Lafayette Pauses Bertrand Overlay District After Owner Pushback

LAFAYETTE, La. — Mayor-President Monique Boulet has tabled a proposed overlay district for Bertrand Drive after business owners along the corridor said they were blindsided by strict building design requirements that could make their properties non-compliant and put future renovations at risk.

The overlay district was part of the Bertrand Drive Revitalization Project, an $11–13 million effort to build pedestrian and cycling infrastructure connecting the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Cajun Field to Moncus Park. A Lafayette Consolidated Government spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that plans for the overlay district were paused, and a Zoning Commission briefing that had been set for June 15 was deferred.

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What Is an Overlay District, and Why Does It Matter to Bertrand Drive Business Owners?

An overlay district is a layer of zoning regulations that sits on top of a property’s existing zoning, adding requirements or restrictions beyond what the base zoning already demands. Lafayette already has overlay districts on Louisiana Avenue and University Avenue, each with its own rules governing what can be built, how it must look, and in some cases what kinds of businesses can operate there.

The proposed Bertrand Drive overlay district would have brought the corridor under the city’s Type A development standards, which are written into the Lafayette Development Code. Type A is designed for urban, walkable, pedestrian-oriented environments. It prioritizes building placement close to the street, requires pedestrian access features, and cuts down on prominent parking lots. The city’s own code describes Type A as calling for “reduced landscaping and parking requirements but with increased frontage buildout requirements.”

Business owners say none of that was in the original sales pitch. Boulet said the administration only intended to restrict certain land uses and regulate signage along the corridor. But the project met specific criteria, including on-street parking, speed limits under 35 mph, street classification, a mix of uses, and higher density, that automatically triggered the broader Type A standards under the Lafayette Development Code.

Bertrand Drive would have been the first corridor in Lafayette subject to Type A standards.

“Bait and Switch”: What Business Owners Are Saying

Deano’s Pizza owner Tim Metcalf was an early supporter of the revitalization project. He hosted several concerned business owners at his restaurant on Monday afternoon and has since pulled his backing.

“We were sold a bait and switch,” Metcalf said, according to the Advocate’s reporting. “The more we read it, the worse it got. They would not give (the document) to us before the meeting.”

When the project was first proposed, Metcalf said, the roadway changes were modest, and the timeline was about a year. Business owners only learned about the overlay district at a meeting with the mayor and LCG engineers and planners roughly two weeks ago.

After the mayor tabled the proposal, Metcalf posted his reaction on Facebook, taking direct aim at what overlay districts do to property values.

“Having heard the term ‘zoning overlay’ they never included me so I wasn’t sure what exactly they were or what they were used for,” Metcalf wrote. “Well seems they’re used to DEVALUE property so developers can buy said property for much reduced costs. This is all done in the name of ‘Beautification’ or ‘Redevelopment’!”

Metcalf also noted that Lafayette already has three overlay districts in place and said, in his view, all three fall in minority communities. LCG has existing overlay districts on Louisiana Avenue and University Avenue. The city has not publicly responded to that characterization.

The draft ordinance lays out what Type A compliance would have required. Corrugated metal siding, aluminum siding, and vinyl siding would all be banned. No exposed metal wall panels would be permitted on any exterior wall. Building colors would be restricted to natural earth tones, white, black, or shades of gray, with primary colors allowed only on trim and signage. Setbacks would max out at ten feet, all utilities would have to go underground, and every primary building entrance would have to face Bertrand Drive. Darkly tinted or mirrored windows would be off-limits on ground-floor street-facing frontages.

The draft also states that the rules would apply to buildings “redeveloped or established after the effective date.” That is the part that alarmed Delhomme and others. A business taking on a major renovation could be required to come into full compliance with standards that, as things stand, no property on the corridor currently meets. Metcalf said all three of his Bertrand businesses would be considered non-compliant today.

Terry Delhomme, co-owner of Armstrong and McCall beauty supply on Bertrand Drive, said his concern is less about what happens now and more about what happens down the road.

“If you change that zoning, it’s totally gonna cause us to lose money down the road,” Delhomme told the Advocate. “Now we’re not interested in seeing the project go forward. If they want to work with us and be reasonable and not take too much and do too much, we’re all for it.”

What Would Have Been Prohibited Under the Overlay District

The draft ordinance separated prohibited uses by zoning type. For properties zoned CH (Heavy Commercial), banned future businesses would have included convenience stores with fuel sales, car washes, gasoline or diesel fuel sales, pawnshops, bail bond services, auto and truck repair, manufactured home dealers, cemeteries, adult businesses, self-storage facilities, and wholesale distribution and warehousing.

For properties zoned CM (Medium Commercial), the list covered convenience stores with fuel sales, gasoline or diesel fuel sales, bail bond services, building material sales and services, light manufacturing, self-storage facilities, and cemeteries.

Signage rules would also have tightened considerably. Pole signs would be capped at five feet tall. Monument signs could be no higher than four feet. Maximum sign area for freestanding signs would be 36 square feet. Electronic readerboards would be gone entirely.

Boulet maintained that the prohibited uses and sign regulations were the only things her administration had been seeking. The building design requirements, she said, came attached automatically through the Type A trigger.

Where the Bertrand Drive Project Stands Now

Boulet said in a statement that LCG would take a fresh look at the Lafayette Development Code and how it applies to revitalization projects along existing commercial corridors. She said she is working with business owners on a revised approach.

“After several conversations with council members, I can say we are all interested in a code that works with our businesses, not against them,” Boulet wrote. “We will be formulating the appropriate changes to the code for public input prior to implementation.”

The roadwork is still moving forward. Phase I underground communications work got underway after a March 23 groundbreaking and is expected to wrap up by fall 2026. Full roadway construction is still scheduled to begin in Q1 2027, with completion targeted for 2028.

The design calls for removing the corridor’s center turning lane, a point of contention for many business owners, in favor of a 12-foot shared-use path on one side of the street and a six-foot sidewalk on the other. The project also includes raised pedestrian crossings with lighting and a redesign of the Johnston Street and South College intersections.

Boulet said the turning lane has to go. Too many elements of the project depend on removing it, she argued.

“Let me be clear, we can revitalize older parts of town, build safe pedestrian and bicycle facilities and build roadways that accommodate vehicles,” Boulet wrote. “In addition, we can do it without an unreasonable burden on our businesses. It is our responsibility to find that balance.”

Any revised overlay district would need Lafayette City Council approval before it could take effect.

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