Letter #9 David Leazenby
Butler, Bric
From:David Leazenby <david.leazenby@onyxandeast.com>
Sent:Friday, April 19, 2024 3:46 PM
To:Butler, Bric
Cc:Finkam, Sue; Hollibaugh, Mike P
Subject:Housing Carmel's Future
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
Mr. Butler, please forward my thoughts on housing to the Mayor's Residential Task Force to consider
when planning for the future of Carmel. I believe implementing these changes will go far to create
opportunities for anyone to live here in the future, including my kids and theirs after them.
1. Invest in the core, between Illinois Street and Keystone Parkway, make it entirely walkable,
bikable, and transit friendly, providing more opportunity for new housing, and a place that kids
being born today will want to live in 25 years and can afford it; but also let's create opportunities
for everyone today to share in the growth and value creation over this time.
2. Allow ADUs everywhere in the city. Everyone gets the opportunity to have grandma living with
them, or a kid back from college, a flex space like a home office, or a rental unit. My area of Old
Town allows this today. Why shouldn't everyone enjoy this benefit?
3. Redevelop older, larger lot neighborhoods in the core by applying a combination of new policy and
creative financing to achieve missing middle housing types. Do rezoning and apply the new
residential TIF tool combined with economic improvement districts.
1. City to invest in new infrastructure, storm water, lights, sidewalks, etc.
2. Rezone to allow 2 units for most lots, for new duplexes with appropriate architectural
controls
3. Rezone to allow certain parcels on arterial streets like Rangeline, Main Street, 126th,
116th, etc to allow 4-6 unit buildings with townhomes and flats for residents to age in the
neighborhood
4. Waive park impact fees and/or other city costs, just for those associated with building
duplexes or small townhome buildings in the core.
5. For comparison, what if Auman Drive neighborhood would have been treated that way?
Nothing against the homes and residents there, but I use it as example as a contrast for
what we could do in the future to provide missing middle housing. It has been redeveloped
with very large homes on large lots, without sidewalk connectivity or streetlights. It is out of
the price range for young people, and its too large of homes for empty nesters. Its the type
of homes that already existed elsewhere in Carmel.
6. Opportunities to do this strategy remain on in other neighborhood in the core areas of the
city, including Emerson Drive, Wilson Rd, Jordan Woods, Home Place, 96th/Haverstick,
and everything around Central Park.
4. Two other areas to focus redevelopment efforts: Create master plans for 31 corridor and Michigan
Road corridor with urban densities and services, with TIF districts for new streets and
infrastructure, employment centers, multi-family, and parking garages.
5. Prohibit new apartment developments in all other predominantly single-family areas on the west
and east sides of the city.
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These are my thoughts as a 15-year resident of downtown Carmel, and experience working with the city
and developing here for 25 years. None of these represent the views of Onyx+East. I'm happy to talk more
about it with the task force and be a part of the solution. I think it’s great the city is having this
conversation.
David Leazenby
SVP Acquisitions & Development
Mob 317.294.5125
ONYXANDEAST.COM
460 Virginia Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46203
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