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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter #006 Brian Bergsma Shestak, Joe From:Brian E Bergsma <bebergsma@aep.com> Sent:Wednesday, July 8, 2020 2:50 PM To:Shestak, Joe Subject:Concern with current design of Ambleside Point Planned Development along 146th Street.... **** This is an EXTERNAL email. Please exercise caution and Do Not open attachments or click links from unknown senders or unexpected email. **** Mr. Shestak… I hope this note finds you well and safe during this challenging time. I wanted to write to you on behalf of my family who lives at 2039 Mustang Chase Drive, Carmel IN 46074 in the Saddle Creek subdivision. Please allow me to first say that I have no delusions that the property currently being designated as a site by Amblesdie th Point Planned Development off of 146 Street will be development someday. No concerns with that at all. Our concerns are two-fold: 1) While we are being told that the home values are comparable, that is true only for the higher end homes. In th driving along 146 there is no other location where Carmel has allowed lower priced homes or townhomes to essentially be identified as part of an existing community. And in a great deal of the cases, the homes along th 146 are quite nice. This development seems to be a “build as many homes as possible development”. And th that is disappointing. One of the things that Carmel can always say is that looking across 146 street and what Westfield has done with apartments, commercial, houses close together, etc… Carmel has stayed true to not overcrowding neighborhoods and not doing so in a manner that conflicts with the design of the community that exists there today by building homes on top of homes as it being proposed in Ambleside. 2) As a resident near one of the proposed new entrances along Beaumont Blvd., this is very concerning. It does not seem to serve the current residents or really even the new parcels. But merely a way to help the new development by selling themselves as one-story and townhomes that a realtor can say is part of a nice existing neighborhood of single family homes all of which are worth over $300,000 plus (not the $200,000ish list price on a majority of the homes and townhomes). Putting a new road in will create safety hazards, not for the new residents, but for current Saddle Creek residents. We have adequate egress into our subdivision and Towne and Ditch roads are adequate for getting everywhere. This development seems to be more about the new development, than protecting the rights of the people who are already taxpayers and residents. Therefore, please allow me to propose that (and reiterate that I do not want to halt the use of the property) - I think homes that are reflective of the few along the edges (homes that start in the mid-$300,000 and above should be the requirement – not just the window dressing buffer along the current Saddle Creek homeowners. The fact that the developer even proposes that buffer, truly tells you what they think of the inner portion of the development. They know that it is not something to be proud of, and neither should you. This development is very shortsighted and not in line with what we believed Carmel development was when we moved here about 10 years ago – family friendly development that is consistent and not done in a manner to sell as many houses as possible… but to sell quality homes. Development that is based on what you see is what you get – not a shell game to create the appearance of continuity without the effort to do so. 1 th This would be the first such hidden style development along 146, and it does send a strong message to residents, such as myself that Saddle Creek is not valued. Please act in a manner to make sure that the home values are uniform in Ambleside and that it mirror the development of Saddle Creek, and not scattered property value proposed to create homes varying from the $200,000 to $400,000 range. That is just plain not good development (unless your goal is to develop and build and get out of the area th quickly). In the long run this is setting Saddle Creek as the albatross community in Carmel along 146 and starts an unfortunate precedent of selling cheap homes over family and home values. While I did not spend as much time discussing the concern on the new roads into this subdivision on south side, it is equally concerning – all of it screams of fast, easy development to sell houses. Not create family friendly investments that will stand the long-term for our children and our investments. Thank you for your consideration and taking my comments into your heart. Brian Bergsma 2039 Mustang Chase Drive Carmel, IN 46074 317-670-3561 bebergsma@aep.com 2