Lafayette Consolidated Government Announces Public Meetings On Conditional Use Permits

Following a resolution of the City-Parish Council asking the Zoning Commission to review bars as a conditional use in the Downtown District, Lafayette Consolidated Government formally announced a series of public meetings today. The purpose of these public meetings is to collect input regarding this potential change to the Use Table in the Unified Development Code (UDC). The Use Table governs the allowed types of uses in each zoning district in the city of Lafayette. Bars are currently not a permitted use in the Downtown zoning district.

The meeting schedule is as follows:

• Tuesday, March 29, 7 am, Rosa Parks Transportation Center, Multi-Purpose Room
• Tuesday, March 29, 6 pm, Rosa Parks Transportation Center, Multi-Purpose Room
• Friday, April 1, 9 am, Rosa Parks Transportation Center, Multi-Purpose Room
• Friday, April 1, noon, Main Library, Second Floor Conference Room
• Thursday, April 7, 6 pm, Rosa Parks Transportation Center, Multi-Purpose Room

Conditional Use Permits are a new tool in the zoning code as a result of the adoption of the UDC in 2015. In the previous zoning ordinance, uses (including bars) were either permitted or not allowed in each district. The Conditional Use Permit recognizes that certain uses may not always be appropriate in a particular district and that additional factors should be considered.

There are several uses throughout the UDC that are conditional across the use table. Currently, bars are a conditional use in the MN (Mixed Neighborhood) and CM (Commercial Mixed) districts.

All conditional use permit applications are reviewed by the Zoning Commission and the City-Parish Council prior to permitting.

The public meetings were requested by the Zoning Commission and the City-Parish Council to collect additional input prior to those bodies considering the addition of bars as a conditional use in the Downtown District. The input collected at the meetings will be shared with both public bodies.

The meetings will consist of a presentation that explains what a Conditional Use Permit is and the provisions in the code by which such a permit is granted. The public will be encouraged to provide input in small breakout groups and through formal comment cards.