For more than 150 years, the Hinshaw family has owned a piece of land near 96th Street in the southern part of Carmel. Recently, the Sunrise Golf Course served patrons for about 25 years until it closed in October.
Now a new owner – Justin Moffett’s Old Town Design Group has purchased the property – but there promises to be features to honor the land’s history.
“When the old Sunrise golf course became available, we truly believed that made for an excellent location,” Moffett said. “It has great history and we want to honor that.”
Moffett’s company plans to build single and multi-family units on the site’s 77 acres at 9876 Westfield Blvd. but plans on dedicating a substantial portion of the land to park space, including a memorial dedicated to Vera Hinshaw, one of the longtime owners who passed away on Sept. 1, 2013 at age 88. Vera loved the golf course and it was after her death that her family decided to sell the property.
Since the housing development is so close to the Monon Trail, developers worked closely with Carmel Clay Parks to make sure the area was something they could be excited about. Bike and walking paths are expected with a wildflower garden and an old wind pump honoring the area’s original use.
Old Town Design Group is known for cottage craft style homes that often called “right sized” because they give homeowners bigger homes instead of sprawling yards. Much of that philosophy will be applied to this developed which is described as “cozy but comfortable.” One difference though is the addition of multi-family units that will maintain the feel of custom-home living. Moffett said this is something that isn’t being done in Carmel right now.
Many of the homes will appeal to empty-nesters with single-story direct-access dwellings with private garages that lead right into the homes. Prices are expected in the $350,000 to $450,000 range to start.
The two major concerns expected are drainage and traffic. Moffett said he’s anticipated both reactions and has worked proactively to make sure these issues are addressed in planning.
With regards to traffic, Moffett said he looked at multiple traffic studies and conducted their own with the help of the Indiana Department of Transportation. He found that the average daily trip count along Westfield Boulevard in the area was 10,000 cars a day in 2012. This jumped to 16,000 a day when U.S. 31 closed. He said two things should help ease traffic concerns. For one, his development wouldn’t even really start until U.S. 31 was reopened most likely. And also the best way to alleviate traffic congestion in the area would be shortening stop times at intersections and the city of Carmel has identified several possible new roundabouts that could help with that concern in the future.
