas taking up other residents' parking spaces.

"People who live and need long term parking needs in the Village have a long term parking space. We are actually going to hopefully see improvement in the on-street parking availability for those commercial uses," Buck said.

Some tenants have already started coming up with their own solutions to the parking dilemma.

"I walk the New Chauncey neighborhood. I occasionally see a backyard that has given over to parking," New Chauncey resident Thomas Kesler told the council.

Buck said the feedback from the meeting is what he had been looking for when planning first began years ago, but feels the ordinance will have a positive impact.

"We definitely want to have the comments and concerns because we don't want people to see this in the negative light. We really believe over time it will reduce the stress on those neighborhoods," Buck said after the meeting.

The council will vote on the ordinance during the December 2 pre-council meeting.