HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter #06 Jacob Gorden
Shestak, Joe
From:Jacob Gorden <jacob@heartlandhealthinsurance.com>
Sent:Sunday, April 27, 2025 8:57 PM
To:Shestak, Joe
Cc:Stephanie Maris
Subject:Affected property owner at 11110 Queens Way Circle
Hi Joe,
Even though I am applying for the special exception permit for my own primary residence, technically, I'm also
an "affected" property owner since I also own the lot at 11110 Queens Way Circle, which is the vacant lot next
to mine. I would appreciate it if you could add my endorsement on behalf of 11110 to the list of those
affected that are in support of my application.
As an affected property owner, I am in full support of and in favor of the special exception permit being
applied for at 11100 Queens Way Circle. As my attorney, Stephanie Maris, has provided all the necessary
information and documents requested and in good order showing that our property is an ideal candidate for
such permit. We have over 13 acres of land separating us from surrounding properties, adequate parking,
including a dedicated garage spot, full security system, surveillance cameras and a very good relationship with
Carmel PD. Our property is also gated and very private.
Additionally, I have acted as the unofficial President of Queen's Manor carrying out a multitude of tasks that
have been neglected by the neighborhood for decades. The activities include: collecting dues for maintenance
of common areas, improving the landscaped areas, organizing private security as a result of several break-ins,
as well as getting Flock Safety Cameras installed at our entrance, and organizing a neighborhood watch
program. I've done my best to bring the neighbors together to foster a better sense of community that has
been severely lacking for years. Heck, I even handle getting holiday lights installed at our entrance. I wear
many hats in our neighborhood because of necessity, not by choice. My standard for quality of life and safety
in where I choose to live is too high to sit back and hope that others will do it. All of these duties require me
to be a good and diplomatic neighbor and community leader, which are qualities you would certainly hope any
permit-holder would possess. I'm doing this for the betterment of the community and so my kids have a good
childhood and they feel safe and happy. I also take significant pride in where I live, and it's in my nature to
improve and foster anything in my orbit, so taking an active role in making my community better comes very
natural to me, despite it being very difficult.
I've done all of this in a neighborhood that has been very opposed to change. And I get it, I'm the new guy and
most residents have lived here for decades but I assure everyone, I'm not doing this because I enjoy it. I have
enough on my plate as it is with several businesses, 2 small children and their many activities and a whole lot
of bills to pay. Also, the past 3 years have likely been the hardest of my life. My mom, who just passed away
the week before Thanksgiving from lung cancer, was fighting her disease for 3 years as I stood by her side,
waiting on her hand and foot, driving her to doctor appointments and watching her suffer while she slowly
died.
I'm not telling you this because I'm asking for sympathy, I'm telling you because I'm showing you that I am a
person of character and integrity. And if I can handle and survive the kind of adversity I've had over the past 3
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years while still finding time to better my community, then I should be trusted to host people in my home
without disrupting my neighbors.
And from what I understand there are some neighbors that oppose my permit. It seems most are concerned
that granting my permit will create a slippery slope effect, in which many other homes will start to get permits
and do the same thing. However, as large as the homes are around where I live, still very few of them have
detached or even semi-detached living spaces. And I don't think you will see people in our area starting to
rent out their basements or their entire homes so I do believe their concerns stem simply from the fear of the
unknown and fear of change.
We simply plan to occasionally host guests in our semi-detached apartment. It's really not that scary or as
complex as some are making it seem. I liken our apartment to an old-time carriage house you would see on a
large estate or legacy property in a more rural area and not some condo in an urban, dense area. Plus, this
permit has been available to be applied for quite some time now. I don't think my permit will be the one that
creates some kind of short-term rental revolution in West Carmel. The space we have is truly a one-off
situation and cannot be compared to what you see in denser areas like the rentals in Central Carmel or
Midtown area.
I'll also add that a large majority of our renters will be through connections of people we already know and we
will be doing thorough vetting and background checks. Security and safety are literally a second full-time job
for me already in the neighborhood. We will also be home and present during most, if not at all times when
we have guests. If we are not home for some reason, we have a full-time house manager that will be available
and on-site plus many cameras and an extensive security system as well as private security patrol.
I truly cannot think of a better candidate for the special exception permit than us. And although not all my
neighbors are supporting our request for the permit, the affected neighbors, which I believe are the ones that
matter most in this process, are either in full support of what we are doing or they are indifferent, but no
affected neighbor has outwardly opposed our request. The ones not in favor, are many acres away from us
and will likely never even know when we have guests staying with us.
In the addition where we have our guest space, we also have a large indoor half basketball court where we
host occasional parties or get-togethers. And in certain cases, we've had close to 100 guests. We have not
had one complaint or issue during any gathering we've had. Surely, if we can handle 100 guests on multiple
occasions with no issue, we should be able to manage a properly vetted family of 4 staying in our 700 square
foot apartment without disrupting our neighbors.
I hope that you will consider approving our special exception permit, it would be greatly appreciated. We love
living in Carmel and we will continue to be good and respectful residents of Queen's Manor and of the city we
love. We also hope that after our approval, we have the opportunity to set the bar high enough to be an
excellent model of a special exception permit-holder so that future applicants will be held to a higher
standard, as Carmel demands and deserves nothing but the best, and that's why we live here. Thank you for
your time and consideration.
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To your health,
Jacob Gorden
Licensed Insurance Broker
Heartland Health Insurance
www.heartlandhealthinsurance.com
317-660-4200
"Affordable Health Insurance For You & Yours Since 2005"
If you've had a good experience, please review on Google by clicking HERE.
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