Editor,
At the first meeting of the Carmel Housing Task Force, Henry Mestetsky, director of the Carmel Redevelopment Commission, and Mike Hollibaugh, director of Carmel’s Department of Community Services, blamed small, vocal minorities of residents who oppose new “missing middle” housing options for the lack of affordable housing options in Carmel.
It’s very disappointing to hear city employees draw this unfair and untrue conclusion about Carmel homeowners. My experience is the opposite. The city is insisting on high-priced, dense housing. In my neighborhood, they put a luxury condominium development with units listed at $800,000. This price point is well above the median for the city and our neighborhood.
We remonstrated, asking for something more in line with the price point of the neighborhood. The city ignored us and built the luxury development over our strenuous objections.
Moving forward, these actions would facilitate housing options for the missing middle:
- Direct the Carmel CRC and DOCS to stop working with developers to impose high-priced housing in moderately priced neighborhoods.
- Direct CRC and DOCs to work with neighbors. Listen to the residents. It’s their home.
Maureen Williams, Carmel
