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FoldoutGOALS, OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES Goals are ultimate ends toward which action meat and reduction of all types of pollution sen ices unless the L opacity of the services can be The Comprehensive Plan Update's objectives and should be directed; they are general in nature. Ob- The quality of Carmel/Clay Township's natural increased at reasonable cost -for example, by policies are divided into sections on general, resi- jectives are more specific and immediate ends toward environment should be protected from develop widening a road or constructing additional class- denial, commercial and industrial development, whichprograms and actions should be directed. nest that proceeds without regard for the natural rooms for a school. open space and recreation, community facilities and Pe P tY They are, whenever possible, stated in terms of at- limitations of land. ; services, and circulation. tainable conditions. Policies are explicit statements .r:� k Policy 3 - Development patterns that result The general development policies support devel- of desired courses of action to guide the development Goal 4 - Reduction of the ratio of public costs from market forces should be permitted and opment that makes the maximum and most efficient process. They are not proposals for specific public to revenue encouraged where they are compatible with use of existing public facilities, considers develop - actions in specific individual situations but are in- Public programs should be aimed at the most ef- other policies. ment as a result of the operation of market forces tended to serve as "guides" in any of a large number ficient use of public resources to attain public goals. There is little value in attempting to implement and encourages large-scale, well planned projects. of situations. Public dollars should be cautiously reserved for policies that are in conflict with normal economic These policies form a framework for the rational General Development Goals services and facilities for which the private sector forces. Such policies tend to be expensive in terms development of land within Carmel/Clay Township. Goal 1 - A living environment of high quality will not respond nor be expected to respond. of time and effort unless they are based on some important • The objectives and policies for residential de - and diversity Goal 5 - A stable and united community community need. velopment are designed to protect neighbor - hoods from the effects of spreading The attractive and functional design of buildings Development policy should be aimed at solidifying 'community' Policy 4 -Large-scale developments should be P encouraged when they are well-planned and nonresidential activities and disinvestments and and areas can have positive economic and sy- p p , chological as well as aesthetic effects. Good design and strengthening the concepts of gth g P and *neighborhood.* particularly when they include such amen - encourage renewal in deteriorating neighborhoods. of residential, commercial, industrial areas and open spaces can reduce cost while at the same General Development Policies ities as utilities, thoroughfares, public open space and/or recreational facilities. • The objectives and policies for commercial de- ,velopment time increase the value of the communis• as a Policy 1 - Develo est should be eneou ed Pm rs$cation Generally speaking, large-scale planned develop- address quality, mix, scale and Io - of development. place to live/work/shop. to first use developable, vacant land within those areas that have already experienced ments provide an emtronment superior to devel- opments consisting of many individually built • The objectives and policies for industrial de - Goal 2 - A sound, balanced and diversified levels of development and have the facilities. The advantages of larscale Planned � � P velopment encourage/promote a diversified economyintense The result of economic development in Carmel/ streets and infrastructure necessary to sup- port development. developments exist because planning uses the most w workable patterns of activities and land use economic base. • The objectives and policies for open space and Clay Township should be an economy that is sound. This means that fluctuations in some ser This policy and Polio _, which follows, will and because the% can provide combinations of fa- cilities that tend u1 reinforce and strengthen each gt recreation propose a balance among a variety of locations and types of recreational facilities tors of the national and regional economies do not encourage development that makes maximum and other. and suggest development that is sensitive to bring about severe dislocations involving high un- most efficient use of existing public facilities and services' These four basic policies form a framework for unique environmental areas and agricultural areas. employment rates or serious losses of incomes. Principally, this means an economy that does not Policy 2 - The level of development intensity the rational development of land within Carmel/Clay 'township. Higher densities should be near main • The objectives and policies for community fa - cilities and services apply principally to those depend too heavily on any one industry. The economy must be balanced in two senses. First, that should be encouraged should be based on the level of existing/planned access/high- thoroughfares and business centers; lower densities public services relating substantially to physical it must provide employment opportunities for ways, the suitability of soil and topographic should be in areas of poorer soils and poorest asses- sibility. Throughout all of these areas, developers improvement. They encourage high -service level at low cost and multiple use of facilities range of skills and preferences. Second, it must provide a base for adequate public revenues-pri- conditions and the availability of necessary should be encouraged to produce varied and efficient where appropriate and accessible. manly through taxes. It must be diversified for services. designs at the largest scale P,n ge possible. The use of site • The objectives and policies for circulation deal m a most of the reasons cited above and particularly m This policy should be the principal guide to the plan review is to be encouraged to ensure the quality with providing safe and efficient access through avoid the severe effects economic limitations. level of development density throughout the area. of development. This review will also ensure that Carmel and Clay Township without disrupting Three water utilities serve Carmel and Clay Clearly, no level should bepermitted to exceed development will be consistent with communis . existing developed areas. Goal 3 - Protection of the natural environ- that level which can be supported by available objectives. Clay Township is to ensure the efficient distribution DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS One of the simplest yet most important aspects stages of neglect and minor deterioration. Those single-family housing units in 1979 numbered 422, of a Comprehensive Plan► is evaluating a community's problems associated with building and neighbor - , ,\i/ present development and how the community at- hood conditions in the Carmel/Clay area are aes- -SCHOOLS . , tained that development. Existing development thetic, cosmetic and maintenance -related. Most - conditions analyzed were building conditions and problems are present in older plats, such as the 6.9 % 7.9 % 7.9 % land use. Examination of local building conditions Home Place area. Commercial -related problems ex- ,acs "rtil a 1 ; revealed limited areas in need of building improve- ist mainly in older commercial strips with changing .r:� k P -d ments, the type of improvements needed and the market identities. However, these problems can be 0 . I W.T1.N kinds of structures with the most prevalent problems. remedied easily if proper measures are taken. ________ Four basic building classifications were used for Existing land uses were identified in 1984 follow - NOW WATERWORKS FACILITIES evaluation. These included residential, commercial, ing a parcel -by -parcel inventory. Carmel is primarily - industrial and "other' structures, like barns and farm- a suburban/exurban residential community with usually these are open for membership only to sub- related buildings. In three of these four categories, continuing development of commercial, industrial 0 90 percent or more of the structures were sound. In and office sectors. Clearly, Carmel/Clay Township - / the "other" category, which consists of structures that is becoming more diverse and is no longer strictly a_ SERVICE AREA are not residential, commercial or industrial in nature, bedroom community. A large percentage of land, - -- _ only about 68 percent were sound (Figure 5). Based approximately 67 percent, is still undeveloped, va- Hamilton County and encompasses four Planning 310 acres are devoted to general recreational facili- cant or agricultural in nature (Figure 6). Single-family ..... Figure 5 residential uses comprise slightly more than 16 per- percent (compared to less than 1 percent in 1968). issues present in Carmel/Clay Township. Consid- EXISTING BUILDING CONDITIONS cent of the areas land use, the second-largest per- Three major patterns of residential growth were eration of land use and development patterns cannot BY TYPE OF STRUCTURE,centage of land devoted to one use. Commercial noted from the land Use Inventory. These included exclude consideration of the supporting street sss- Sound •/ goo/. 92% 116th Street, Main Street (131st Street), Carmel Drive and Mohawk Drive (126th Street). and industrial uses make up slightly more than 5 the'core. area, surrounding curvilinear development tem. The area is well served by north -south high - of the City and Township that appear to be under- There are several other significant thoroughfares mel/Clay schools has enrollment over capacity. The The largest portion of residential neighborhoods ways; however, there are a limited number of east - served. Many areas could be served with small in the City and Township that serve important traffic- Figure 6 are newer, platted areas served by local recreational west streets that can adequately serve the traffic gen- . I 68 D'o carrying functions primarily oriented to shorter trips within the Township. In Clay Township, these in - EXISTING LAND USE facilities, churches and other support facilities. Ar erated. A second major land -use issue is the potential Source: Woolpert Consultants on this inventory, only a small portion of the building stock is in need of "major" immediate attention. Most of these are farm -related buildings, many of which are obsolete and unused. Carmel/Clay "I ownship has a few areas in the early cess to these subdivisions is limited mostly to two- lane roads, which sometimes do not have the ca- pacity to support the resulting volume of traffic. Key- stone Avenue and Meridian Street help distribute these loads; however, they also divide the Carmel area into three distinct sections with the cental por- tion being the most heavily developed and diversi- f red area. The remaining two-thirds of the community has been residential since 1960. Growth in the eastern one-third is much more rapid than in the western one-third. The core area contains a large percentage of existing housing units and primary retail/com- mercial activities. Range Line Road north of 116th Street is the major commercial corridor in the core area. Within this corridor are 12 shopping plazas. Land use analysis reveals a variety of development for new and mixed-use developments. Mixed-use developments are economical because facilities are shared and building costs are reduced. Residential development is a third area of concern. There is a strong sense of neighborhood solidarity present in Carmel. A fourth major issue is land -use conflicts. Measures can be taken to lessen contrasts between opposing land uses, such as landscaping or *screen- ing.' In general, though, the existing land uses con- form to the established zoning districts. A comparison was made between existing land use and the "proposed" land use for 1990 from The Gwnprrhensrue Plan, Cannel and Clay Towns*, k- diana, 1971. Although there are a few minor differ- ences, growth and development have progressed in a manner closely resembling the 1971 Plan. DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTS ANALYSIS I 1 I ' I t I . "��, \ - -, ::t I \ r '-I. ii r �...,. ? f ­- -------- . "I .. , - I , . : . � . � I .11;i - ': I I _ . s -M - EI CNI �- . _ , ,.,,.J nm-. I _ -1!. 1 Op.. ?-.: _ <A.i _ - CLAY J ,1.01 1� --------. s�,I. r.. --- 1- Ll� --- (��.�,\\­:: -1,. f,_ J - I 1 _•••'%� LEGEND PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES Review of existing conditions and analysis of de- velopment factors/issues and environmental con- straints within Carmel/Clay Township have helped determine: 1) where new population and develop- ment have taken place and 2) where population and development are likely to occur in the immediate future. From this planning analysis and evaluation of development potential, there has emerged a series of problems and opportunities. This analysis is the basis for the Concept Plan recommendations. Supportive In of growth and development, such as a new industrial park and numerous office developments, appear to be occurring as the Carmel vicinity becomes more of a service-oriented com- munity. This economic evolution will require an im- proved road system, affe5t the type and intensity of new land uses and require additional community fa- cilities such as utilities, parks and recreational facil- ities to support the new population growth. Presently, the Carmel/Clay Township community has several special development opportunities, of which the Meridian Corridor is unique and perhaps the most important land development opportunity within the area. The type of development taking place along the Meridian Street Corridor is creating a very positive image for the City and Township, increasing the tax base and establishing the corridor's identity as a special high-quality office -service dis- trict. Development within this corridor is occurring along the entire length of Meridian Street. Devel- opments such as these have potential for overloading the design capacities of road intersections and caus- ing some bottlenecks and traffic problems at rush hours. Development along those streets outside the corridors that feed into Meridian Street, such as 103rd Street, 106th Street, 111th Street, Pennsyl- vania Street, 116th Street and 131st Street, has been moderate but is increasing. If improved, these streets could provide convenient east/west access while at the same time encouraging appropriate development to move off of U.S. Route 31 (Meridian Street). This, too, would create additional opportunities for stepping down land uses from Meridian Street. With the extension of sewers between Spring Mill Road and Meridian Street, development is expected in this corridor. One of the most significant effects associated with development in the Meridian Corridor is the poten- tial for overloading traffic capacity on Main Street east of Meridian Street. Because many of the struc- tures located along Main Street west of Range Line Road are built right up to the road, major acquisition, relocation and demolition would be required to widen this thoroughfare, Introduction of significant amounts of commercial development west of Meridian Street will require additional developer -initiated improvements to Spring Mill Road as well as traffic control improve- ments along Meridian Street. Sewer and water im- provements also would be required. One of the effects of this development along the Meridian Street Corridor will include a shift in traffic circulation from a north -south traffic flow to a more east -west flow to the western edge away from population concen- trations. As a result, more cross cis/township and easthvest traffic would exist. Competition also would be created between the eastern and western portions of the Township, and the downtown would have yet another commercial district to compete with. The interchange at 1-465 and Meridian Street is a prime location for mixed-use development. A de- velopment here will provide a strong image for the Carmel/Clay Township area as a quality community. High-quality development should be required to maintain Carmers positive image. In addition to pos- sible commercial development pressure, develop- ment of the Timber Lane and Northridge Village residential subdivisions, which are currently platted but largely undeveloped, could be realized well within the planning period. The interchange at U.S. Route 421 (Michigan Road) and 1-465, particularly north of 96th Street, is another area of significance. It represents an opportunity for a development de- pendent upon good highway access. The opportu- nity to provide convenient commercial uses and personal/ business services in this area to the resi- dents of the Green Tree Country Club vicinity also exists. The Purdue University Agriculture Station known as Lynmvood Farm occupies 323.6 acres of land in the northeast central portion of the Township. It is situated on land outside of the flood plain that has soils suitable for devclopment. The development of this area would require major street improvements, particularly the improvement of north -south circu- lation. The area also has potential to be adequately served by extending existing utilities. Property owned by American Aggregates in the southeastern portion of the Township, beyond the city limits, represents a major future development opportunity in terms of reclamation and redevelop- ment for residential lyses. This southeastern area yields extensive groundwater and is the site of seven future City well sites along the west side of River Avenue north of 106th Street. Planned improve- ments to 96th Street in this area, including a new bridge crossing over the White River, should accom- modate any future development. With continued growth taking place and several large planned developments proposed, pressure to upgrade existing streets and highways necessary to support the increased traffic will greatly increase. Several major traffic issues and concerns have been identified. Most importantly, a good roadway system will be necessaryto support the type and intensity of development that is becoming characteristic of Carmel. Here is an examination of the four major traffic issues and concerns identified in the Com- prehensive Plan update: 1) Although a suitable major east/west thorough- fare does not exist in Carmel/Clay Township, 116th Street seems to be the most logical existing east/ west route for upgrading to primary thoroughfare status. Current traffic volumes appear to be at or over capacity. A more specific study should be con- ducted to determine the future status of this street. 2) The extension of Carmel Drive west to U.S. 31 (Meridian Street) will help alleviate the over- loading of east -west traffic in this vicinity. Here, op- portunities for additional development, such as Carmel Science and Technology Park, would also increase traffic volumes and should be taken into consideration. The accepted plans call for the ex- tension of Carmel Drive westward from its current terminus to U.S. 31 (Meridian Street). These plans also provide for the future extension of 126th Street from its current terminus at Range Line Road west- ward to the Carmel Drive extension. The combi- nation of these two road extensions would improve east/west access through Carmel. One of the impli- cations, however, is the possibility that traffic on Guilford Road would increase in a north/south di- rection. When this area was rezoned for manufac- turing, a commitment was made to the residents of the area that development would be planned to min- imize additional through traffic on Guilford Road. 3) Opening Carmel Drive and 126th Street to Meridian Street would relieve heavy traffic flow ex- perienced by 3rd Avenue Southwest during shift changes in the Gradic Drive/Carmel Drive industrial area. By providing direct access from this industrial area to Meridian Street, traffic volumes on Main Street, Range Line Road and 116th Street would be lessened, particularly during peak hours. How- ever, consideration should be given to the potential for truck traffic to feed onto Mohawk Drive (126th Street) from Keystone Avenue to arrive at the in- dustrial park. This is a residential area and is not well-suited to industrial traffic. 4) Development in the vicinity of St. Vincent's Hospital may strain the capacity of some of the northern east/west thoroughfares, particularly Smo- key Row Road/ 136th Street. The presence of the hospital and the desirability of it being close to Me- ridian Street and Keystone Avenue make the triangle bordered by Range Line Road, 136th Street (Smo- key Row Road) and Keystone Avenue appropriate for higher density development. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PROCESS Communities such as the City of Carmel and Clay Township -like people -grow and change over time. Therefore, the goals, objectives, policies and programs guiding such communities also must change. A program for community improvement and development will accomplish its goals only if it is kept current and workable. This program is usually referred to as the "Comprehensive Plan.' The City of Carmel and Clay Township have re- established the continuous process of comprehensive planning by authorizing an update of the 1971 Com- prehensive Plan. An overview of the plan update is provided in this Summary Poster. The Summary Poster is designed to give a quick narrative and illustrative overview of the 1985 Com - prehensive Plan Update for the City of Carmel/Clay Township. Written specifically for anyone interested in the community's past, present and future devel- opment, it can be an educational tool for citizens, government officials and developers. The poster is divided into a series of concise, easy -to -read sections: comprehensive plan process, goals, objectives and policies, population and economy, development pat- terns, development supports, problems and oppor- tunities, land use and housing plan, circulation plan, downtown plan and plan achievement measures. For complete text on each of these sections, refer to the 1985 Comprehensive Plan Update for Carmel/Clay Township. Copies are available at Canters City Hall, 40 Fast Main St., Carmel, Indiana 46032. Carmel City Hall One of Many Churches Serving the Cannel Area Since the 1971 Comprehensive Plan was pre- as well as other factors, are affecting, or will likely pared, Carmel and Clay Township have experienced: affect, the future of Carmel and Clay Township, and • More than a decade of demographic change to outline appropriate strategies for directing this representing two census reporting periods; development. • Changes in development practices, manage- The development of the Comprehensive Plan has ment techniques and technology (solar access, been a four-vear combined effort involving city of - satellite communication, "cluster" develop- ficials and staff, township trustees, builders and de- ments, etc.); velopers, a private consulting firm and citizens of • Changes in the utility systems and service areas; Carmel and Clay Township. Throughout the proc- • Significant new development, especially resi- ess, more than 40 open meetings were held to hear denial and commercial; public comment and discussion. In addition, 10 work • Changing character of the downtown; sessons were held by the Comprehensive Plan Com- o Concentrations of particular types of develop- mittee and the consultant. The Comprehensitr Plan ment (i.e., the hospital and the office devel- Updaa, City of Carmd/C.lay Towwship was officially opment cluster along Meridian Street) with the adopted on Sept. 30, 1985. potential to affect the character of surrounding If the Comprehensive Plan is used intelligently developed and undeveloped areas; and and often and is flexible enough to guide rather than • Replacement, upgrading and normal aging of dictate decision-making, the Comprehensive Plan public facilities and infrastructure. Update will be an important tool for communis The Comprehensive Plan Update is intended to progress; if it is forgotten, it will someday be only. consider in detail how the changes described above, an interesting historical document. POPULATION AND ECONOMY Since 1950, the population in Carmel and Clay The percentage of the population in Carmel/Clay Figure 3 Township has increased dramatically when compared Township and Hamilton County that moved from LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS with state and national trends (Figure 1). Clay a different county or state increased between 1970 1970-1980 Township experienced its greatest rate of growth and 1980. People moving to the area from within between 1950 and 1960. Carmel, on the other hand, the state showed the largest increase. The majority of the Carmel labor force depends on employment Figure 1 opportunities in Indianapolis. In 1980, 73.6 percent COMPARATIVE POPULATION of Carmers population worked outside the county GROWTH SINCE 1970 or area of residence. 100.1 CARMEL CARMEL/ single-family housing units in 1979 numbered 422, CLAY 1970 1980 1970 , ,\i/ 375 PARK AND RECREATION FACILITES: -SCHOOLS . , 76.4 % PROFESSIONAL - Pu011� co.aa 1111111111w. ONARK Control National State Count Carmel/ y Clay 6.9 % 7.9 % 7.9 % i►(.'. ... OPERATORS/ ._.� Pura. Comm , 6.3 /o LABORERS ities, public utilities and other community services Iota P -d 91 /d d 6.7 % 11.5 % /. i / REPAIRMEN . I W.T1.N S PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITIES --T--_-_----.•__________________ ________ '�.•.'. �l.NA1, NOW WATERWORKS FACILITIES volume and pressure to its customers. �"� --Zi; = WASTEWATER FACILITIES usually these are open for membership only to sub- it Education Wastewater Treatment • •• • ANTICIPATED CARMEL WATERWORKS Carmel and Clay Township are served by three - / ti Woodland, is located in Carmel and provides swim- SERVICE AREA attractions that has drawn many people to live in the e /`I , ming, sailing and fishing to residents of the Wood- land Springs and Woodlands subdivisions. About state 465. They are U.S. Route 31 (Meridian Street Ave - through Carmel), state Route 431 (Keystone Ave - w ANTICIPATED CARMEL SEWER SERVICE AREA Hamilton County and encompasses four Planning 310 acres are devoted to general recreational facili- nue) and U.S. Route 421 (Michigan Road southwest ..... .-INDIANAPOLIS WATER CO. DISTRIBUTION MAINS ties, of which 207 acres are public school ground facilities. corner of Clay Township). Other important tho- roughfares in the City and Township, in order of garten programs were implemented in 1965 within the public school system. Carmel also has a Catholic Carmel's wastewater collection service area pres- The need for recreational facilities is not as great ,...-5 PLANED E.P.A. SEWER SERVICE AREA -_-� PLANNED MERIDIAN CORRIDOR SEWER school and a Christian Academy. In addition, there �., __ ��,.,,,,,,I 116th Street, Main Street (131st Street), Carmel Drive and Mohawk Drive (126th Street). ..... SERVICE AREA of the City and Township that appear to be under- There are several other significant thoroughfares mel/Clay schools has enrollment over capacity. The ... served. Many areas could be served with small in the City and Township that serve important traffic- PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES Review of existing conditions and analysis of de- velopment factors/issues and environmental con- straints within Carmel/Clay Township have helped determine: 1) where new population and develop- ment have taken place and 2) where population and development are likely to occur in the immediate future. From this planning analysis and evaluation of development potential, there has emerged a series of problems and opportunities. This analysis is the basis for the Concept Plan recommendations. Supportive In of growth and development, such as a new industrial park and numerous office developments, appear to be occurring as the Carmel vicinity becomes more of a service-oriented com- munity. This economic evolution will require an im- proved road system, affe5t the type and intensity of new land uses and require additional community fa- cilities such as utilities, parks and recreational facil- ities to support the new population growth. Presently, the Carmel/Clay Township community has several special development opportunities, of which the Meridian Corridor is unique and perhaps the most important land development opportunity within the area. The type of development taking place along the Meridian Street Corridor is creating a very positive image for the City and Township, increasing the tax base and establishing the corridor's identity as a special high-quality office -service dis- trict. Development within this corridor is occurring along the entire length of Meridian Street. Devel- opments such as these have potential for overloading the design capacities of road intersections and caus- ing some bottlenecks and traffic problems at rush hours. Development along those streets outside the corridors that feed into Meridian Street, such as 103rd Street, 106th Street, 111th Street, Pennsyl- vania Street, 116th Street and 131st Street, has been moderate but is increasing. If improved, these streets could provide convenient east/west access while at the same time encouraging appropriate development to move off of U.S. Route 31 (Meridian Street). This, too, would create additional opportunities for stepping down land uses from Meridian Street. With the extension of sewers between Spring Mill Road and Meridian Street, development is expected in this corridor. One of the most significant effects associated with development in the Meridian Corridor is the poten- tial for overloading traffic capacity on Main Street east of Meridian Street. Because many of the struc- tures located along Main Street west of Range Line Road are built right up to the road, major acquisition, relocation and demolition would be required to widen this thoroughfare, Introduction of significant amounts of commercial development west of Meridian Street will require additional developer -initiated improvements to Spring Mill Road as well as traffic control improve- ments along Meridian Street. Sewer and water im- provements also would be required. One of the effects of this development along the Meridian Street Corridor will include a shift in traffic circulation from a north -south traffic flow to a more east -west flow to the western edge away from population concen- trations. As a result, more cross cis/township and easthvest traffic would exist. Competition also would be created between the eastern and western portions of the Township, and the downtown would have yet another commercial district to compete with. The interchange at 1-465 and Meridian Street is a prime location for mixed-use development. A de- velopment here will provide a strong image for the Carmel/Clay Township area as a quality community. High-quality development should be required to maintain Carmers positive image. In addition to pos- sible commercial development pressure, develop- ment of the Timber Lane and Northridge Village residential subdivisions, which are currently platted but largely undeveloped, could be realized well within the planning period. The interchange at U.S. Route 421 (Michigan Road) and 1-465, particularly north of 96th Street, is another area of significance. It represents an opportunity for a development de- pendent upon good highway access. The opportu- nity to provide convenient commercial uses and personal/ business services in this area to the resi- dents of the Green Tree Country Club vicinity also exists. The Purdue University Agriculture Station known as Lynmvood Farm occupies 323.6 acres of land in the northeast central portion of the Township. It is situated on land outside of the flood plain that has soils suitable for devclopment. The development of this area would require major street improvements, particularly the improvement of north -south circu- lation. The area also has potential to be adequately served by extending existing utilities. Property owned by American Aggregates in the southeastern portion of the Township, beyond the city limits, represents a major future development opportunity in terms of reclamation and redevelop- ment for residential lyses. This southeastern area yields extensive groundwater and is the site of seven future City well sites along the west side of River Avenue north of 106th Street. Planned improve- ments to 96th Street in this area, including a new bridge crossing over the White River, should accom- modate any future development. With continued growth taking place and several large planned developments proposed, pressure to upgrade existing streets and highways necessary to support the increased traffic will greatly increase. Several major traffic issues and concerns have been identified. Most importantly, a good roadway system will be necessaryto support the type and intensity of development that is becoming characteristic of Carmel. Here is an examination of the four major traffic issues and concerns identified in the Com- prehensive Plan update: 1) Although a suitable major east/west thorough- fare does not exist in Carmel/Clay Township, 116th Street seems to be the most logical existing east/ west route for upgrading to primary thoroughfare status. Current traffic volumes appear to be at or over capacity. A more specific study should be con- ducted to determine the future status of this street. 2) The extension of Carmel Drive west to U.S. 31 (Meridian Street) will help alleviate the over- loading of east -west traffic in this vicinity. Here, op- portunities for additional development, such as Carmel Science and Technology Park, would also increase traffic volumes and should be taken into consideration. The accepted plans call for the ex- tension of Carmel Drive westward from its current terminus to U.S. 31 (Meridian Street). These plans also provide for the future extension of 126th Street from its current terminus at Range Line Road west- ward to the Carmel Drive extension. The combi- nation of these two road extensions would improve east/west access through Carmel. One of the impli- cations, however, is the possibility that traffic on Guilford Road would increase in a north/south di- rection. When this area was rezoned for manufac- turing, a commitment was made to the residents of the area that development would be planned to min- imize additional through traffic on Guilford Road. 3) Opening Carmel Drive and 126th Street to Meridian Street would relieve heavy traffic flow ex- perienced by 3rd Avenue Southwest during shift changes in the Gradic Drive/Carmel Drive industrial area. By providing direct access from this industrial area to Meridian Street, traffic volumes on Main Street, Range Line Road and 116th Street would be lessened, particularly during peak hours. How- ever, consideration should be given to the potential for truck traffic to feed onto Mohawk Drive (126th Street) from Keystone Avenue to arrive at the in- dustrial park. This is a residential area and is not well-suited to industrial traffic. 4) Development in the vicinity of St. Vincent's Hospital may strain the capacity of some of the northern east/west thoroughfares, particularly Smo- key Row Road/ 136th Street. The presence of the hospital and the desirability of it being close to Me- ridian Street and Keystone Avenue make the triangle bordered by Range Line Road, 136th Street (Smo- key Row Road) and Keystone Avenue appropriate for higher density development. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PROCESS Communities such as the City of Carmel and Clay Township -like people -grow and change over time. Therefore, the goals, objectives, policies and programs guiding such communities also must change. A program for community improvement and development will accomplish its goals only if it is kept current and workable. This program is usually referred to as the "Comprehensive Plan.' The City of Carmel and Clay Township have re- established the continuous process of comprehensive planning by authorizing an update of the 1971 Com- prehensive Plan. An overview of the plan update is provided in this Summary Poster. The Summary Poster is designed to give a quick narrative and illustrative overview of the 1985 Com - prehensive Plan Update for the City of Carmel/Clay Township. Written specifically for anyone interested in the community's past, present and future devel- opment, it can be an educational tool for citizens, government officials and developers. The poster is divided into a series of concise, easy -to -read sections: comprehensive plan process, goals, objectives and policies, population and economy, development pat- terns, development supports, problems and oppor- tunities, land use and housing plan, circulation plan, downtown plan and plan achievement measures. For complete text on each of these sections, refer to the 1985 Comprehensive Plan Update for Carmel/Clay Township. Copies are available at Canters City Hall, 40 Fast Main St., Carmel, Indiana 46032. Carmel City Hall One of Many Churches Serving the Cannel Area Since the 1971 Comprehensive Plan was pre- as well as other factors, are affecting, or will likely pared, Carmel and Clay Township have experienced: affect, the future of Carmel and Clay Township, and • More than a decade of demographic change to outline appropriate strategies for directing this representing two census reporting periods; development. • Changes in development practices, manage- The development of the Comprehensive Plan has ment techniques and technology (solar access, been a four-vear combined effort involving city of - satellite communication, "cluster" develop- ficials and staff, township trustees, builders and de- ments, etc.); velopers, a private consulting firm and citizens of • Changes in the utility systems and service areas; Carmel and Clay Township. Throughout the proc- • Significant new development, especially resi- ess, more than 40 open meetings were held to hear denial and commercial; public comment and discussion. In addition, 10 work • Changing character of the downtown; sessons were held by the Comprehensive Plan Com- o Concentrations of particular types of develop- mittee and the consultant. The Comprehensitr Plan ment (i.e., the hospital and the office devel- Updaa, City of Carmd/C.lay Towwship was officially opment cluster along Meridian Street) with the adopted on Sept. 30, 1985. potential to affect the character of surrounding If the Comprehensive Plan is used intelligently developed and undeveloped areas; and and often and is flexible enough to guide rather than • Replacement, upgrading and normal aging of dictate decision-making, the Comprehensive Plan public facilities and infrastructure. Update will be an important tool for communis The Comprehensive Plan Update is intended to progress; if it is forgotten, it will someday be only. consider in detail how the changes described above, an interesting historical document. POPULATION AND ECONOMY Since 1950, the population in Carmel and Clay The percentage of the population in Carmel/Clay Figure 3 Township has increased dramatically when compared Township and Hamilton County that moved from LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS with state and national trends (Figure 1). Clay a different county or state increased between 1970 1970-1980 Township experienced its greatest rate of growth and 1980. People moving to the area from within between 1950 and 1960. Carmel, on the other hand, the state showed the largest increase. The majority of the Carmel labor force depends on employment Figure 1 opportunities in Indianapolis. In 1980, 73.6 percent COMPARATIVE POPULATION of Carmers population worked outside the county GROWTH SINCE 1970 or area of residence. 100.1 CARMEL CARMEL/ single-family housing units in 1979 numbered 422, CLAY 1970 1980 1970 1980 375 50.4% 77.4 % 80.2 % 69.6 % 76.4 % PROFESSIONAL population growth. Carmel/Clay Township is pro - 11.2 Dao 5.6 % National State Count Carmel/ y Clay The Carmel labor force increased by more than 240 percent during 1970-1980 (Figure 3). The labor force of Clay Township also increased but not as much as Carmel's. In 1980, managerial, professional and specialty occupations, along with technical sales and administrative support occupations, were held by 80.2 and 76.4 percent of those people employed ' C I d CI T h' • I Ma 1n acme an ay owns 1p, respective y. n Source: 1980 Census of Population ufacturing had the second-highest percentage of em- ployment in Carmel in 1970 and 1980. Source: 1980 Census of t'opulation COMPARATIVE POPULATION TRENDS experienced its highest growth rate between 1960 and 1970. After these large growth increases, Carmel 18 YEARS MEDIAN 65 YEARS and Clay Township continued to grow but at slower 8L UNDER AGE & OVER rates. The largest percentage increase occurred in 40.7% 26.6 Years 1 5.3 the 55-59 age group in Carmel/Clay Township from 1970 to 1980. The second highest increase in Car- mefs population occurred in the 35-39 age group, and its smallest percentage increase was in the 0-4 CARMEL age group. The slower rate of growth in the 14 and under mmississ age group is the result of the declining birth rate and 1 40.7% 1264Yea,sr4.9% the in -migration of more single, professional people, married couples waiting longer to have children and older couples whose children have already left home. CARMEL/CLAY TOWNSHIP A summary of age composition for the City of Car- mel/Clay Township is provided in Figure 2. O 1970 p 1980 Mobility and commuting are directly related to the Source: 1980 Census of Population population characteristics of a community or area. 1970 Census of Population Alnno the last _SII urate KerwA n 14711 ,inr1 14X11 cent, and a trend toward fewer people per household developed. This trend shows that more of the pop- ulation consists of the single, professional type or married couples with only one or two children. The percentage increase of housing units in Clay Town- ship and Hamilton County was not as great as Car- mers because most new homes were built in the north and east parts of Carmel. The downward trend in the national economy be- tween 1980 and 1983 affected the housing market Income levels and trends from decade to decade reflect the economic vitality and prosperity of a com- munity. Carmefs median family income and per cap- ita income levels have been significantly above the levels of the surrounding areas, while the percent of the population below the poverty level has been less than the surrounding areas. A good indicator of Car- mel's strong domestic purchasing power is the dis- tribution of households by family income. Because the majority of Carmers households are in the mid- dle- to upper-income brackets, retail sales and the need for more service establishments should con- tinue to increase. These are significant indicators of Carmefs economic prosperity and future growth potential. Figure 4 RECENT CONSTRUCTION TRENDS SIN(.I.F FAMILY DWFLLING UNITS CARMEL CARMEL/ single-family housing units in 1979 numbered 422, CLAY 1970 1980 1970 1980 375 MANAGERIAL/ 77.4 % 80.2 % 69.6 % 76.4 % PROFESSIONAL population growth. Carmel/Clay Township is pro - crease since 1974. However, the number of new SERVICE OCCUPATIONS 6.9 % 7.9 % 7.9 % 9.1% OPERATORS/ 5.0 /0 9.5 /0 6.4 % ` , , 6.3 /o LABORERS ities, public utilities and other community services Iota CRAFTSMEN/ 91 /d d 6.7 % 11.5 % 7.8 % REPAIRMEN iature golf complex and an outdoor community need for a larger, more modern facility within the TOTAL LABOR 2,514 8,525 7,616 15,521 FORCE ness or residence. Development support factors volume and pressure to its customers. 1n acme an ay owns 1p, respective y. n Source: 1980 Census of Population ufacturing had the second-highest percentage of em- ployment in Carmel in 1970 and 1980. Source: 1980 Census of t'opulation COMPARATIVE POPULATION TRENDS experienced its highest growth rate between 1960 and 1970. After these large growth increases, Carmel 18 YEARS MEDIAN 65 YEARS and Clay Township continued to grow but at slower 8L UNDER AGE & OVER rates. The largest percentage increase occurred in 40.7% 26.6 Years 1 5.3 the 55-59 age group in Carmel/Clay Township from 1970 to 1980. The second highest increase in Car- mefs population occurred in the 35-39 age group, and its smallest percentage increase was in the 0-4 CARMEL age group. The slower rate of growth in the 14 and under mmississ age group is the result of the declining birth rate and 1 40.7% 1264Yea,sr4.9% the in -migration of more single, professional people, married couples waiting longer to have children and older couples whose children have already left home. CARMEL/CLAY TOWNSHIP A summary of age composition for the City of Car- mel/Clay Township is provided in Figure 2. O 1970 p 1980 Mobility and commuting are directly related to the Source: 1980 Census of Population population characteristics of a community or area. 1970 Census of Population Alnno the last _SII urate KerwA n 14711 ,inr1 14X11 cent, and a trend toward fewer people per household developed. This trend shows that more of the pop- ulation consists of the single, professional type or married couples with only one or two children. The percentage increase of housing units in Clay Town- ship and Hamilton County was not as great as Car- mers because most new homes were built in the north and east parts of Carmel. The downward trend in the national economy be- tween 1980 and 1983 affected the housing market Income levels and trends from decade to decade reflect the economic vitality and prosperity of a com- munity. Carmefs median family income and per cap- ita income levels have been significantly above the levels of the surrounding areas, while the percent of the population below the poverty level has been less than the surrounding areas. A good indicator of Car- mel's strong domestic purchasing power is the dis- tribution of households by family income. Because the majority of Carmers households are in the mid- dle- to upper-income brackets, retail sales and the need for more service establishments should con- tinue to increase. These are significant indicators of Carmefs economic prosperity and future growth potential. Figure 4 RECENT CONSTRUCTION TRENDS SIN(.I.F FAMILY DWFLLING UNITS nationally as well as in Carmel. New construction of 536 single-family housing units in 1979 numbered 422, a00 16 422 423 375 The Comprehensive Plan Update examined how family housing units reached their peak in the early various growth alternatives would influence future 318- population growth. Carmel/Clay Township is pro - crease since 1974. However, the number of new 327 single -family housing units once again is increasing cent or to 48,752 residents by the year 2005. This and has surpassed the level of activity exhibited in was the alternative that best fit the patten of Carmel/ the 1970s. Clay Township's growth. ities, public utilities and other community services Iota nationally as well as in Carmel. New construction of 1973 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 single-family housing units in 1979 numbered 422, Source: City of Carmel decreased dramatically to 149 units in 1980 and within the Township are served by individual on- continued to decline through 1982 (Figure 4). Multi- The Comprehensive Plan Update examined how family housing units reached their peak in the early various growth alternatives would influence future 1970s, and there has not been an appreciable in- population growth. Carmel/Clay Township is pro - crease since 1974. However, the number of new jected to grow at an average annual rate of two per - single -family housing units once again is increasing cent or to 48,752 residents by the year 2005. This and has surpassed the level of activity exhibited in was the alternative that best fit the patten of Carmel/ the 1970s. Clay Township's growth. DEVELOPMENT CONSTRAINTS/CONDITIONS r D I I � ,--------• - ---- ------ ----- ---- J /--- 0 / 1f1 - j� SUITABLE FO i J ` _ LOWER INTENSITY 1�1 MODERATE �� ����/// . / INTENSITY r DEVELO NT g /9 p ---- // O/ / I \ � d� 0 LOWER '�,lr . o ��` / err o / A PRIME AGRICULTURAL LAND 0 �� 0 J I k (� /� SUITABLE FOR 5 MODERATE ❑ f f � 1 ❑D / DEVELOPMENTMODERATE D E 5 INTENSITY 9;q► 'If "'� \ 000000 \ \ ❑ 1 ,� S i 0 I J ; I71vL NIS] 111111111111111111M MMMMMMMMMMME 11111 MM -_ t URBAN CORE 'W > , 0 ', -� �' HIGHER � INTENSITY `\\ ` SUrrABLE Ff]f - 0, j - - `'��::'I. O 1 ;'I,N....e' % OWERINENSIT�`T- O I I ' LOWEQ. `•••'�"""- DEVELOWNENT � ) I _ \`` n, �/ - !INTENSITY / ' ccj T-� I . � - 0 - _ < o___aoo 000c�y l oma,- _ - - .. -'- ... - �� o ooQ000 a000000 -i // ( I � LEGEND _ , r� '/ g: LOWER / I DEVELOPMENT INTENSITY SUITABLE FOR - / - _ \_ Z INTENSITY `LOWER / r-, LOWER INTENSITY _ (j �: / `�J EXISTING DEVELOPMENT AREA DEVELOPMEN . ]].�.. \ _ / OMODERATE INENSITY/ {J- I �� O SUITABLE DEVELOPMENT 4PEA G. DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTS LOWER INTENSITY 0 1 I I RESOURCE (' � . ^ N - 0 , EXTRACTION QQQ MAJOR MIGNMpYs BARRIERS \ \� Q --� - 000 CROSS CITY TOWNSHIP CONNECTORS `11 �` 0 ,� I MISSING YAJ011 ROAD LINKAGE � � LOWER / --.. ------ 1.111. MISSING MINOR ROAD LINKAGE HIGHER-' _ - - - - - - SANITARY SEWER SERVICE AREA WTENSITY \ %� INTENSITY 1 / _ g ,_ �. - I ; = LIMITATIONS IN UNDEVELOPED AREAS ` 0 / 11 o - -, ; 1 - - FL000w.rs _ 11�� STEEP SLOPES �000 00000 0000000000 OC7000C=) 0 `,-�.,.,{/-I / : oO T -O - VV MAJOR TREE COVER ��iqz : �� --- �__. n - - -h- - � �Qp� jt5 BUILDING SITE LIMITATIONS DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTS The extent and quality of the public facilities and Village and Village of Mt. Carmel area. Other areas remaining 4 percent (39 acres). by the Hamilton County Sheriffs Department. The essential services the community provides are main- within the Township are served by individual on- The primary recreational facilities include five golf Carmel Police Department is located on 1 st Avenue stays of a healthy community and principal factors site wells or small systems serving several residences. courses, a racquet club with indoor and outdoor N.W. An addition was constructed in 1980, which that determine livability. The quality of the thor- Total storage capacity, as of 1985, for the Carmel/ courts and other facilities, two small parks, a large more than tripled the size of the facility. The Carmel oughfare system, school system, recreational amen- Clay Township service area is 1.5 million gallons, ice-skating facility, a riding stable, tennis courts at Police Department facility is currently meeting the ities, public utilities and other community services which is more than adequate to supply peak hourly the high school and two junior high schools, a min- department's needs; however, there will likely be a can often tip the balance of individual and corporate flow and fire -flow demands. The distribution System iature golf complex and an outdoor community need for a larger, more modern facility within the decision making in selecting a community for busi- is well gridded and capable of supplying sufficient swimming pool. Many residential subdivisions offer next five years or so. ness or residence. Development support factors volume and pressure to its customers. open space and neighborhood swimming pools, but considered in the planning process include: usually these are open for membership only to sub- Circulation Education Wastewater Treatment division residents. One large water body, Lake Carmel and Clay Township are served by three The Carmel/Clay Schools are one of the major Carmel and portions of Clay Township are part Woodland, is located in Carmel and provides swim- principal highways having interchanges with Inter - attractions that has drawn many people to live in the e of the Southern Hamilton County Regional Waste- water District, which was created to serve southern ming, sailing and fishing to residents of the Wood- land Springs and Woodlands subdivisions. About state 465. They are U.S. Route 31 (Meridian Street Ave - through Carmel), state Route 431 (Keystone Ave - area. The Township and City are served one senior high school, two junior high schools and five Hamilton County and encompasses four Planning 310 acres are devoted to general recreational facili- nue) and U.S. Route 421 (Michigan Road southwest elementary schools. Special education and kinder- Areas. The City of Carmel coordinates planning for the four areas. ties, of which 207 acres are public school ground facilities. corner of Clay Township). Other important tho- roughfares in the City and Township, in order of garten programs were implemented in 1965 within the public school system. Carmel also has a Catholic Carmel's wastewater collection service area pres- The need for recreational facilities is not as great their magnitudes of traffic, include Range Line Road, school and a Christian Academy. In addition, there ently includes most of the land between Guilford Road and state Route 431 (Keystone Avenue) north as it might be because unserved areas also are the least populous areas. Still, there are outlying areas 116th Street, Main Street (131st Street), Carmel Drive and Mohawk Drive (126th Street). are several nursery or cooperative pre-schools serving Carmel/Clay Township. Presently, none of the Car- of 116th Street to 136th Street; most of the land of the City and Township that appear to be under- There are several other significant thoroughfares mel/Clay schools has enrollment over capacity. The between state Route 431 and Gray Road south of served. Many areas could be served with small in the City and Township that serve important traffic- school system, as of the spring of 1985, was operating 136th Street to 96th Street; several subdivisions just east of Gray Road; and several subdivisions just north neighborhood parks offering active recreation. carrying functions primarily oriented to shorter trips within the Township. In Clay Township, these in - at 80 percent of its optimum enrollment capacity. of 136th Street. The Planning Area for Carmefs Public Safety elude a number of roads following section lines on Carmel Public Library wastewater collection service extends well beyond Public safety facilities in Carmel and Clay Town- roughly one mile centers. Within the City of Carmel, The Carmel Public Library is located at 515 E. this service area and includes the entire eastern por- ship include those needed for fire protection and other significant thoroughfares include Guilford Main St. The Library District coincides with the tion of Clay Township to the White River. All of police activities. The Carmel Fire Department, the Road, Pennsylvania Street, Old Meridian Street and boundaries of Clay Township and the Carmel -Clay this land will eventually be serviced by the Carmel Carmel Police Department and the Hamilton Smokes, Row Road (136th Street). School District. A major concern of the Board is wastewater collection system. The Clay Township County Sheriffs Department provide these services. Past traffic studies performed for various individual improvements in service to the western portion of Regional Waste District encompasses most of the The Carmel Fire Department provides fire pro- development proposals suggest an approximate 2 the Township, the most distant service area from remainder of the Township. tection and emergency medical services to the City percent annual growth rate in traffic volumes for the the library. of Carmel and all of Clay Township. Overall, the Carmel area. It is expected that this rate will be Parks and Recreation departments four stations are well located and pro- exceeded on roads serving the growing eastern and Water Utility Carmel/Clay Township has 1,05.5 acres of indoor vide good coverage of the Township and City. There central portions of Carmel and Clay Township. The Three water utilities serve Carmel and Clay and outdoor parks and recreational facilities, includ- are presently no problems with access to and from primary goal of the thoroughfare plan for Carmel/ Township. The municipal waterworks system of the ing 20 acres of land reserved for the proposed Car- individual fire stations. A new central fire station and Clay Township is to ensure the efficient distribution City of Carmel serves most of the built-up area within mel -Clay Community Park. Public recreational outdoor amphitheater are the first phase of the Car- of traffic within the City and Township. Providing the present corporate limits. The Indianapolis Water facilities provide only 20 percent (213 acres) of the mel Civic Square project located west of Range Line right -of --ways for widening and for new road con- oo-Company, Company,a private utility, serves Clay Township total recreational facility acreage in the City and Road on Gracile Drive. struction will be imperative if this goal is to be and a portion of the City of Carmel. The Hamilton Township. Private facilities account for 76 percent The Carmel Police Department provides service realized. Western Utility Company serves the Hunters Creek (783 acres), while quasi -public facilities make up the to the City of Carmel, while the Township is served EXISTING THOROUGHFARE CONDITIONS CARMEL/CLAY TOWNSHIP OFFICIAL LAND USE AND CIRCULATION PLAN LEGEND LOWER IlNTENSITY RESIDENTIAL- ESTATE/LARGE LOT MODERATE IlVTENSITY RESIDENTIAL - SUBURBAN HIGHER INTENSITY RESIDENTIAL - URBAN / SCALE BUSINESS INDUSTRIAL FORMAL OPEN SPACE SPECIAL USE TRANSITION AREA LAND USE AND HOUSING PLAN The Carmel land Use and Housing Plan is in- tended to show the generalized land -use relationships with regard to the City's and the Township's future development pattern. The Plan also indicates the general direction and magnitude of new urban growth and development, where agricultural cultivation and large lot, estate types of development should con- tinue to prevail and where certain features of the local landscape should be perserved or kept as open space. The Plan also states the desirable future bal- ance within the City and the Township between non -urban activities and urban development and in- dicates the direction in which Carmel should move to arrive at such a functional relationship. This Plan is intended as a guide to development decision-making, to be used by the public as well as the private sectors. It should be interpreted so that the community can be flexible in responding to unanticipated opportunities and/or to changing de- velopment circumstances. The Plan recommends that development first take place where existing sup- port systems such as streets, water service, sewer service, police protection, fire protection and schools are present. This implies that existing vacant areas with available supports and amenities be developed first. (improvements may be necessary to avoid overloading the existing support systems.) General land -use categories have been estab- lished. A description of these categories follows: (a) Lower Intensity Residential —Estate/ Large Lot Limited to open space and/or single-family residential structures on parcels of land one acre or more. (b) Moderate Intensity Residential — Suburban Comprised largely of single-family homes on moderately sized parcels of land. Some other housing types, such as two-family units and other cluster housing types, also are in this category. (c) Iligher Intensity Residential—Urban Scale Includes small lot, higher density development. (d) Commercial Uses encompass retail, professional and busi- ness services, personal services and agribusiness. (e) Industrial Includes manufacturing, wholesale outlets and warehouse and distribution outlets. (f) Formal Open Space Takes into account planned/proposed parks and recreation, both passive and active in na- ture. These ;rctn wcs include hiking and riding trails, tennis, golf and swimming. (g) Agriculture Limited to those farms operating either as food or animal producers. (h) Special Uses Accounts for uses that may require special planning measures, such as St. Vincent's Hos- pital and its immediate vicinity. (i) Circulation Spine Includes designated north/south (Meridian Street, Keystone Avenue and Range Line Road) and east/%vest road connectors (96th Street, 116th Street, 131st Street between Carmel Downto%vn Residential Area DOWNTOWN PLAN In most instances, the downtowns of today have evolved from the original town settlement clusters of yesterday. Carmel is no different. What began as 14 lots in 1837 quickly grew into a village that served the area's local population. This area in the vicinity of Range Line Road and Main Street became the major hub of Carmel/Clay Township as the area continued to grow, and new businesses and industries were established. In recent years as emphasis has shifted away from downtown Carmel, the downtown's historic image as the central focus and primary commercial activity center has weakened and eroded. It is apparent from the size and number of shopping centers in this vicinity that a large amount of commercial compe- tition is present. Carmel's Central Business District (CBD) is not, nor should it be expected to be, ca- pable of competing these levels of commercial e activity. Rather, the Carmel CBD should build upon its own unique characteristics to develop an atmos- phere rethat is uniquely 'Carmel.' 1. Business Core Focus Area Although the Downtown Plan covers a larger area in terms of initial studies and evaluation, the design/ development emphasis of the Plan is in the vicinity of the intersection of Main Street and Range Line Road. This area is referred to on the accompanying map as the Business Core Focus Area, and it is within this area that the vestiges of the -original' CBD are to be found. The Comprehensive Plan Update recommends that downtown Carmel evolve as an established, dis- tinct commercial identity that nco t incorporates a com- . rP bination of various commercial uses attractive to potential City/Township users. The Plan includes recommendations for -public' streetscape, building exterior improvements and parking improvements. The thrust of the design concept is an environment designed for people on foot. 2. Outlying Focus Areas The outlying areas surrounding the central busi- ness core have been identified as focus areas, and recommendations have been made where appropri- ate. Such improvements as landscaping, providing unified information on signage, upgrading buildings and curb and gutter treatments are recommended. Carmel Downtown Park Spring Mill Road and Gra-, Road, and 146th Street) between these various uses that create linkages throughout the City and Township. 0) Transition Areas Refers to special areas where either the future of development cannot presently be predicted or where sensitive treatment will be required between ne►w and existing land uses. The Plan recommends that zoning requests con- stantly be compared against the existing physical conditions present in an area. Rezoning, when in- dicated by changing land use patterns, helps to ac- celerate the natural transition occurring and encourages investment instead of disinvestment. Areas experiencing changing market conditions that would benefit from consideration of rezoning or a special overlay zoning requirement include the following: • U.S. 421 (Michigan Road) area from 96th Street to the Hamilton County line; • Range Line Road north of the downtown; • The Home Place area; and • The existing I-1 zoned area along Range Line Road and along Main Street. A review of the Carmel Zoning and Subdivision regulations indicates that adequate opportunity exists for alternative types of housing developments. The recommended [and Use Plan for Carmel/Clay Township provides sufficient areas for consideration of alternative housing types. In particular, many of the Transition Areas provide an opportunity for en- couraging mixed types of developments, including cluster housing developments, as transitions between higher commercial- and lower resident ial-intensit development. The area of greatest concern with respect to res- idential deterioration is the Home Place area. The Plan addresses the areas ability to provide alternative housing types and starter homes for Carmel/Claw Township's -next generation." Continued aggressix c code enforcement is an important tool to maintain property improvement in areas such as Home Place. r l i�oo 9 ° d - �.� o° o q n � f ° r Ir waotrrruL cowfpcus amP ° p° GNEWER IEfC9 ML �. t) FOCUS AREA ] o QOM i — o �Jw_ ° L O OCD. a o°S p o p t o 0o c o 0 c IC3 Z_ pa ❑° n(Co I ' ❑ o°Qo 0coo - o o❑On •n�� ocp P O ° o :� • Opo ao (] ®uo` F� umvnowAl I • RA s• 9AgFi1 • , • AIEA Al Foca Anu iE Fo � -41?m Q O 0 (� EXISTING PROPOSED FREEWAY EXPRESSWAY PRIMARY THOROUGHFARE EXISTING PROPOSED CIRCULATION PLAN The recommended Circulation Plan for the City of Carmel and Clay Township is based upon a num- ber of factors, including: • The lack of an east -west major thoroughfare causes several east -west roads to serve varying functions relative to the type of traffic they carry. Despite its narrow, two-lane width, 116th Street is the most heavily traveled east -west route and serves as the only east -west route that crosses the White River within the Township. The extension of Carmel Drive from Range Line Road to U.S. Route 31 is being empha- sized both as a means to develop an industrial park west of Gradle Drive and as a new east - west route. • Proposed office and commercial development will cause further increases in traffic volumes along U.S. Route 31 and other nearby roads. • The development of currently vacant land will contribute to increasing future traffic along Key- stone .Avenue. • Many roads lack sufficient pavement width to accommodate existing and future levels of traffic flow. • Several offset intersections may be found in the City and'1 ownship, most of which affect north - south traffic flow. • Many roads have reached or approached their traffic -carrying capacity. • There are areas where road linkages do not now exist, but may be needed in the future. • Other circulation problems include excessive traffic in downtown area, poor condition of many County roads, the need for service roads in the vicinity of Meridian Street, peak -hour congestion of Keystone Avenue, U.S. 31 and U.S. 421 near 96th and 1-465, and the use of "cul -de -loops' and excessively long cul-de-sacs causing difficulty for firefighting equipment and school bus maneuverability. The presence of natural and man-made obstacles in Carmel and Clay Township hinders traffic flow. The White Ri%cr, which forms the eastern boundary of Clay Township, effectively limits the potential for new east -west road construction because of the need for bridge crossings. A significant man-made obstacle is U.S. 31 (Meridian Street). Because of the need to limit the number of intersections along this high- way and the extreme costliness of grade separations, the potential for new east -west road construction in the City and Township is limited. Several planned or anticipated developments can be expected to have significant impacts on the areas circulation. Most of these are planned in the vicinity of U.S. 31 (Meridian Street). The vicinity of Range Line Road and 116th Street is another area that can be expected to realize congestion as a result of in- creased development. Minimum design standards are useful not only for regulating construction of new thoroughfares and SECONDARY THOROUGHFARE _ _ _ _ _ _ COLLECTOR STREET O IlVTERSECTION IMPROVEMENT streets but also for evaluating existing conditions to determine deficiencies and for programming im- provements to existing thoroughfares and streets. The design standards pertinent to this recommended Circulation Plan for Carmel/Clay Township relate to the minimum right-of-way width and street pavement width for each functional class. These proposed standards are outlined in Table 1. The proposed network of freeways, expressways, primary and secondary thoroughfares, collector streets and local access streets have been designated based upon their relationship to the existing thor- oughfare and street network of the City, County, State and U.S. highway system. The Circulation Plan recommends the foregoing functional classification of thoroughfares and streets and related design cri- teria, in light of the expected increase in traffic vol- umes that will be generated by population growth Table 1 RECOMMENDED MINIMUM GEOMETRIC DESIGN STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE THOROUGHFARES AIND STREETS FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION RIGHT-OF-WAY WIDTH (FEET) BACK-TO-BACK ON -STREET PAVEMENT WIDTH PARKING (FEET) Freeway As required As required None Expressway As required As required None Primary Thoroughfare 100 44 None Secondary Thoroughfare 80 44 None Collector Street 60 36 One Side Local Access Street -- 60 40 Both Sides Commercial 30 None Local Access Street -- 50 Residential 30 Both Sides Nouree: Woolpert Consultants Commercial Project Entry Road and land development during the next 20 years. As well as the establishment of recommended minimum right-of-way and pavement widths, im- provements w ill be necessary to many intersections along the thoroughfares in the City and Township. In some cases, improvements to turning radii will be necessary, however, the majority of the necessary improvements will involve widening, improving drainage and providing left turn and right turn lanes. Synchronization of traffic signals will facilitate traffic flow on the proposed primary and secondary thor- oughfares and add to the capacity and safety of these highways. The installation of additional traffic signals will become necessary along primary thoroughfares as land development occurs. By means of subdivision requirements tied to the classification of thoroughfares or through developer incentives, sidewalks should also be provided. Land- scaping requirements tied to the provision of side- walks, such as street trees and/or landscaped earth berms along the streetside planting strips, could be a mechanism for ensuring that the proper relationship is maintained between street and pedestrian ways. PLAN ACHIEVEMENT MEASURES Plan achievement measures are intended to be used by City and Township officials and staff to keep the Comprehensive Plan Update current. The plan achievement measures are organized around Com- munity goals and indicators. Meridian Street Office Building Community Goals The basis for the Comprehensive Plan Update is embodied in its goals, objectives and policies, which were formulated to provide Carmel/Clay Township development decision makers with a flexible frame- work for considering development decisions antici- pated within the various plan elements and the planning issues and circumstances not anticipated when the report was prepared. If the Plan is to remain consistent with the goals, objectives and policies from which it is comprised, then it must represent current community -held at- titudes regarding a variety of issues, including: • Residential development (i.e., how to maintain quality and encourage rene►val?); • Commercial development (i.e., how to deter- mine quality, mix, scale and location?); • Industrial development (i.e., how and where to promote and encourage growth?); • Open Space and Recreation (i.e., how to balance?); • Community Facilities and Services, (i.e., where to locate and at what cost?); and • Circulation (i.e., how will thoroughfare devel- opment disrupt established residential areas?). Because of the growth in Carmel/Clay Township, it is recommended that the goals, objectives and policies be reviewed annually for their relevance to development trends. The Plan Commission could then propose changes to the Plan as necessary to reflect modifications to the goals, objectives and pol- icies consistent with changing community attitudes. In fact, it may be necessary for the Plan Commission at times to recommend changes to various plan ele- ments where there may be significant divergence between existing and modified goals, objectives and Policies. Indicators Indicators are intended to provide the community officials and staff with the basic units of information necessary for evaluating the direction, timing and extent of plan implementation. These are: 1. Building Permits — Information reported includes class of use, type of improvement and estimated value and date. This indicator is use ful for keeping track of the rate of development and type of development within Carmel/ Clav Township. 2. Subdivision Plats — The system is presently a manual system. Conversion to a computer file would facilitate easier search of plats by planning subarea, developer or housing type. In addition to keeping records regarding indi- vidual plats, it is recommended that plats be tabulated by number of lots approved versus number constructed for each plat and by sub- area. Staff could then determine what impact renewed development interest might have in any single planning area relative to the number of lots available for development without hav- ing to go through subdivision approval. 3. Variances — There should be an annual re- view relative to the types of variances being requested, their locations and the outcomes of the request. A summary report should be pre- pared as an indicator of either development pressure and/or the need to consider modifi- cations to the zoning text and/or map. 4. Rezonings — Rezonings should be handled like variances. 5. School Enrollments — School enrollment figures should be obtained from the school de- partment annually and recorded by planning subarea as %•ell as by school subdistrict. This information is useful for reconsidering growth assumptions as a basis for forecasting future population and population distribution within the planning subareas. 6. Employment — Employment should be re- corded annually within Carmel/Clay Town- ship, preferably with regard to planning subarea. Useful information can be obtained simply by telephone or by canvassing new businesses as identified by building permit rec- ords to determine their anticipated employ- ment. This will provide a suitable means of gauging existing and potential employment centers within Carmel/Clay Township and the direction of employment as it relates to housing needs, community facilities and services and population forecasts. 7. Housing — It is recommended that Carmel/ Clay Township undertake a regular inspection program of residential and nonresidential struc- tures as away to monitor changes in condition of City and Township structures and identify disinvestment areas before such disinvestment becomes significant. 8. Land Use Map — Land use changes within Carmel/Clay Township should be recorded, preferably on a quarterly basis. Building permit records, plat records, rezoning information, newspaper articles and informal discussions with property owners over the course of regular Department and/or Plan Commission business should provide the basis for keeping the Land Use Map current. CONCLUSION The rate of expansion of Carmel/Clay Township now compares to the 1970s. New and different types % appear to be occurring of growth and development appe g as the Carmel viciniry becomes more of a service- oriented community. These changes will require ad- ditional and/or improved circulation, affect the type and intensity of new land uses demanded and require additional utilities, parks, recreational and commu- nity facilities to support the new population. The Meridian Corridor and the 1-465 interchanges offer the best development opportunities. A large percent of land, approximately 67 percent, is still undeveloped, vacant or agricultural in nature in Carmel/Clay Township. To maintain quality of development, Carmel/Clay Township must structure and balance its future urban growth and development in an orderly way through strong zoning regulations. In the past, the City of Carmel and Clay Township have maintained a strong commitment to the neigh- borhoods and the community. This commitment, along with the economic growth that Carmel has experienced, assures that the quality of life will con- tinue to improve. However, keeping planning current and flexible is crucial to Carmel/Clay Township's ability to guide and balance its development pros- pects as conditions change, unforeseeable events oc- cur, old problems are solved, new ones arrive and new methods are found to sole them. Therefore, it is recommended that the community update its Comprehensive Plan every five years. In this ►wa%. Carmel/Clay Township can ensure that the man positive factors that make the area a highly desirable place to live and conduct business today will continue for future generations.