West Lafayette ban on facial-recognition technology tabled
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — An ordinance banning the governmental use of facial-recognition technology was tabled once again at Monday night's West Lafayette city council meeting. The ordinance was previously tabled at the March council meeting.
A similar ordinance was passed by the board with a 5-4 vote at the November 2021 city council meeting, but was vetoed by West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis. Changes to the ordinance's language, such as allowing use of this technology in cases of, "A West Lafayette official (investigating) or assisting in the investigation of the commission of a 'crime of violence,'" have been added to improve the possibility of passage.
However, due to one of the council members, Shannon Kang, being absent at Monday night's meeting, David Sanders moved that the ordinance be tabled to the May 2, 2022, city council meeting.
"Nevertheless," Sanders said, "because Shannon Kang was unable to join us today, I am going to move... that we table this once again so we can have a full discussion of this with all councilors present."
West Lafayette rezoning
A set of 3.11 acres located at the southeast corner of McCormick Road and Third Street in West Lafayette was approved to be rezoned to allow for the building of a 402-unit apartment complex.
"The site, along with all the Discovery Park District except the various planned development zones," the staff report for this ordinance says, "was rezoned in the fall of 2020 to CBW as part a neighborhood-wide rezone...Apart from some small, paved areas, the site is currently unimproved. Campus development surrounds the subject property including dormitories, parking facilities, intramural fields and the Purdue West shopping center."
The potential apartment complex the land was approved to be rezoned for is a single building consisting of five stories.
"It ranges from, kind of studio apartments to one bedroom, two bedroom and four bedroom with a number of different baths." Jeremy Slater, vice president of Capital Projects & Facilities at Purdue Research Foundation, said to the board.
Sanders addressed Slater and attorney Marianne Owen, of Stuart & Branigin LLP, with a question regarding "future fire department needs" in the area, especially regarding the time it would take nearby fire stations' firefighters to arrive in the event of an emergency. Mayor Dennis stepped in to reply.
"...because the geographic footprint of this area is so small," Dennis said. "that response (from emergency services) would be timely and would be time efficient..."
This ordinance unanimously passed the board's vote.
"Single-chair" physicians in the West Lafayette area were approved to conduct business out of their homes at Monday night's meeting as well.
"The Unified Zoning Ordinance of Tippecanoe County, the UZO," Chad Spitznagle, building commissioner for West Lafayette told the Journal & Courier, "has a prohibited and permitted list of home-occupations. And then there's also some restrictions that those have to meet. So, basically what got approved today was the ability to have some medical home occupations, if you have a state license, those could then be an approved home occupation."
Some of the required at-home rules medical workers must follow include: be a holder of a current state license to practice their field of medicine, do not hire employees and fulfill the needed parking requirements.
The approved medical occupations that were approved to now conduct business in their own homes includes, verbatim: "Physician, dentist, optometrist, podiatrist, chiropractor, naturopathic doctor, hypnotherapist, acupuncturist, or any medical or dental clinic, office, or hospital."
Spitznagle attributes the need to work from home the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the presentation of this ordinance to the board.
"We received a lot, quite a few (requests for this ordinance)," Spitznagle said. "Even (some) that wanted to bring their employees in and, obviously, we still want to keep it residential. Like I said, a single-chair salon can operate (out of a home), but that doesn't mean you have a receptionist."
The next West Lafayette City Council meeting will take place on May 2, 2022, at Margerum City Hall.
Margaret Christopherson is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email her at mchristopherson@jconline.com and follow her on Twitter @MargaretJC2.
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