City eyes old Pop’s B&K root beer stand, first step in Five Points plan
Plus, SK hynix, in new court filing, contends that start of construction means no turning back … including for lawsuits trying to stop the $3.87B semiconductor project
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CITY EYES OLD POP’S B&K ROOT BEER STAND, START OF FIVE POINTS PLAN
A spot that was home to a retired root beer stand that opened shortly after World War II, and which has been a revolving series of restaurants and used car dealerships for the past quarter-century, could be the start of Lafayette’s plans to revitalize a stretch of Main Street between the Five Points intersection and Columbian Park.
The Lafayette Redevelopment Commission this week will consider the purchase of the former Pop’s B&K property at 1701 Main St., with the city’s plans to demolish the building and car hop slots, according to city documents.
Dennis Carson, Lafayette’s economic development director, said the short-term plan is to turn the corner lot at 18th and Main streets into temporary green space. But he said the eventual idea is to make it a launch for a Five Points plan pulled together eight years ago.
“In the long term, (our goal is to) redevelop it as a gateway place and/or housing as noted in the plan,” Carson said. “I’m excited about it, as this is the first significant thing to happen that aligns with the plan that was developed with the area stakeholders in 2018. It’s a small step, but hopefully we can leverage it for revitalization of the area.”
The city is looking at buying the property for $105,000 from Shreya & Yash Investment LLC, based in Westfield, according to city documents.
Pop’s B&K Root Beer Stand was a drive-in opened in 1948 by Bernard Finley. It was a staple at the corner through several owners before being converted into other restaurants and then assorted car sales and detailing businesses.
In 2018, the city wrapped up a $161,000 study of Five Points, a section of Lafayette that takes in parts of four neighborhoods – Perrin, Columbian Park, Valley Center and St. Mary – and includes a busy triangle of intersections bounded by Main, 18th and South streets. The concept was to show what might be done to make Five Points – which is four blocks up the hill from downtown Lafayette and about four blocks from Columbian Park in the other direction – more of a destination for development.
The plan included ideas that incorporated historic facades backed by new construction, a commercial development in the triangle bound by Main, 18th and South streets; a mix of retail and housing along South Street, between 15th and 16th streets; wider sidewalks, including first-ever sidewalks along some parts of 18th Street; bike lanes; and new park space.
The plan contemplated the possibility of new townhomes where the former Pop’s B&K property is.
What’s next: The Lafayette Redevelopment Commission meets at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, at city hall, 20 N. Sixth St.
Here’s a look at concepts from the Five Points plan from 2018:
SK HYNIX, IN COURT: START OF CONSTRUCTION MEANS NO TURNING BACK … INCLUDING FOR LAWSUITS TRYING TO STOP $3.87B PROJECT
Hours after the first stakes were hammered in Monday, lining soil barrier fencing along Yeager Road and signaling work starting on SK hynix’s planned $3.87 billion semiconductor facility, attorneys for the South Korean company stepped up its contention that time was up on a pair of lawsuits looking to reverse course at the 133-acre West Lafayette site.
In a court filing Monday afternoon, SK hynix argued that because a pair of lawsuits filed in June 2025 – both looking to overturn a May 2025 rezoning vote that cleared the way for industrial uses on the land north of Kalberer Road – did not ask the court for a preliminary injunction in the past eight months to stop work on the site, construction prep happening now gives the company “vested rights” to the property and essentially makes the court challenges too late.
“Their failure to seek an available remedy means they can no longer challenge SK hynix’s use of the property, and they certainly cannot sit back while SK hynix constructs the approximately $4 billion proposed facility and expect it to be dismantled later,” attorneys wrote in SK hynix’s latest filing.
