HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter #39 Kristie Blankenhorn
Butler, Bric
From:Kristie Blankenhorn <kristieblankenhorn@gmail.com>
Sent:Friday, July 26, 2024 1:04 PM
To:Butler, Bric
Subject:Carmel Housing Task Force
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
1. I am 30 year resident of Carmel . We have lived in 2 different west side neighborhoods. We have
witnessed a lot of development over the past 3 decades, but the most rapid and the most radical
development has happened in the past 3-5 years. The shift from building single family home
neighborhoods to high density rental , mixed use developments and townhomes is rapidly
changing the composition of Carmel.
2. I have watched the videos of the Housing Task Force meetings. Witnessing a parade of alphabet
agencies present their ideas for creating ‘affordable housing’ and ‘missing middle
housing’. only confirms that our bureaucracy is vast and expensive to maintain. In an attempt to
attract developers to build in Carmel, the focus becomes capturing federal grants and providing
tax abatements, which are all part of a perverse and vicious cycle. Ultimately, these efforts only
add to the burden paid by the average resident in Carmel.
3. The current macro-economic climate, created by a tax and spend regime, is working against the
middle income tax payer. Lest you think I am playing partisan politics, the tax and spend
practices of our local and national governments supersede party affiliation. You can't shut down
domestic energy production while growing the government, and be surprised by runaway
inflation. You cannot double interest rates in record time without creating a housing affordability
crisis. Attempting to socially engineer a fix with a housing task force, while lofty, will not impact
the greater economic head winds we are facing. My recommendation: Shrink the government,
eliminate your special housing programs. The market has the ability to correct itself.
KB, West Side Carmel Resident
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