Editor,
On Aug. 3, the Carmel City Council approved the 146th & Monon rezone proposal, allowing townhouses to be built on land zoned only for single-family homes, and at over four times the permitted density. Fifteen attached townhouses and a parking lot will be shoehorned into 1.26 acres. The surrounding neighborhoods all consist of single-family homes.
Councilors Kevin Rider, Jeff Worrell, Sue Finkam, Laura Campbell and Adam Aasen voted “yes” on the rezone. The first four are incumbents with a record of routinely voting in favor of residential rezones.
Councilors Tony Green, Tim Hannon, Miles Nelson and Bruce Kimball voted “no” on the rezone. Mr. Kimball’s vote was unexpected, since he typically votes in favor of residential rezones.
Bottom line: The city council has again voted to override the established residential zoning by approving yet another incompatible high-intensity project, despite strong opposition from nearby homeowners. This approval also sets an undesirable precedent to encourage additional such development proposals throughout Carmel. Please let city councilors know that these piecemeal residential rezones are not acceptable.
Dave Fox, Carmel
