HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo: DOCS regarding plan scope 11-24-21Department of Community Services
One Civic Square, Carmel, IN 46032 Phone 317.571.2417, Fax 317.571.2426
Michael P. Hollibaugh, Director
November 24, 2021
To: Plan Commission
From: Mike Hollibaugh, Director DOCS
RE: Comprehensive Plan scope, direction
This note is follow-up to the Comprehensive Plan Review Committee meeting on November 2. It is
also intended to supplement (build upon) the excellent Memo provided by Carmel’s Legal
Department addressing Indiana’s legal foundation of a comprehensive plan which clearly allows us
options for how to plan our City.
The City of Carmel has a rather rich tradition of planning for the growth of our community, going
back to 1959 when the Town of Carmel took-on the responsibility of planning and zoning for all of
Clay Township. This isn’t a history lesson (we can do that, but later, ok?) but rather an observation
that Carmel government has been actively planning for a better future for a long time and it appears
that this tradition is working in so many ways. We live in a great city. Our planning efforts today
build upon a foundation of ideas and actions by previous Plan Commissioner s and City Council
officials who have laid the groundwork for us to continue their tradition of forward-thinking livable
city planning. It is a serious responsibility that each of us may approach or define a little bit
differently – but we all have the ultimate goat to ensure a better Carmel for future generations.
The Carmel of today is vastly different than the community that produced comprehensive plans in
1972, 1985 or 1991. Our boundary is the same, Clay Township, our street grid is largely the same,
but is now punctuated by the myriad of new subdivision streets and commercial drives that have
been built over the decades. The issues and needs our City faces today, while different from those
of the past, are equally as important and significant as those confronted by past community leaders.
And today our City holds a place in a growing Indianapolis metro-region that would be difficult to
imagine by previous generations, presenting us with significant challenges and opportunities that
can’t (or shouldn’t) be ignored.
Over the past few decades there are many improvements in our City that people take for granted as
staples of the Carmel community were a result of previous Comprehensive Plans. These include a
handful of new streets that have been crucial to Carmel’s mobility needs, such as Illinois Street
Grand Boulevard and Hazel Dell Parkway. Without a broad Comprehensive Plan, along with a Pl an
Commission and City Council who believed those planned streets were important for our future,
Department of Community Services
One Civic Square, Carmel, IN 46032 Phone 317.571.2417, Fax 317.571.2426
Michael P. Hollibaugh, Director
they almost certainly would not have been built. The choices of what we choose to include in the
Comprehensive Plan matter and have consequences.
It is the Department’s belief that the framework in the draft Comprehensive Plan is the right one for
Carmel today, and we look forward to continuing the review and discussion. The Plan before you
strikes a balance of different academic approaches to planning that is uniquely Carmel. It builds
upon previous planning efforts including the C3 Plan, Civic Design, US 31 Corridor Plan, and others,
while at the same time respecting Carmel traditions.
It is important that we continue supporting our City’s evolution, to build upon the goals and high
standards set previously for our City that go beyond simply managing our community’s form -
setting forth in a commonsense way a comprehensive vision for a better City of Carmel - to be a
leading city, that perpetuates economic vitality and works and invests in adapting to the ever
changing needs of people, business trends and market forces. We can and should set high goals in
our Comprehensive Plan in order to help residents in our City achieve good health, make family and
social connections, improve mobility and to approach climate and sustainability issues in a manner
that will enable the City to adapt to the changing environment.
This Comprehensive Plan is not a mandate, but a proposal to continue the upward trend of our City
as a vibrant place to call home, a platform where life takes place, and where business happens. It
builds upon the plans and traditions laid by Carmel leaders decades ago, as it should, and strives to
grow our community leadership in the Indianapolis region.
We look forward to continuing the discussion at our meeting on November 29.