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Nov 07, 2024

Parking Meters passed at West Lafayette City Hall for Purdue | City & State | purdueexponent.org

An ordinance permitting the placing of meters to regulate parking in West Lafayette was passed at Thursday’s city council meeting. All of the councilors voted in favor of the ordinance, including its

An ordinance permitting the placing of meters to regulate parking in West Lafayette was passed at Thursday’s city council meeting.

All of the councilors voted in favor of the ordinance, including its author and Purdue professor David Sanders.

Parking spots will cost between $1 and $3 depending on their location and can be paid through the Park Mobile app, said WLPD Deputy Chief David VanVactor. Extensions to one’s parking time can also be made through the app.

Drivers will need to log their license plate information and the number of the spot they’re parked on the app. The police can then check to see if a spot is paid.

“Parking is increasingly a problem, and we're concerned about people being pushed onto West Lafayette's streets,” Councilman David Sanders said.

Sanders said that these meters, which affect 1,000 parking spots on Waldron, Russel, State, Mitch Daniels and Carter streets, aim to “free up parking,” especially for visitors.

“I think it’s necessitated by the growth of the city,” Sanders said in an earlier interview with the Exponent. “It just makes it fairer for everyone to potentially obtain a parking spot.”

He also said in the meeting that people tend to see parking signs as “suggestions,” and this would ensure that people follow parking regulations.

Changes to parking VEO vehicles

In what ended up being the longest discussion item, VEO’s ordinance for updating its parking process was passed with one in opposition.

The main change coming this fall regards the end-of-ride photos that users must submit through the app.

“This (change) will immediately tell if the user is marked correctly, and right away telling us, yes or no so we (don’t have to) wait until we find the issue,” said VEO Policy Partnerships Manager Aaron Madrid.

Councilwoman Michelle Dennis, who voted against the ordinance, said she was concerned about how VEO was going to adjust to changes in the “city’s expectations.”

“We can’t modify an ordinance every time a new technology comes out,” she told the Exponent after the meeting.

Student concerns over finding space at on-campus bike racks were also addressed during the meeting.

“We’ll work with our partners at the university and when we identify the response we can actually put caps on the number of vehicles that we need,” Madrid said.

He said that although this was a rare case, the VEO system could follow the caps accordingly, preventing more people from parking their VEO vehicle when a rack reached its capacity.

Hub Chauncey zoning ordinance passed

Multiple zoning ordinances, including the Wesley Foundation of Purdue, Purdue Research Foundation and the Hub Chauncey, were passed during the meeting. However, the Hub Chauncey ordinance faced its fair share of criticism from Sanders and members of the public.

The ordinance designated the time when the zoning for the Hub Chauncey project would take effect, replacing Chauncey Hill Mall on 134 West State St.

Except for Sanders, who abstained, six remaining councilors, including the two Purdue students, voted in favor.

“I really believe that it’s important for students who come from families that aren’t well off that they have full access to all of the amenities of the university,” Sanders said to the Exponent. “That they have access to dining hall food in a reasonable amount of time and have housing options, these (projects) aren’t creating that.”

He said some of these projects, such as the recently approved high-rise project on West Wood Street, even “displaced affordable housing.”

“Rental costs must meet the people where they’re at,” said Brantly McCord, a West Lafayette resident.

Exemption of menstrual products from retail sales tax

A resolution exempting menstrual products from the Indiana retail sales tax was also passed during the meeting.

Indiana is one of the 21 states that still tax menstrual products, said Councilwoman Stacey Burr, with the state being among three states with the highest tax rates for menstrual supplies at seven percent.

“We believe that our city is committed to promoting gender equity and supporting initiatives that reduce economic disparities,” Burr said.

The resolution was passed with minor amendments were made for clarity.

Additional reporting provided by Olivia Mapes, campus editor.

For the first time in 14 years, the West Lafayette Mayor is creating a new “strategic plan” and is seeking public input to help dictate her agenda for the next decade. The city is looking for feedback on housing, sustainability, economic development and riverfront redevelopment.

The West Lafayette City Council voted unanimously to put parking meters throughout Purdue's campus. But several councilors told the Exponent recently they were "unclear" about what the ordinance does — even when they voted for it.

Parking, according to students, has gotten worse this year with construction and a higher student population. Purdue said it has plans to make it more efficient.