Lafayette unveils draft Land Use Code update focused on housing, neighborhood businesses and sustainability

City of Lafayette planning staff on a public webinar presented a draft overhaul of the city’s Land Use Code, saying the rewrite is intended to implement the 2021 Legacy Lafayette comprehensive plan and modernize rules that have not been comprehensively updated since 1986.

"The land use code has not been comprehensively updated since 1986," said Speaker 1, the project presenter. The draft reorganizes the code to make it easier to use, clarify language, and ensure standards for building size, height, setbacks, parking and design align with long‑range community goals.

Staff emphasized that updated rules generally apply only when property owners propose new development, expansions or other changes; existing homes and uses would not be forced to change. The draft also pairs a new zoning map and an interactive comparison tool to let residents see current and proposed zoning side‑by‑side, with the comparison map expected early next year on the project website.

Key themes in the draft include promoting "complete and connected" neighborhoods, updating transportation and parking rules, strengthening natural‑resource protections, and creating clearer review procedures so that smaller projects are often handled administratively while larger or complex projects go to public hearing.

On transportation and parking, staff said the update reduces many minimum parking requirements and may introduce maximums to avoid overbuilding surface parking; it also adds bicycle parking requirements and encourages better pedestrian connections and subdivision connectivity. On environmental measures, the draft includes more detailed landscaping standards that promote water‑wise plantings, protect existing trees and support pollinators, and it strengthens protections for wetlands and wildlife habitat.

Staff noted the comprehensive plan suggests allowing additional building height — for example, four stories in designated areas — in exchange for public benefits such as amenities or affordable housing, a change intended to make some mixed‑use or hospitality projects financially feasible where three stories is limiting.

Throughout the webinar staff used polls and interactive maps to gather community reactions and encouraged residents to submit feedback via the Lafayette Listens project website. They announced an open house on Jan. 22 and a working group meeting on Jan. 14 and said the draft will return to the council for further discussion in January.