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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF REQUEST
Variance of Development Standards
Home 2 Suites Hotel
12845 Old Meridian Street
Witness Investment, LLC, the “Petitioner”, requests Variances of Development Standards to establish a Home 2
Suites hotel on the parcel addressed as 12845 Old Meridian Street. Home 2 Suites, a five-story structure of
approximately 63,000+/- square feet and 88 hotel rooms, is to be developed on the east side of Old Meridian
Street, opposite the Avant Apartments. The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #10003 (“VFW”) is located east of
the subject property.
Zoning Approvals, Current Zoning and Existing Conditions:
Applications for Development Plan and ADLS Approvals were filed with Carmel DOCS in November, 2017,
and are pending the approval of the requested variances noted below and the variances below are related to
these DP/ADLS Approvals. The 1.95± acre site is currently zoned UC – Urban Core, but at the time of the
DP/ADLS filing was zoned OM/MU. The subject property is mostly vacant with some surface parking areas.
The VFW is landlocked and located east of the subject property. Vehicular access from Old Meridian Street is
presently shared with the subject property and shared access would continue after construction of the proposed
hotel.
History of Site:
In 2008 and 2009, the subject property received Primary Plat, Development Plan and ADLS approvals for the
VFW and a four-story office building with first floor retail uses. The Home 2 Suites hotel would be located on
the portion of the site where the retail and office building had been proposed. To establish the hotel, the
following variances are requested:
1.20G.05.04,B,(1)(b): Maximum Building Height: The Carmel Zoning Ordinance (“CZO”) imposed a
building height limitation of fifty-five (55) feet within the OM/MU zone. The proposed Home 2 Suites
1/8"
hotel would have a height of 60' – 1 to the top of its parapet; however some architectural details would
extend upward for a total height of approximately 65' – 10¾". The request is for a variance to permit a
maximum height of 66' – 0".
2.25.07.02-03b(1): Number of Signs: The CZO limits each single-tenant building to one (1) sign per street
frontage. Presently, there is a multi-tenant sign on Old Meridian Street, intended for the previously
approved retail/office building, but advertises for the VFW use only. The VFW does not have any street
frontage, and is not permitted any signage unless either a variance is obtained or a multi-tenant building sign
is provided. If granted, this variance would provide the VFW with a dedicated ground sign south of the
existing curb-cut from Old Meridian Street and provide the proposed Home 2 Suite hotel with a dedicated
ground sign north of the curb-cut, in addition to its proposed wall sign.
3.33.05,A(5): Perimeter Bufferyard: The CZO requires that a bufferyard, with a side yard width of thirty
(30) feet be located along the south property line of the subject property as it abuts a residential use on the
western portion of the south property line and a residential district on the eastern portion of the south
property line. The parcel of the adjacent residential use is zoned Urban Core (UC) and should be considered
for development of Office/Mixed Use purposes no less than three (3) stories, and "not intended for ground
floor residential." It should be anticipated that future development of this specific parcel would comply
with the permitted uses and development standards of the UC. The Petitioner is proposing enhanced
landscaping along this southern property line to mitigate, as reasonably possible, the hotel use from the
residential use, but requests a variance to reduce the bufferyard width and landscaping requirements to those
as filed on the proposed Landscaping Plans.
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