Proposed Airbnbs take a hit as opposition grows in West Lafayette

Neighbors fended off not one, not two, but three short-term rental proposals for single-family areas in and around West Lafayette.

• Thanks today for sponsorship help from Lafayette Master Chorale, which joins Purdue University Choir for “Considering Matthew Shepard” at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in West Lafayette. The three-part oratorio honors the story of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student beaten and killed in a 1998 murder deemed a hate crime. For tickets, click the image below or go to: lafayettemasterchorale.org. Ahead of the concert, join a panel discussion: ”Hate Crimes: 25 Years After Matthew Shepard’s Death, What Have We Learned and Where Are We Going?” 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, First United Methodist Church, 1700 Mitch Daniels Blvd., West Lafayette. The panel will include: The Rev. Duane Carlisle, First United Methodist Church; the Rev. Dr. Hilary Cooke, Chapel of the Good Shepherd/Lafayette Master Chorale; Beth McCuskey, Purdue vice provost for Student Life; Christopher Munt, senior director, Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Purdue; James Shelton, Purdue University Choir; Dennis Shepard, father of Matthew Shepard; and moderator Jeff Smith of WLFI-TV 18.

GET TICKETS HERE

• Thanks, also, today for sponsorship from Purdue’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, presenting a free showing of “The Price of Progress: The Indiana Avenue Story” on Nov. 14 at Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall. The two-act play highlights the heritage of a downtown Indianapolis community called “The Harlem of the Midwest” for its thriving culture of Black-owned businesses, performing arts, educational influences and a jazz legacy — from bebop to hip-hop — that attracted the most renowned musicians of the 20th century. Get more details and free tickets here.

GET YOUR FREE TICKET HERE

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PROPOSED AIRBNBS TAKE A HIT AS OPPOSITION GROWS IN WEST LAFAYETTE

The prospects for Airbnb-styled investments in areas zoned for single-family homes dimmed this week, particularly in West Lafayette, where neighborhoods continued a coordinated onslaught of opposition.

The Area Board of Zoning Appeals on Wednesday rejected three of four applications for special exceptions to allow short-term rentals, getting applause from residents who came in T-shirts touting neighborhoods and yard signs that cropped up in recent weeks in the University Farm neighborhood on the north side of West Lafayette.

(Photo: Dave Bangert)