HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-1215; CC-12-15-08-03; Council Report2008-1215; CC-12-15-08-03; Council Report
MEMORANDUM
TO: Carmel City Council
FROM: Adrienne Keeling
Department of Community Services
SUBJECT: CC-12-15-08-03
DATE: December 3, 2008
The following item will appear on your December 15th agenda.
Forwarded with favorable recommendation:
CC-12-15-08-03 (Docket No. 08070020 CP):
Carmel Clay Comprehensive Plan “C3 Plan 2008”
A Resolution of the Common Council of the City of Carmel, Indiana, adopting the Carmel Clay
Comprehensive Plan “C3 Plan 2008” for the City of Carmel and Clay Township.
Filed by the Carmel Department of Community Services.
Please find enclosed the Plan Commission-certified draft of the proposed Carmel Clay
Comprehensive Plan.
PLAN COMMISSION REVIEW
This Plan is coming to the Council after extensive review and modification by the Plan
Commission. After the C3 Plan’s release in July, the Plan Commission held its Public Hearing
on August 19th. The Plan was then assigned to a special review committee which met a total of 6
times, addressing each of approximately 600 comments and suggestions received regarding the
Plan. The committee’s discussion resulted in numerous edits and ultimately the draft which is
attached for your review. This draft, dated November 13, 2008, was certified by the Plan
Commission with a favorable recommendation at its meeting on November 18th.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES
Since the beginning of this process, we have identified a few primary objectives in this effort to
update the Comprehensive Plan for Carmel & Clay Township:
Bring forward critical elements of the existing 2020 Vision Plan and subsequent studies
into a clear, concise and user-friendly document. While the 2020 Vision Plan was
originally adopted as approximately 60 pages in 1996, several studies and special area plans
have been completed in the interim resulting in over a dozen amendments and additions to
the Plan. Since there was no common format for these subsequent studies and no easy way
to integrate them into the 2020 Plan, we currently work from a binder measuring about 2”
thick.
The C3 Plan consolidates many of these studies into a manageable 100-page document. It
also establishes a framework for additional study in Part 5.
Establish a foundation for a form-based regulation system (in addition to use-based).
Comprehensive Plans and Zoning Ordinances traditionally place emphasis on land use, but
2008-1215; CC-12-15-08-03; Council Report
offer little guidance on buildings’ mass or how they are oriented on a site. Carmel’s are no
exception; however, we do have some experience with emphasizing “form” in the Old
Meridian District and Old Town Overlay Zone. The Department believes that both land use
and building form are important, and the C3 Plan identifies where form-based regulations,
traditional regulations and hybrid (balance of both traditional and form-based) are most
appropriate.
Introduce content which reflects the City and Township’s evolution since the previous
Plan. Since some goals have been accomplished since 1996 (e.g. construction of Hazel Dell
Parkway, the Monon Trail), some content has evolved since the 2020 Plan. Language has
been added to reflect the vision for the City Center and Arts and Design District areas, as
well as the City’s policies to lead by example in sustainability and green practices. Further,
the 2020 Plan alluded to the township’s differing characteristics among areas such as
Western Clay and Old Town. The C3 Plan builds upon these distinctions and identifies 4
geographic areas of Clay Township. The Plan’s Policies and Objectives are organized
around each of these.
DOCUMENT
To orient you to the format of the C3 Plan, the following is a brief description of each its five
parts:
1. Community Profile: Includes a brief summary of environmental and demographic
information.
2. Comprehensive Plan Essence: Sets out planning policies and objectives both City-wide
and for each of four unique geographic areas (East Carmel, North Central Carmel, South
Central Carmel and West Carmel).
3. Land Classification Plan: Describes and establishes fifteen land classifications to be
applied across Clay Township. Each classification has a page dedicated to describing its
purpose, geographic location, land uses, intensity, site orientation and appropriate
adjacent classifications. This approach allows the plan to simultaneously address land
use, site design and building mass (form).
4. Transportation Plan: Identifies three types of transportation: automobiles,
bicycle/pedestrian and transit. The Thoroughfare Plan, which primarily addresses
automobiles, consists of eleven street classifications and a corresponding map. The
Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan identifies seven facility types and includes a map. Also
included is the Bicycle Routes & Loops Plan which was adopted earlier this year.
Finally, the Transit Plan identifies key concepts when considering the need for regional
and local transit. More study needs to occur before identifying any specific routes or
types of vehicles.
5. Critical Corridors and Subareas: Organizes a framework and common format for special
area plans and studies which were previously adopted to supplement the 2020 Vision
Plan. This section will also serve as a place to incorporate future corridor or area plans.
The information on this item has been arranged in the following format:
1. Copy of PC Certification
2. Resolution CC-12-15-08-03
2008-1215; CC-12-15-08-03; Council Report
3. C3 Plan 2008