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Developer outlines 1,360-unit mixed-use plan for Michigan Road site; council opens public hearing
Summary
Edward Rose and Sons presented a proposed US 421 WCD planned unit development for 22 acres off Michigan Road that would include up to 1,360 multifamily units, about 2 acres of commercial space and roughly 5 acres of open space; the council opened a public hearing and will send the item to Land Use committee.
The Carmel Common Council opened a public hearing Monday on a rezone request from Edward Rose and Sons to re-develop about 22 acres on Michigan Road with a mixed-use project that would include multifamily buildings, commercial frontage and public amenities.
John Davoshaewitz, a land-use attorney representing the applicant, said the proposal would allow up to 1,360 apartment units across seven buildings (three four-story buildings and four three-story buildings) and provide roughly 5 acres of open space—more than 20% of the site—along with a 6,500-square-foot public plaza adjacent to Michigan Road. The site is the former Resort Condominiums International headquarters and is currently zoned I-1 industrial and subject to the US 421 Michigan Road overlay district.
Davoshaewitz told the council the plan places parking to the rear, adds pedestrian connections and seeks state approval for a signalized crosswalk at either Retail Parkway or 90 Ninth Street. “The site design includes positioning of parking areas so that they are shielded from view from adjacent roadways,” he said, describing rooftop amenities, plazas, dog parks and tree preservation in the northwest area of the site.
Mike Steffes, president of a neighboring company, said his group supports the project and that the development would add pedestrian vitality to West Carmel and provide potential corporate housing for local employers. “Putting a warehouse in Mayflower Park doesn’t provide any step towards redevelopment,” Steffes said in public comment, adding that the proposal would “provide an elevated aesthetic as compared to the industrial buildings and uses that might otherwise occupy the site.”
Council members asked staff and the applicant several procedural and policy questions. Henry Mestetsky, the city’s redevelopment director, confirmed the site sits inside an existing county TIF district and said the city would not capture TIF revenue from the project. Nick Weber of the city clarified that available industrially zoned land in Carmel is limited and that this Michigan Road corridor and a Gradle Avenue area are the primary remaining industrial zones.
The planning commission unanimously recommended the rezoning to the council; Davoshaewitz said the planning commission forwarded a favorable recommendation after neighborhood meetings earlier in the year. The council introduced first reading of Ordinance Z-6-97-25 tonight and will send the item to the Land Use and Special Studies Committee for more detailed review. Councilors and staff noted the council must act within 90 days of plan commission certification under state law; certification occurred May 21, giving an August 19 deadline for final council action.
No council vote to rezone occurred tonight. Councilors requested additional committee review on traffic impacts, commercial use restrictions for the commercial frontage and other development standards before returning the item to the full council.
