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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter #01 Wes Bucher Le-#ev #o i Wes Bucher 17 Sleepy Hollow Lane, Carmel wes.bucher@outlook.com Thank you for the opportunity to address the Merchants Bank project known as the Pure proposal when first introduced. There's a line in a song that's popular now that says "it's a damn shame what the world has gotten to." Let me suggest a more fitting name for this development should be "The Big Deception" When this proposal was presented to the Council for action regarding the TIF financing, it consisted of several small office buildings that would transition to our residential neighborhood. Those are gone. This project represents a huge change in this proposal and the overall project and its impact. It's unfortunate that no elected body such as the City Council or the appointed Plan Commission with citizen members gets to review the changes and the overall development. Was the plan misrepresented? Will a future project on the small office site turn into four or five or six story building now that the apartment structure is the predominant building. It could happen and we will have no recourse or input. Is there more deception to follow? Council members asked or recommended that TIF proceeds be used to make neighborhood improvements and the CDC Director agreed to "consider it". These requests have been ignored. We feel we were lied to or at very least, given false hope. We are now told all funds will be used for parking for the apartments. Fool us once, will you fool us again? In the Cannel UDO, certain projects that make a change of 35%must go to BZA for review and approval. This project has a height change of 66% and square footage change of nearly 35%. However, such a major change in this project doesn't mean it gets any further review by a public body. Seems like another twisting of the Ordinance to fit a desired outcome. The CDC Director claims the Council would be pleased with new larger office building. That's his opinion and maybe the Council should have chance to weigh in on using tax funds to subsidize this project that could well become a vacant eyesore in a few years. Banks, especially mid-sized banks are failing. Office space is being converted into housing. The office market is in the tank. Are any developer commitments in place? RECEIVED AUG 24 N'a BY: Developments are proposed and are brought to Community Services office for review, usually before seeing the light of day. As you review a plan to see if it conforms to the Comp Plan and other documents that the City has adopted to guide development. The Council recently directed particular consideration be noted and limited expressed limits when height is a factor in structures next to residential. The Comp Plan also calls for the tallest buildings to be built on the Meridian Corridor. This department seems to have ignored the guidance given by the Council as it seems to violate both guidelines. Such deliberate lack of heeding direction causes residents to lose trust in words and actions of their leaders. We, the residents of Johnson Acres and Wilson Village and are left with the unfortunate consequences. The project was labelled as a"Midtown" extension. This is a major stretch of the truth. Midtown projects are to contain open public spaces. Very little is shown in this plan suitable for area citizens. Midtown design requirements also call for a mercantile component, and we believe no such activity is shown on this or on the previously approved Buckingham apartment project. We would like to know total amount of open space (green space)between this and the Buckingham project. We would also like to know what mercantile opportunities are available on the proposed plan or were those both lies and misrepresentations? We believe the Transportation Plan was not adhered to by creating two "T" intersections find a more creative development plan. We would also like to know the parking standards and how the changes shown comply and know what affect they have as opposed to what was presented. Was this project just rubber stamped to land a huge $$$ project and a feather in someone's hat? The project adds a major architectural change with the cross bridge over 3rd Ave, a feature that had some opposition. The CDC Director dismisses this as opposition coming from one person but no one knows that unless the project gets a full review and the full Council gets to express its opinion. Seems like building a structure over pubic streets should give Council and the public a review of the plans and opportunity to express views and opinions. We have been dismayed by lack of any public hearing for this project by the City Council Plan Commission or the BZA due to its zoning classification. We believe we are at an unfair position to present our views on a project that has such significant effect on our neighborhood. Other Carmel neighborhoods have a much greater opportunity to express views on a project when it is going through the approval process. We hope to ask the new Administration to consider making a change in the UDO to treat the Town Center residential areas and citizens with treatment equal and provided to other neighborhoods. Recently, a 40 unit residential project in Cannel received several public hearings. We had no such opportunity with a 240 residential structure. We don't seek special treatment,just fair and equal treatment given to other neighborhoods, and hope a new administration will help bring some changes to an unfair process. Elections have consequences. The recent primary seemed to have had some feeling of "let's change this power structure that crushes people and neighborhoods". We can hope that in the future we will see progress toward fair and reasonable treatment of some of Carmel's oldest neighborhoods. Back to my opening statement, that song I referenced is a line from the song "Rich man North of Richmond." Much of the song is about the forgotten people of this land. Oliver Anthony's song has rocketed to #1 on the charts and it includes the line"it's a damn shame what the world has gotten to." With the way we have had to deal with this development, can you blame us if we feel like the unheard, un-listened to and forgotten citizens? Thank you for your time.