For months existing business owners and the Downtown Development Authority have worked on the Unified Development Code and it’s just a few weeks away from possible adoption by the Lafayette Consolidated Government.

Carlee Alm-Labar, Chief Development Officer, Lafayette Consolidated Government says, “The unified development code is going to be once it’s adopted, one place that folks that own property can go to understand the regulations, the development regulations that apply to their property.”

Through a series of workshops, the community has a chance to learn about the code. This meeting is specifically for the downtown area. An action plan calls for Lafayette’s downtown to provide high-quality city living. This code provides predictability regarding the character of what is built downtown; it will also call for convenience and vibrancy to the exterior of properties in the area. Building regulations, zoning regulations, sign regulations have current codes which date back as far as the 60’s, and don’t match the idea of how the city of Lafayette is expected to grow.

Danny Nugier, a property owner, says, “I think it’s a good thing, I think what they are doing is great, but we are curious to see how it is going to affect us.”

Officials promise that the new code is just a re-tweaking of old rules but won’t take away any uniqueness from downtown, as the code is not a one size fits all. This comes as a relief to those who already own property.

Nugier says, “We are going to work with them, I think what they are doing is good, and it will give some uniformity to the properties”.

Two more workshops are scheduled this Thursday and Friday morning at the Rosa Parks Center in Lafayette. The code will be presented during LCG’s planning commission meeting on Monday at 5:30, for consideration.