Editor,
The public hearing for the Flora on Springmill PUD rezone proposal will be coming up soon before the Carmel City Council, possibly as soon as March 7. This development would be comprised of 129 residential units on 18 acres on a parcel located just north of I-465 and just west of Spring Mill Road.
The developer proposes a density of 7.2 units per acre, which is three times greater than the maximum allowable density for the zoning. The residential units would mostly be three-story and four-story townhouse buildings, whereas the zoning allows only single-family homes with a maximum of two stories.
In addition, the developer proposes to remove 80 percent of the trees on this fully wooded property, which does not seem appropriate for a city that markets itself as “Tree City USA.” Furthermore, virtually no substantive amenities are proposed, very little usable internal greenspace would be provided for residents and several of the housing units would be located within 60 feet of the I-465 right-of-way.
I submit that this type of dense-pack development is not desired anywhere on the west side of Carmel, and approval of this proposal in its current form would set a very undesirable precedent.
Carmel residents are encouraged to call or email city councilors with feedback regarding this proposal.
Dave Fox, Carmel
