Carmel plan commission sends group‑home UDO changes to committee after public hearing

The Carmel Plan Commission held a public hearing June 17 on a city‑council‑initiated amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) that would revise definitions, approval procedures and standards for group homes and then voted to send the draft to the Committee of the Whole with the committee having final approval.

The ordinance would: add state certification requirements for some group‑home types; cap the number of unrelated residents in certain residential districts; move most special‑exception hearings from a BZA hearing officer to the full Board of Zoning Appeals; and require the director of community services to advise applicants about building classification issues under the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

Supporters of the changes said the amendments respond to recent litigation and aim to give the BZA clearer standards. Office of Corporation Counsel attorney Sergei Grishkin summarized the most substantive changes: "The first amendment ... incorporates additional requirements for certain types of group homes, specifically group homes housing persons with developmental disabilities. They have to obtain appropriate certification from Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services and also, group homes housing individuals living with psychiatric disorders or addictions ... would have to obtain appropriate certification from Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction." Department of Community Services staff noted the ordinance was initiated by the city council and that the plan commission has a 60‑day window to make its recommendation back to council.

Commissioners and council representatives asked questions about how the ordinance would work in practice. Grishkin said the draft would limit group homes in S‑ and R‑districts to no more than eight unrelated persons: "The 8 ... came up ... it's probably one of the most common sizes of group homes that we see across Indiana and the country." He and others emphasized the ordinance remains subject to federal requirements such as reasonable‑accommodation provisions of the Fair Housing Act and that any proximity analysis of other group homes should be decided case by case.

Plan Commission members asked how many group‑home applications the city typically sees; staff said Carmel receives a "small handful" — generally fewer than five per year. Department staff also said some technical, minor edits will be proposed before committee to remove obsolete references to paper submissions.

The commission voted to send docket PZ‑2025‑00101 to the Committee of the Whole with the committee granted final voting authority; the motion carried with no recorded opposition.

The committee will consider minor draft edits suggested by staff and the legal department before returning the ordinance to the city council.