Carmel housing panel flags zoning limits, maps show heavy single‑family, recommends study of 'missing middle' options

The Mayor’s Advisory Commission on Housing heard data on Sept. 25 showing that Carmel’s zoning and housing inventory leave limited room for smaller, ‘missing middle’ housing types and urged staff to return with examples and recommendations.

Adrienne Keeling, a planner with the Department of Community Services, told commissioners the interactive maps and slide packet posted to the commission website show that only single‑family detached housing is permitted on 76.8% of zoned land and that planned unit developments (PUDs) cover about 9.9% of the city’s land. "Only single family detached is permitted in 76.8% of our zoned land," Keeling said as she reviewed the zoning breakdown and how PUDs factor into the totals.

The maps also show housing‑stock characteristics that shape demand: more than half (51.2%) of occupied housing units have four or more bedrooms across all housing types, and roughly 69.6% of the housing inventory is detached single‑family, Keeling said. She added that 3.3% of Carmel’s land allows accessory dwelling units and that about 81.5% of PUDs allow…