Seeing Beyond the Landmark J&C 5/5/12

Among the parting words in the back-and-forth over The Landmark — a large commercial/residential project that relied heavily on a walk-up student crowd and scant parking spaces by design — were some of encouragement for a developer told to start over

“I don’t think this is the right development for that site,” said Gerry Keen, a West Lafayette City Council member and a member of the Area Plan Commission on the night the APC recommended denial of rezoning for Marc Muinzer’s project along Northwestern Avenue, across from Mackey Arena. “We’ll find the right one. ... It might even come from Mr. Muinzer. He has first rights. He owns the property. He’s a smart guy.”

Muinzer might have misread the mood of the community and the city’s willingness to accept a project that had parking spots for roughly one-third of the bedrooms offered in his initial plan. But he’s returned to the APC with redesigned plans that would include parking for roughly 80 percent of the bedrooms. That’s more in the ballpark of specifications recommended by county planners.

Neighbors were still asking a question beyond the footprint of The Landmark, though: What’s up with a larger development plan for the blocks just east of Northwestern Avenue, across from Purdue University.

Fair question.

The idea of planning studies for the Northwestern Avenue corridor have been kicked around, given that the city will soon take control of the road from the state. But the notion hasn’t progressed much beyond that, leaving the area open to piecemeal development that is guaranteed to come.

- J & C Editorial 5/5/12