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WL panel makes changes to parking around 720 Northwestern Ave

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Sidewalk and street updates are set to accompany a large building project in West Lafayette.

Developers of the 720 Northwestern Avenue project say they need more road space for a truck loading dock. The building will be home to a convenience store, a grocery store, and apartments, along with underground parking.

West Lafayette Public Works Director Dave Buck says the change is being proposed because deliveries will be coming in on bigger trucks than anticipated.

"The longer semi-trailer takes more room to maneuver and by revamping the street in a different manner than what they had originally designed, they're able to have the trucks enter and exit from Northwestern and not go through the neighborhood."

Buck says routing trucks away from nearby residential areas was a priority. The updated plan also allows for ramps to the dock and the underground parking garage to be at a lower, safer grade.

"By widening the sidewalk they'll be able to work those grades out in a much cleaner fashion,” Buck says. “And to the average person it's just going to look much more like it fits together right, rather than 'Boy, this really looks like it's crammed all together.'"

He says the street work will be financed by the developers. The end result also includes a net gain of 11 public parking spaces in the area across from Mackey Arena.

The West Lafayette Traffic Commission recently approved the proposed changes.

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