Vote reversed on controversial apartment complex

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - The second time is not the charm for a developer asking to build a new apartment complex, but he gets a more favorable vote by area planners Wednesday.

A rezoning request for a complex called Southern Winds calls for 206 apartments at the northeast corner of U.S. 231 and Veteran's Memorial Parkway.
    
At the July Tippecanoe County Area Plan Commission meeting, 190 neighbors signed a petition against the proposal.  Seven commissioners voted against it.  Five voted in favor. 

But with any action by the APC needing eight votes, it was brought back up at the August meeting.

This time around, there were far fewer residents in attendance and developer Brian Walker signed a binding legal commitment that Southern Winds would have no subsidized housing and would not have any access to County Road 300 South.

The APC vote was seven to five in favor of a recommendation Wednesday.

"We said we were going to do things last month," Walker said.  "This month, we came and said, we're going to put them in writing and we did with two commitments, which should solve most of the problems and issues that most of the people had.  I think that's why we got the vote reversal turned around."

But the commitments were not enough for nearby residents like Jeff Stuart.

"I'm very disappointed, of course, that it's come this far," he said.  "I wish that everybody in the city would come out and look at the property and see what they're losing.  For a short-term gain, I think there are some real long-term problems that south Lafayette's going to be facing."

The rezoning request is slated to go before the Tippecanoe County Commissioners at their meeting on September 4.  But without the necessary eight votes from the APC, there will be neither a recommendation or denial.