HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter #016 Bob Richmond
Butler, Bric
From:Minnaar, Shannon
Sent:Friday, October 25, 2024 2:20 PM
To:Butler, Bric
Subject:Fw: Stout Farm Proposed Development
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
Shannon Minnaar
City Councilor – Northeast District
(317)671-2968
https://www.carmel.in.gov/home
From: Bob Richmond <brichmond89@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 24, 2024 8:19 AM
To: Minnaar, Shannon <sminnaar@carmel.in.gov>
Cc: Snyder, Matt <msnyder@carmel.in.gov>; Jeff Terp <jefft@vwcownersassn.com>; John Frieburg
<john.frieburgiii@gmail.com>; Terry O'Brien <tobrien@obrienauto.com>
Subject: Stout Farm Proposed Development
Morning, Shannon-
Thank you for attending the Village of West Clay Town Hall discussions last night regarding the proposed
future plans for the 37 acres called Stout Farm at 126th and Towne Road. I appreciate you requesting my
feedback since you serve on the Planning Commission.
The open discussion format was very productive allowing the developers to present the project overview
and details and allowing the area homeowners, VWC and a couple of other area subdivisions present
that would be impacted to ask questions and voice their opinions.
I think you would agree the overall sentiment from the homeowners for this proposed development was
very negative. The turnout was very good filling both hall locations on the third and second floors,
anecdotal attendance was in excess of 200 attendees. I’ll mention just a few of the concerns voiced:
Density per acre was a concern and was never really made clear by the presenters…close to 4
homes per acre
The individual lot size was very small, 35-40 feet wide and only 12 feet apart.
The footprint coverage for home, sidewalks and driveways was 90%. That leaves very little to no
yard space for children to play or for pets.
Home Price Point - big concern that investors would purchase many sites and turn the homes into
rentals which was a point voiced several times by a number of attendees
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o There was an attendee that presented data for a similar development and price point
located in Carmel at 146th street had nearly a 50% rental rate with absentee ownership
The amenities were virtually non-existent except for a small green area/dog park…I think I heard
less than 3% of total use space, one green space
No pool, no clubhouse, no tennis or pickle ball courts
o Developer stated they might consider upgrading this, but it would take away from the
number of homes offered, he was negative on a clubhouse expense and also stated pickle
ball courts would have a negative impact on the development.
Developer encouraged everyone to see comparable developments by Pyatt Homes, the Legacy
and another one in Plainfield.
o Several attendees did take the time to go see these homes
o Their comments and take away was “shoddy” construction, homes stacked on top of each
other, and they had a negative view of the overall home layout
o One person stated Better Business Data research stating the developer nationally had a
1.1 rating out of 5.0
There seemed to be some hostility voiced that this is the second presentation for this property
both similar in density (previous site was a rental home development) and now this one….
numerous home owners asked to see a less dense project and a higher price point
To keep this email at a reasonable length, I will stop now with the key views I heard rather than going on
since you heard the same comments.
In conclusion, a show of hands at the end of the presentation showed 2 (two) hands in favor of the
project and everyone else raised their hands voicing their opposition in moving forward. A one-one
discussion that I had with a City Council member after the presentation, and I quote….”this is not the
proper development for west Carmel”
Thank you for your service in making Carmel what it is today, an outstanding community to live in not just
in Indiana but the USA has recognized Carmel status in several trade journals. I hope you agree, this not
the proper development for west Carmel, there are better options available.
Regards.
Bob Richmond
VWC Board Member
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