LAFAYETTE

Developer withdraws apartment plans in Purdue area after protests

Noe Padilla
Lafayette Journal & Courier

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — After months of vocalizing their disapproval of a new housing development geared for students in the South River Road area, the community earned an unexpected victory after the developer withdrew proposed plans at Monday's Tippecanoe County Commissioner meeting.

The petitioner, Trinitas Development LLC, filed its rezoning plans with the commissioners in April, which would have allowed for the creation of a number of high-destiny multi-family housing on a 22-acre plot of land that runs along South River Road, just south of Purdue University’s airport, and across the road from Range Lane.

The notice of request for rezoning for the South River Road property that sits at the entrance of the property, on Monday, May 15, 2023, in West Lafayette, Ind.

The development would have been geared with Purdue University students in mind.

For months, community members had shown up to Tippecanoe County meetings to showcase concern with this plan.

The scenario was the same at the June 5 meeting, when community members flooded the Tippecanoe County room prepared to testify against the vote to rezone the property.

In hopes of avoiding the confrontation, the developer’s legal representative asked the commissioners if they could receive a third continuance on the matter, which would have pushed the vote to the June 19 meeting.

But with an audience full of upset residents and a promise to the community that the county would address the issue at this meeting, the commissioners voted no on the continuance.

Kevin Riley, an attorney from Reiling Teder & Schrier, who's representing Trinitas Development LLC, tells the Tippecanoe County Commissioners that Trinitas would be withdrawing its petition to rezone a certain plot of property after the commissioners voted not to push the matter to a later date, on Monday, June 5, 2023, in Lafayette, Ind.

After receiving a no vote, instead of moving forward with a discussion about their rezoning plan, representatives from Trinitas Development decided to withdraw their proposal, appearing stunned as they left the room.

Bringing the issue back up later?

Tippecanoe County Commissioner Dave Byers said he believed that the developer may have withdrawn the plans perhaps expecting it to fail a vote from the commissioners.

“If we ended up denying it, then they have to wait at least two years to attempt to reapply,” Byers said.

“So, by them pulling it, if they decided to redo the development or something else, then they can bring it back, they could reapply.”

The original plan Trinitas had proposed for the property would involve constructing higher-end apartments for Purdue University students.

The property sits across U.S. 52 from the Purdue University campus. Students would have needed to cross the highway if they could not find a shuttle or vehicle service to Purdue.

South River Road community members begin to raise their hands as the Tippecanoe County Commissioners ask who in the audience was present for the Trinitas Development hearing, on Monday, June 5, 2023, in Lafayette, Ind.

The property would have provided residents with a shuttle service to and from Purdue campus, as well as downtown Lafayette, the petitioner explained at April’s Area Plan Commission meeting.

But since the beginning of the process, community members have shared their grievances with this plan, specifically the inadequate placement of the property and the lack of public services for future Purdue students. They noted that it would be dangerous for students to live in that area, due to the high-speed traffic, lack of bicycle lanes and lack of streetlights in the area.

When the proposed plan was initially discussed at April’s plan meeting, Tracy Brown, president of the Tippecanoe County Commissioners, originally voted in favor of the plan. After driving around the area in person, Brown said he was planning to vote against the development at June’s meeting.

“When you see it on a map, you really lose something, (but) when you drive it, it’s a little different because it is way out there. I mean, there’s a substantial distance and it's two miles from the nearest hub for city bus,” Brown said.

“I started thinking a lot about who’s going to be living there. And it’s going to be a significant student population and then I started thinking about student behavior and what happens in the process.

“While I really appreciate the overture of a shuttle bus and everything, that shuttle bus would not be on demand 24/7 a day."

South River Road community members speak with the Tippecanoe County Commissioners after May 15 commissioners' meeting about their dismay at a rezoning request on the agenda, on Monday, May 15, 2023, in Lafayette.

Brown also noted that the police range is in that area, and there’s a constant string of target practice happening throughout the week. He also mentioned how police were planning on practicing with long guns like rifles out at the range, which could potentially be heard from the proposed development.

“Trinitas, they’re good people and they have great products. This ultimately is a great product, I just felt strongly that it needs to go to another location,” he said.

Although, Brown believes that there’s a possibility for some development to occur on the property, but probably within the realm of its current zoning, which is for industrial development.

Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla.