Council debates Boiler Room
patio
By Heather Mangold
City
Editor
A large issue during Thursday's West Lafayette
pre-council meeting was the amendment to an ordinance that would prevent
Boiler Room from adding a rooftop patio.
Barbara Sparby, D-At Large, said that she predicted
the issue would result in a vote of 4-3 in favor of the amendment during
next Tuesday's common council meeting. An official vote cannot actually
be determined until the meeting, however.
If the amendment would be adopted by the West Lafayette
city council, Boiler Room would be required to add one additional parking
space per every 100 gross square feet of floor area created by the patio.
Without the amendment, the square footage created by the patio would
not be included in the parking requirement law. The Area Plan Commission
met on Aug. 15 and voted 8-5 in favor of recommending the amendment
to six government jurisdictions, including West Lafayette.
Chris Watson, owner of Boiler Room, said he feels
as though county and city officials are targeting his business because
of its nature.
"I understand they don't like the bars, but we
are a legal business," said Watson.
Council member Jan Mills, D-2nd, and member of
the Area Plan Commission, said that the decision by the commission to
recommend the adoption of the amendment to West Lafayette city council
had nothing to do with one particular business.
"The issue is do we require every business to follow
parking restrictions or do we make exceptions?" said Mills.
Arni Cohen, D-at large, asked what the recommendations
of the commission would have been if the issue concerned something other
than a bar.
Mills said, "I don't know. I know that the issue
was discussed."
Cohen said, "Logic to me says that there's a lot
of parking there."
Watson also said his number one contention was
that there is enough public parking available for Boiler Room customers
in the Grant Street Parking Garage.
Some members of the council agreed that the garage
could be used for Boiler Room customers. The garage is open to the public
after 5 p.m. every day, said Gil Satterly, D-4th.
The city of Lafayette joins West Lafayette in voting
on the issue. Lafayette's zoning ordinances exempt downtown business
from parking requirements.
Brad Windler, D-1st, said, "I had a conversation
with the Lafayette city engineer last week and she said she didn't think
(the amendment) was going to go over well on her side of the river."
Both West Lafayette and Lafayette city councils
will vote on the commission's recommendation and each city's decision
will have no effect on the other.
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