Editor,
Carmel City Council public hearings for two important residential rezone proposals are scheduled for July 20.
The Jackson’s Grant Village proposal at 116th Street and Spring Mill Road (northwest quadrant) includes townhouses and commercial development on land zoned for single-family homes. The 146th Street and Monon proposal is for townhouses on land zoned for single-family homes, at four times the permitted density.
These proposals follow in the footsteps of many other incompatible residential rezones approved by the council in recent years. Examples include:
· Main Street and Clay CenterRoad — A residential development was approved with lot sizes less than half the permitted minimum.
· 116th Street and College Avenue — Townhouses were approved on property zoned for single-family homes at five times the maximum permitted density.
· 106th and Illinois streets — A three-story office building was approved on property zoned for single-family homes.
· 116th Street and Spring Mill Road (southeast quadrant) — A shopping center was approved on property zoned for single-family homes. Multi-family units are on the docket here as well.
Thus, it’s not surprising that a developer now proposes 280 homes and townhouses on a 56-acre property near 146th Street and Towne Road that is zoned for single-family homes, which would be five times the maximum permitted density.
Developers will undoubtedly continue to propose increasingly intense projects in residential areas as long as the city council continues to approve every residential rezone that comes along. This needs to stop.
To Carmel residents: Even though the current rezone proposals may not immediately affect you, they still set a precedent, and the next incompatible development proposal could be near your home. Please tell city councilors ASAP that our residential zoning must be upheld and respected. Contact information for councilors is available at Carmel.in.gov.
Dave Fox, Carmel
