Carmel BPW recommends two right-of-way vacations to council, approves encroachment, stormwater waiver and temporary pole
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Summary
The Board recommended that City Council approve vacations of Calvert Place and Lot 107, approved a consent to encroach at 2285 Blissland Street, granted a stormwater technical standards waiver for Carmel Gateway West Lawn, and authorized a temporary aerial pole at 3915 W. 106th Street.
On June 18, 2025, the City of Carmel Board of Public Works and Safety made positive recommendations to City Council on two petitions to vacate public ways and approved several related property waivers and encroachment requests.
Caleb Warner of the Carmel Engineering Department reviewed the petition for Calvert Place and said staff had no opposition to vacating the right of way. Don Russell, speaking on behalf of petitioners Greg and Gail Korn and Jerry and Patricia Hahn, told the board one main reason for the request was that a driveway serving the Korns' house had been inadvertently placed inside the right of way. "One of the main reasons we're asking for the vacation is that the driveway for the Korns House was inadvertently placed inside the right of way," Don Russell said.
Sergey Grishuk, Office of Corporation Counsel, clarified the board's role: BPW acts in an advisory capacity and City Council will hold a public hearing and notify neighbors before deciding on a vacation. "You can make a positive, negative, or no recommendation to council, but they will be the ones actually deciding on the actual vacation and then reconfiguration of lots as petitioner presented," Grishuk said.
The board voted to make a positive recommendation to City Council on the Calvert Place petition. A separate petition to vacate Public Way Lot 107, presented as an unimproved roadway with an existing driveway and some storm sewer to be replaced with a utility easement, also received a positive recommendation. Warner noted the roadway was likely dedicated by a developer more than 50 years ago and had never been used as a city road.
The board approved a consent to encroach at 2285 Blissland Street for a private improvement within an easement and granted a waiver of stormwater technical standards for the Carmel Gateway West Lawn development, which staff said includes significant naturalized areas and for which engineering staff had no opposition. The board also approved a temporary aerial pole waiver at 3915 West 106th Street to service a new residence during construction; staff said the temporary pole will be removed once construction is complete.
The board additionally approved requests to use city streets and property for scheduled events after departments confirmed approvals.
