'Moratorium' no more: WL approves first big housing projects near Purdue in years

Council president objects, stands alone, asking: How big is Purdue going to get? Plus, Lafayette eyes old rail corridor for new housing near downtown

Today’s Based in Lafayette sponsorship is in memory of Kathy Mayer for her dedication to the writing community in Greater Lafayette. Mayer, who died in 2018, was a professional writer who wrote for many local businesses and she was a poet who nurtured the ambitions of others who wanted to start writing or improve their work. This is the fourth year for the Kathy Mayer Writing Scholarship, developed to support young women writers. Friends and colleagues will host a reception June 22 at The Arts Federation, 638 North St., with proceeds going to the scholarship. For details, click the link below.

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MORATORIUM OVER, BUT NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT

The moratorium – if you can call it that – on big student housing developments near Purdue’s campus essentially ended Tuesday night in West Lafayette City Hall.

The city council voted overwhelmingly that evening in favor of a pair of projects in the Village area – one with seven stories and 763 beds; the other with 103 beds – for the first large-scale, high-density projects since 2019, when city officials put the brakes on things after a huge, high-rise building boom at the time.

But the moment came with frustration from Peter Bunder, the council president, who said he couldn’t vote to take on more major projects without first getting a sense from Purdue about how big is big enough when it comes to enrollment.

The Verve, a proposed development at Chauncey Avenue and Wood Street in West Lafayette. (Image: APC)