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ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES ASSOCIATES, LLC and JEFF
WATKINS
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UNIT 2F MONON & MAIN
Variance to Permit Non-Residential Use on 2nd and 3rd Floor
Docket No. 07050027
City of Carmel Board of Zoning Appeals
6:00 pm June 25, 2007
Applicant: Environmental Services Associates, LLC and
Jeff Watkins
Attorney: Nelson & Frankenberger
c/o James E. Shinaver 844-0106
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Explanation
2. Aerial photograph
3. Site Plan of Monon & Main Community
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Explanation of Request
Jeff Watkins is the owner and operator of Environmental Services Associates, LLC,
("Environmental Services") which is a company that provides environmental consulting services.
Mr. Watkins is a resident of Carmel and has purchased Unit 2F in the Monon & Main community.
Included as Exhibit 2 is an aerial photograph of the Monon & Main community and highlighted in
yellow is Unit 2F. Also included as Exhibit 3 is the site plan for the Monon & Main community
whereby Unit 2F is again highlighted in yellow.
Mr. Watkins and his family own a home in the Old Town Arts & Design District and he
desires to re-Iocate his business to Unit 2F of Monon & Main.
The following are a list of reasons supporting the request:
I. Low ImDact Business
Environmental Services is a small company that provides environmental consulting
services. Due to the nature of its operation and clientele, this is a very low impact office
type of use. Typically, the consultants do not spend their entire day within the office.
They are often out of the office visiting sites or meeting with clients at their client's
offices. Furthermore, when clients of this business do visit the offices of Environmental
Services, their visits are relatively brief. Such visits by clients typically entail picking up
or dropping off documents or briefly meeting with the consultants to discuss their projects.
This business employs four (4) full time persons and two (2) part time persons.
II. Nominal ImDact on Traffic and Parkin!!
Because this business is by its very nature a low impact office use, it is our sincere belief
that the granting of the requested variance will have a nominal impact on traffic and
parking. Jeff Watkins, the owner of the business owns a home just a few blocks away in
the Arts and Design District and intends on walking to work. The garage of this unit will
also provide parking availability. Further, there does exist other on-site parking spaces
within the Monon & Main community and there should also be available nearby off-site
parking spaces within the immediately surrounding area. Moreover, the parking garage
project located near the northeast comer of 2nd Avenue NE and Main Street, which was
authorized by the Carmel Redevelopment Commission, is progressing and will provide
additional parking for many of the adjacent businesses in the Old Town Arts and Design
District.
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Because this business will not experience many client visits, the main parking need would
be for its three (3) full time employees and two (2) park time employees (Again, Mr.
Watkins intends on walking to work because he lives very close to Unit 2F).
We believe that it is also relevant that in other projects located in the Old Town area, the
City and the Department of Community Services has historically suggested that the
general public's view of parking availability may be antiquated or outdated in certain
scenarios. For example, if residents of this City are ever to become less reliant on
automobiles, we need to begin to understand that it is acceptable to park your car a block
or two away from your destination and then walk to that destination. Moreover, our
understanding is that part of the current road improvement project along this segment of
Main Street will provide for more on-street parking spaces that could also be utilized.
In consideration of all the above factors, we believe that the granting of this variance will
have a nominal impact on traffic and parking availability.
III. The Request is Consistent and Comoatible with the Intent and Soirit of the
Monon & Main pun Ordinance
There have recently been other similar requests to utilize the 2nd and 3rd floors of the
Monon & Main units for non-residential uses. For example, Artichoke Designs was
granted a similar request in the Fall of 2006. The Staff Report issued for that hearing
supported the variances that Artichoke Designs was requesting and also characterized the
proposed use as a "low impact" type of use. We believe that the use proposed by
Environmental Services will have even less of an impact than that of the Artichoke
Designs business. Both businesses essentially have the same number of employees,
however, some of the employees of Environmental Services are part time employees.
Further, unlike. the Artichoke Designs business, there is no retail component of the
Environmental Services business. The Staff Report for the Artichoke Designs project
explained that it was sensible for buildings along Main Street to be comprised mostly of
retail/commercial uses, since it was a highly traveled corridor in Old Town. The Staff
Report for the Artichoke Designs project also stated that the use would utilize very little
"vehicular traffic" and that other parking areas and on-street parking opportunities exist
within the Monon & Main development and the Old Town area generally. More
importantly, the Staff Report recognized that there may not be enough fIrst floor area
within these types of structures for the proper utilization of certain retail and commercial
uses on the fIrst floor. We believe that the same reasons that existed to support the
Artichoke Designs approval also exist to support the request of Environmental Services.
While the Monon & Main project was never intended to be a high intensity
retail/commercial development, it was also not intended to preclude appropriate low-
impact businesses that fIt the character and spirit of the Old Town Arts and Design
District. We believe that a business such as Environmental Services is the type of business
that should be located and encouraged within this area of the Arts and Design District.
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~DIAMOh] BUllDFrAWARD
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Site map graphic Is for
Illustrative purposes only.
Developer a~d or builder reserve the
right to make changes without notice.
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NELSON
&
FRANKENBERGER
A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
JAMES J. NELSON
CHARLESD.FRANKENBERGER
JAMES E. SHINA VER
LAWRENCE J. KEMPER
JOHN B. FLA IT
FREDRIC LAWRENCE
DAVID 1. LICHTENBERGER
of counsel
JANE B. MERRILL
3105 EAST 98TH STREET
SUITE 170
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46280
317-844-0106
FAX: 317-846-8782
www.nf-Iaw.com
June 15, 2007
VIA HAND DELIVERY
Christine Barton-Holmes
City of Carmel
Department of Community Services
RE: Variance Application for Unit 2F of Monon & Main
Jeff Watkins and Environmental Services Associates, LLC
June 25, 2007 BZA Meeting
Docket No. 07050027V
Brochure Submittal
Dear Christine -
Enclosed please find ten (10) informational brochures to be distributed to the BZA
members in anticipation of the June 25th BZA meeting. Please be sure to send to me your Staff
Report for this matter and please be sure that this item is placed on the BZA's agenda. Thanks
for your assistance and please contact me with any questions.
Very truly yours,