Hearing officer approves slate of short‑term rental renewals and variances in Carmel

The hearing officer for the Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals approved renewals and a series of zoning variances during the hearing officer docket on Nov. 24, 2025, granting relief for short‑term rental permits, garage and pool additions, accessory structures and a seasonal tent while conditioning several approvals on outstanding engineering or county consents.

Many petitions were brief and uncontested. Petitioner Mark Nathaniel Custer asked to renew his short‑term rental at 2525 E. Smoky Row, saying the property is well separated from neighbors and “generates positive economic activity without requiring new infrastructure or city services,” and department staff reported no code or police incidents during the prior year. The hearing officer approved a one‑year renewal and adopted the findings of fact.

Across the docket, staff recommendations and neighborhood approvals figured prominently. A Spacecraft Architecture representative sought a 5‑foot side‑yard setback (10 ft required) and relief from the accessory/garage square‑footage limit for a garage addition at 3765 E. Carmel Drive; staff noted HOA and adjacent‑neighbor support and the hearing officer approved the variances. For another residential addition at 10414 White Oak Drive, the petitioner requested a 6‑foot side setback and a 45% lot‑coverage allowance; staff recommended approval with the condition that the petitioner address remaining engineering review comments in the project‑docs portal, and the hearing officer approved subject to that condition.

Several pool encroachments required extra agency signoffs. Perma Pools’ representative Daniel Majestic sought a 2‑foot encroachment of decking and a concrete…