A neighborhood development process is moving forward after previously being sent back for further review by the Lafayette Planning Commission. But the city is still emphasizing that the should neighborhood have multi-family homes.

The Lafayette City Council unanimously approved the appeal of the Silo neighborhood development sketch plan with the conditions that the developer look into more ways to add more diversity in housing options and price points, during the council’s Tuesday evening meeting. The Silo development is located south of Arapahoe Road and west of the proposed extension of Aspen Ridge Drive. The second phase of development — the one officials are considering — is north of the current Silo neighborhood.

Planning Commission members sent back the development sketch plan to developers Cornerstone Homes and Lennar Colorado for the second phase of the Silo neighborhood during the commission’s April 9 meeting. Commissioners expressed their concerns about the loss of a diversity of housing types, housing density, and open space and parks in the neighborhood plan. The developers appealed the commission’s decision.

The plan the developer team presented to the commission and to the council varied from the original 2017 development details, which proposed 317 units, including single- and multi-family homes as well as retail space.

The proposed new plan included about 230 housing units, including 122 townhomes, 107 single-family homes and six duplexes. The appeal is designed to remain broad and go over the general changes proposed, said Steven Williams, the city’s Planning and Building Department director, such as the reduction in homes and open space as well as no longer planning to have a retail space.

“We’re trying to keep it high level at this phase because it’s non-binding and (the developers) are trying to get direction before moving forward with a lot of additional costs for design work,” Williams said.

He said the concerns city staff had about the amendment are similar to those the commission had.

City Council member Nicole Samson said her main concern with the development proposal is the lack of multi-family units, especially considering the fact that some homes could have accessory dwelling units — sometimes known as “granny flats” or “mother-in-law apartments” — but it is not a guarantee.

She said she is happy to approve the appeal, but if the development comes back with no multi-family housing options, then she will be more hesitant to move the development forward in the future.

Councilmember Tim Barnes said he would like to see the project get over the finish line, considering the town has been working with the developer since 2016. But he does sympathize with Silo residents who are seeing a reduction in open land envisioned for the area.