HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter #068 Allison & Jeramy Janoski
Butler, Bric
From:Allison Janoski <allisonjanoski@yahoo.com>
Sent:Thursday, November 7, 2024 12:20 PM
To:Butler, Bric
Cc:Shepherd Janoski
Subject:Proposed Stout Farm Project off Town and 126th
Mr. Butler,
I am writing to express our concerns regarding the proposed Stout Farm project off Towne and 126th St. that backs up to
the Village of West Clay. Please share this letter with all town council members.
We moved to Carmel 3 years ago and specifically chose the West Carmel area for two reasons: the sense of space and
larger lot sizes and custom homes, as well as so our children could attend Creekside specifically. Within the first year we
were becoming increasingly concerned with the amount of apartment projects that began after. Currently it seems every
morning a new one has sprouted like a mushroom. Gone is the quaint 'downtown' and now it is simply a congested
concrete jungle that frankly would not entice me to move here if I were house hunting today. If we wanted to live in
Indianapolis, we would have moved there.
I have heard lots of comments the town about the need for affordable housing. My response to that is why? When I
graduated college 25 years ago I could not afford Carmel and I was not demanding that homes be created for me. I
worked hard until I could afford to move here. I would love to live in Nantucket, but alas, cannot afford to. I am not
demanding their planning commission and town council to put up an apartment complex or 'affordable housing' in the very
space that makes Nantucket so beautiful just so I can live there. Which brings me to my second point, why must we grow?
Why us? There are lots of surrounding communities that seem to be happy to grow. Why does Carmel need to become
the new Indianapolis, the new Fishers?
I am so disappointed to hear that a new to the area developer with abysmal reviews is asking to rezone the Stout Farm for
their own profit. Truly, I encourage you to check out their reviews. I can assure you that no where in Carmel will you find a
neighborhood to the one that is being proposed. We are allowed to hold our town to higher standards. What this project
will do will be the following:
-will allow 'investors' and absentee landlords to buy the properties due to the price point.
-negatively impact the home values of all surrounding neighborhoods
-will negatively impact the Carmel Clay school system and rezone many families out of a school that they specifically
moved here for
-increase traffic on roads (do I need to point out that we have more traffic than we ever had before ALL OVER
CARMEL?)
When you look at the projected project, it is quite shocking: 90% lot coverage, limited green space, no curb appeal,
shoddy materials and construction, 140 homes on a VERY small footprint.
I implore you to slow the development of Carmel. Hold Carmel to higher standards. Quaint is okay. I can name a 100
towns across the nation and areas of Indy that at one time held great value until the growth was left unchecked. Those
that moved to West Carmel did so because we wanted what is currently here: zoning that protects our investment, zoning
that means less density, green spaces and estate lots. I understand that owners of land have a right to sell that land. But
zoning needs to be protected. For the sake of the town, it needs to be protected. Now more than ever we need to protect
the citizens of Carmel, the reputation of Carmel, the schools of Carmel, the safety of Carmel, and the value of Carmel.
Sincerely,
Allison and Jeramy Janoski
Village of West Clay residents
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