The Carmel Historic Preservation Commission on Tuesday tabled a demolition-delay request for a house on Emerson Road, giving the applicant time to refine proposed designs and the commission time to review outstanding funding commitments.

Applicant Jake Hoag, who said he purchased one of two neighboring lots and plans to build his family home near downtown Carmel, presented a preliminary modern Tudor-style design and asked for an early demolition approval to enable architectural work. Hoag described the proposed footprint as roughly 4,000 square feet on a 0.43-acre lot, with about 75 feet of frontage; the illustrative elevation shown to the commission measured roughly 34 feet 7 inches in height and about 78 feet across at the front.

Commissioners raised concerns about scale and neighborhood compatibility. Several members cited a 35% lot-coverage guideline for the area and questioned whether the proposed massing would sit appropriately on the oddly shaped lot. Commissioners also flagged neighborhood bylaws and private covenants as possible enforcement mechanisms but noted those remedies are separate from the commission’s authority.

Staff and commissioners said the panel’s practical concern is avoiding a vacant lot that remains empty after demolition. Staff pointed to examples of previously approved designs that were never built and warned that approving demolition without a clear, firm plan risks creating long-term vacant parcels in the historic neighborhood.

After discussion, Commissioner Speaker 5 moved to table the request to the commission’s next meeting so the applicant could provide firmer plans and staff could compile a full list of outstanding reimbursements and obligations associated with past facade-grant awards. Commissioner Speaker 4 seconded; the motion passed by voice vote.

The commission noted it would remain available to work with the applicant and requested additional design detail, a clearer construction timeline and confirmation that three trees called out in the application would be preserved. The applicant said his timeline for demolition through construction was roughly one to one-and-a-half years and that the project would be privately funded.

Next steps: the demolition-delay request will return to the commission at its next meeting with updated materials and staff’s report on outstanding obligations and expiration dates for current grant commitments.