Lafayette City Council Meeting - May 19, 2026: Cemetery Moratorium, Car Wash Approval, and Land Use Code Update
Lafayette City Council Meeting - May 19, 2026
This meeting covered a wide range of topics, including extensive public input on the cemetery moratorium, approval of a car wash special use review, an economic development update, and a land use code update with direction on several key provisions. Council also approved board and commission appointments.
Consent Calendar
- Approved items A through I (including April meeting minutes, budget appropriation, floodplain improvements, licensing authority appointments, intergovernmental agreements, and a pocket park contract) with item H (pocket park contract) pulled for separate discussion and subsequently approved.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Cemetery Moratorium (majority of public input): Nearly 20 speakers, including Frank Archuletta, Ernie Garcia, Gary Posey, Chris Donlinger, and others, expressed strong opposition to the proposed resolution to prohibit casket burials in the Lafayette Cemetery. They argued that the city sold 270 burial plots, creating a contract that should be honored. Speakers cited the GPR survey showing no evidence of stacking or overlapping graves, and urged council to allow individual plot-by-plot assessments or to grandfather existing plot owners. Many shared emotional stories of family members wishing to be buried together. Several speakers also offered creative solutions, such as hand-digging, vertical stacking, or individual plot surveys funded by families.
- Land Use Code Update: Ron Smallton urged tabling the Neighborhood Serving Commercial (NSC) zoning, citing lack of public outreach and potential conflicts with existing PUDs and HOAs. Vicky Euland (speaking as a land use code working group member) supported tabling NSC and raised concerns about building heights in Old Town, requesting that the 35-foot limit be maintained. Bonnie Freeman also spoke against taller buildings in Old Town, warning of canyon-like streets. Another speaker, Nick Torres, spoke in favor of the tobacco retail license policy, citing youth vaping data.
Discussion Items
- Response to Cemetery Public Input: Council members expressed empathy and acknowledged the community's pain. They discussed the need for a separate community listening session (already in the works for early June) and directed staff to ensure better communication with plot owners. Some council members suggested walking the cemetery with families or doing additional analysis of the GPR data before the community meeting.
- Pocket Park Contract (Item H): Councilor Gianola raised concerns about park furniture, pollinator gardens, and use of historic bricks. Staff confirmed flexibility to incorporate changes (e.g., adding dwarf rabbit brush, signage). The contract was approved unanimously.
- Car Wash Special Use Review (Resolution 2026-15): Staff and applicant Ted Lopez presented the proposed 4,900 sq ft car wash at 2378 Highway 287. Planning commission recommended approval with conditions including a high-contrast crosswalk and an 8-foot wall around the trash enclosure. Council discussed traffic, noise, water recycling, lighting, and landscaping. The applicant agreed to explore solar panels and additional screening. The public hearing had no speakers. Council approved the resolution with the planning commission's conditions.
- Economic Development Update: Directors Bridget and Isabella presented on strategic plan goals, partnerships (Small Business Development Center, Latino Chamber, etc.), the small business capital grant program (56 applications, over $2M private investment), and the Vacant to Vibrant pilot program. They highlighted upcoming projects including the Sundance Film Festival's regional impact, redevelopment of the former Chase Bank site, a boutique motel conversion at Tiptop, and other DDA-area projects. Council discussed vacancy rates, the need for a hotel, and Sundance marketing.
- Land Use Code Update: Planning Manager Phil Kleisler presented on three remaining issues: Neighborhood Serving Commercial (NSC), Building Height, and Missing Middle Housing. After discussion, council directed staff to: (1) Table NSC for further study; (2) Table building height changes and instead rely on a discretionary height adjustment process through planning commission and council; (3) Move forward with Missing Middle Housing, but with additional objective criteria (e.g., on-street parking, sidewalks) rather than a map-based approach. Staff will bring the full code update to planning commission in June and council in July.
- Council Appointments: Appointments were approved for the Cultural Arts Board, Historic Preservation Commission, Older Adults Advisory Board, Sustainability and Resilience Advisory Board, and Human Rights Board (with Councilor Boulier recused from voting on his spouse's appointment to the Human Rights Board).
Key Outcomes
- Cemetery: No action taken (not on agenda). Council committed to a community listening session in early June and directed staff to improve communication with plot owners. Some council members expressed interest in visiting the cemetery with families.
- Car Wash (Resolution 2026-15): Approved unanimously with planning commission conditions (high-contrast crosswalk, 8-foot trash enclosure wall).
- Pocket Park Contract: Approved unanimously (item H).
- Land Use Code Update: Council directed staff to table NSC and height provisions, and to move forward with Missing Middle Housing using objective criteria. Staff will bring the full code to planning commission in June and council in July.
- Board Appointments: Approved as recommended, with the first Human Rights Board appointment (Mary Badabi, spouse of Councilor Boulier) approved after Councilor Boulier recused himself.
- RTD Skyride: Council discussed supporting the RTD Skyride bus service from Longmont to DIA with a stop at the Lafayette Park & Ride. Staff will draft a letter of support, and council will receive an update before finalizing.
- Future Meetings: Workshops scheduled for May 26 (communications framework, building code update) and June 2 (Willoughby sketch plan, wildland-urban interface code, affordable housing fee discussion).
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to the city council. Our Councillor Boulier is running a few minutes late, but we will get started and we will go ahead and start with the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you so much. Click back. Can we please get a roll call? Mayor Tapia Vega? Here. Mayor Pro Tem Barnes. Good evening. Counselor Polier. Councilor Friedland. Here. Counselor Callevas. Good evening. Councilor Giannola. Here. And Councilor Jensen. Here. Mayor, we have a quorum. Thank you so much. As I said, Councilor F Councillor Bullier is only a few minutes away. He'll be joining us soon. As with every city council meeting, we will begin tonight with uh public input. For those of you who wish to speak, just fill out one of these speaker request forms there in the back through that glass door and hand it over to our city clerk. When you do come up and speak, just state your name and address for the record, and then you will have five minutes to speak. If you don't have a good gauge of what five minutes look like, don't worry about it. There's a little clock right in front of you that'll tell you exactly how much time you have left. Uh just in terms of fairness and equity at the five minute mark, I will stop you just so everyone gets the same exact amount of time. Um and with that, oh actually, and if you're not here, you can also speak uh to us online. So we have public input, and that phone number is on our website. And with that, uh we will speak we will start tonight with Mr. Frank Archuletta. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, Council members here, staff. Staff, stop insulting all the 270 plot owners. It is time for the truth. Council, you must allow coffin burials. Council, do not betray the citizens who paid and own 270 burial plots. Your integrity, your ethnics, your leadership is important. You must maintain the loyalty and honor to your oath. No justice for the senior citizens who paid and owned 270 burial plots. The Colorado State archaeologists and city staff have no evidence or proof to be able to shut down all 270 burial plots to no casket burials. The city of Lafayette paid 83,000 to SWCA, the environmental consultants for ground penetration radar, GTR. The executive summary states, the cemetery appears, overall organized, appearing in roles, and no evidence of stack or overlapping. It is recommended by SWCA, Environmental Consultants. Any excavation be undertaken with extreme care. The agent recognition to say shut the cemetery down to all casket burials here, basically. You must not pass the resolution 26 to the S 13 here. The state archaeologists did not have the authority to recommend to staff to close all casket burials in the domain 270 plus. The state archaeologist was here in Lafayette for only three days.
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