Much of the discussion by
residents at their recent neighborhood meeting echoed fostering a distinctive, attractive neighborhood with a
strong sense of place.
Neighbors envision crafting a vision and set of
standards for development and construction which respond to community values
of architectural beauty and distinctiveness.
Guided by a vision of how and where to grow, neighbors want to create an
interesting, unique neighborhood, which reflect the values and cultures of
the people who reside there, and foster the types of physical environments
that support their cohesive community fabric and conform to their
standards of distinctiveness and beauty.
By creating a high-quality
neighborhood with architectural and natural elements that reflect the
interests of all residents, there is a greater likelihood that they, the residents, can create
economic vitality and greater value over time for their homes and
small businesses.
As you know, history, culture, food, and music are basic ingredients fueling tourism in
Lafayette, and Freetown begs to be exposed.
So...
I put forth the position that Freetown residents deserve to have an
opportunity to engage in and persue improving the physical
appearance of their neighborhood, increasing the value of their
property and having the first opportunity, by working with developers,
to capture the economic benefits of tourism.
Let's not assail or diminish the
value of our historic and cultural assets. And let's not let
others minimize the value of our history and culture and sense of place by creating
the ambiance student apartments are know for.