Carmel planners review Homeplace sub‑area plan; 106 & College Inc. emerges as village steward

The Carmel Plan Commission Committee spent part of its Aug. 5, 2025, meeting reviewing the Homeplace sub‑area plan, a proposed amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan prepared by Yarden Company for the Department of Community Services. The committee opened discussion on the draft short‑form sub‑area plan and on how it should reference a larger companion document called "This Is Homeplace," which contains more detailed recommendations and community input.

Why it matters: The sub‑area plan is intended to guide the city’s role in investments, streetscape improvements and programming in the Homeplace neighborhood over the next five to 10 years. It will be incorporated into the Carmel comprehensive plan as a guidance document; the department clarified repeatedly during discussion that a sub‑area plan does not change zoning, alter existing PUDs, or allocate funding by itself.

Consultant Daniella Belcher of Yarden Company summarized the engagement process that led to the draft: the study began in April, included a June community cookout, an online survey that collected about 300 responses, door‑to‑door outreach to roughly 300 homes and about 80 businesses by community ambassadors, a webinar series, a November open house and a block party in May tied to activation of a pocket park. Belcher said the process produced a volunteer and contact base for future organization building.

One concrete outcome discussed at the meeting is 106 & College Incorporated, a newly formed nonprofit that Yarden Company and staff describe as a place‑based organization and a prospective Main Street America affiliate. Staff said the entity currently has three board members, a volunteer list of about 20 people and a contact list of roughly 400 community members who have signed up for updates. The group operates independently as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit; board appointments are determined by the organization and not by the city. Belcher and Yarden principals explained that the organization is intended to help implement short‑term initiatives — façade programs, small grants, placemaking events — and to serve as a partner to the city for business‑district activation.

Commissioners asked several clarifying questions and offered edits to the draft. Suggestions and directions from the committee included: - Clarify early in the introduction what a sub‑area plan does and does not do (so readers understand that the document provides guidance but does not rezone property or appropriate funds). This clarification was requested to be added to the shorter sub‑area plan text. - Consider whether the term “mixed use,” which appears multiple times, should be removed or revised due to community concern about that terminology. - Add a clear boundary definition for the "106 & College" business district and a short narrative describing what the business district extent includes so readers can tell which areas the business‑district guidance applies to. - Check with the 106 & College Inc. board on the organization’s mission wording and whether the language in the draft reflects the group’s intent; staff agreed to follow up with the organization’s three members. - Add more information about nearby private projects or active permits in the area (city staff agreed to explore whether a concise list or a link could be added to show recent or pending private work that relates to the plan).

Yarden Company representatives said the companion "This Is Homeplace" document is a larger, more detailed planning resource and that the sub‑area plan is meant as an executive‑style extract focused on what the city’s role should be. The city staff recommended keeping the shorter, more concise format for the comp‑plan amendment while pulling forward any specific companion‑document items the commission wanted to reference.

Other details discussed included the website and domain for the initiative (Yarden Company has hosted thisishomeplace.com and offered to transfer ownership to city staff) and a request from the committee to be explicit about volunteer and board recruitment materials, the board’s role in grant seeking, and how the nonprofit would coordinate with city programs such as façade or business improvement grants.

No formal vote was taken on the sub‑area plan at the Aug. 5 meeting. Staff and the consultant agreed to continue to revise the draft, incorporate the committee’s edits, and return the sub‑area plan for further review at a subsequent committee meeting.

Key details: community engagement captured about 300 survey responses and outreach to roughly 300 homes and 80 businesses; the newly formed 106 & College Incorporated described itself as having three board members, a volunteer list of about 20 and a contact list of approximately 400; Yarden Company said it can transfer the plan website and domain to the city for maintenance.