MKSK’s plan to create 2,000 residential spaces in Lafayette

Landscape architecture group MKSK has set out a plan for 12 development sites which could create about 2,173 residential spaces and anywhere between 198 and 395 jobs.

Associate principal planner of MKSK, Aaron Kowalski said to the commissioners that the plan included a combination of sites that would have properties and parking lots “filled in.”

MKSK’s plan also included ways to enhance the Lafayette Farmer’s Market. Creating a shelter for the vendors that could also be used as parking space was a key point in the presentation.

Another project discussed in the plan was the creation of a park called the “Chase Park” in front of the Chase Bank building.

Several times through the presentation, Kowalski pointed out areas that could see more street and murals.

Audience members raised concerns about the possible decrease in parking spots and affordable housing options in the area.

Kowalski said a lot of the parking that exists today goes unused.

“The idea is if you have daytime uses (for parking), but the people that are living in that building are at a job, potentially that garage or that surface lot could be used for businesses in the area,” Kowalski said.

He encouraged shared parking agreements as well as the usage of garages.

“A lot of communities are putting together shared parking agreements,” he said. “What we want to allow for then is … to optimize the investment that the city's made in garages and, and having people utilize those as well.”

A question asked by a member of audience expressed concerns over a potential decrease in affordable housing options.

“The unit sizes and a lot of these projects that we've envisioned could lend well towards affordable and attainable housing,” Kowalski said.

“Affordable housing would be housing that takes advantage of state tax credit programs … Attainable housing would be looking at creating smaller units that could be priced at a lower point.”

Developments to road safety campaign

In order to help people get adjusted to the lane conversion on 3rd and 4th streets, Indiana Design Consortium updated the commissioners on their “catchy, jingle-based” campaign.

Stephanie Bossung, a representative of IDC, a marketing agency specializing in traffic safety, said a public safety campaign that involved making parodies of popular tunes was in the works.

“We're going to parody a Taylor Swift song so hopefully we can reach that (young) audience,” she said while smiling.

Bossung told the audience this campaign would be coupled with PSA’s, QR codes around the city and social media posts.

The marketing campaign would also allow the public to submit their own tunes.