Aging-in-Place in Carmel

Hello neighbors,  

I want to take a moment and thank you all for trusting me to represent you and your voices on Carmel City Council. The decisions we make on this council should be on issues that directly concern you, and I’m honored to work each day to ensure that these issues are solved in your best interest, not anyone else’s.

As spring approaches and landscaping season begins, I want to remind you about Ordinance D2724-24, sponsored by yours truly and passed in August 2024, which covers telecommunication cable installation requirements.

All telecommunication cables, including internet and telephone lines, are required to be buried at least six inches below ground to prevent damage from lawn maintenance, landscaping, or other routine activities that might disrupt service. Installers who do not follow this rule may be fined $250 for each violation. This ensures that installation practices are consistent and that residents can rely on uninterrupted service.

If a cable is damaged, residents should contact their service provider as soon as possible to restore service. If there is reason to believe a cable was not buried to the required depth, residents are encouraged to take photographs and notify the City’s Engineering Department: engineering@carmel.in.gov or call 317-571-2441.

When soil or other site conditions make the six-inch depth impractical, installers must provide the homeowner with a written explanation. Please note that this requirement does not apply to cables installed within public rights of way, utility easements, or private streets owned by utilities.

Thanks for your attention, and happy landscaping! With that, let’s get into the latest City Council meeting.

Friendly reminder that you can watch the entire meeting here.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING UPDATES

Carmel’s 50th Anniversary

You might not know this, but Carmel is celebrating 50 years since being officially incorporated as a city! We were joined at the meeting by Indiana State Representatives Danny Lopez and Victoria Garcia Wilburn, who presented a Resolution of the Indiana House of Representatives to commemorate this historic event!

Sister City

We also welcomed some more distinguished guests to this meeting: Principal Kazumi Fujiwara and International Studies Director Kyoshi Morimoto from Osaka Prefectural Nagano High School, located in our sister city in Japan, Kawachinagano. It was wonderful to meet them and to hear about the developing partnership between Nagano and University High School. 

Mayoral Comments

Sixth grader Sam Henry of Creekside Middle School delivered the Deputy Mayor’s Report this week. He discussed the first two of six all-team meetings for the City of Carmel, which set goals for 2026, a new Mayor’s advisory commission to address healthy food access for underserved families, and Carmel’s latest achievement: 5th place in USA Today’s rankings of the top 10 arts districts in the country. Thanks, Sam!

Council Comments

The Mayor’s Commission on Housing is meeting with a company called OptiCoast, which is reviewing our Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). Housing remains a top priority for the Carmel City Council, but we need to hear directly from our city’s residents if we want to build a city that reflects you and your family. If you have ideas for housing in Carmel, please come to the meeting on March 26 at 9 am at the City Hall Council Chambers. I’d be excited to see you there. 

Land Use Committee

I want to give you a full update on our March 4th meeting. We sent two development projects back to the full council. The first project, townhomes on Illinois Street, went back with a positive recommendation. I thank Pulte Homes, the developer on this project, for their willingness to listen to the concerns of the constituents, the planning commission, and our committee. Because of this input, the final plan has more upscale materials and brick covering a larger portion of the homes. Safety railings were also added for the stairs, and covered bike parking has now been included.  

The second project was also sent back to the full council with a positive recommendation. This planned development, Restoracy of Carmel, would add 24 skilled nursing unit beds to the current skilled nursing facility. At the meeting, the developers came back with a much more fleshed-out plan, promising better buffer landscaping, preservation and replacement of trees, and a higher-quality fence for the project than the one previously proposed. They also answered concerns regarding the drainage.

You may have heard a great deal about the third item: The US-31 Subarea plan. The goal of this plan is to encourage development of the areas of “concrete jungle” and underperforming office space along US-31 (Meridian Corridor zoning district) while responsibly protecting existing neighborhoods at the edges of the corridor.

The process of reimagining the US-31 corridor included the voices of many of the residents in the neighborhoods along the corridor. After many months of deep and meaningful conversations, the plan was modified to offer protections to these neighbors from encroaching development and to document their concerns while still clearly defining the need for redevelopment of the office spaces.

In a surprising turn of events, an unanticipated negative recommendation was given to this plan as it returns to the full council. I won’t lie, I am disappointed, and I say to all of you that I am committed to ensuring that your concerns are addressed at the next council meeting. I am optimistic that your voices will prevail. 

Carmel Redevelopment Commission Report

The weather over the past few weeks has thrown a lot of wrenches into a lot of plans, and that includes construction. Though no construction could proceed due to the weather, here’s hoping we can get back on track. 

A quick note that the first meeting of the Carmel Small Business Network is Tuesday, March 24, at 11:30 am at the Fire Department.

If you are interested in learning more about the Carmel Redevelopment Commission, their website is a wealth of information. 

Mayor's Advisory Commission on Senior Living

• The IU School of Medicine conducted a community service, the first step in becoming an AARP Age-Friendly Community 

  • They are creating an action plan based on this information

  • Come to the meeting on April 22, at 5:30 pm at the Council Chambers to learn more about the survey

New Business

Resolution CC-03-02-26-01;

• Approved

• This resolution provides a list of dates around annual events when the ordinance against short-term rentals does not apply in order to increase the number of people in Carmel on special days to encourage celebrations and a festive atmosphere. This includes events like the Indy 500, Thanksgiving, Carmel Marathon, and others. There is a maximum number of days that can be suspended; the full list of dates is as follows:

  • April 3-4

  • April 17-18

  • April 21-24

  • May 8-9

  • May 23-25

  • July 3-5

  • July 24-26

  • August 21-23

  • August 28-29

  • September 5-6

  • October 10

  • November 25

  • November 27

Events Around Carmel

• Join us at the Carmel Fire Department Stay Alive Family Education (S.A.F.E.) House for a Community Sensory Day featuring free giveaways, sensory activities, videos hosted by the Carmel Advisory Committee on Disability (CACD), and a family-friendly movie on March 7 from 11 am to 1 pm. 

• Come to the Belfry Theater for an evening of live theater. Check their website for tickets to ‘Vanities’ through mid-March. 

• Come to the Carmel Winter Farmer’s Market every Saturday until March 28. 

  
  

Last Note:

It was wonderful and inspiring to attend the She L.E.A.D.S. Conference with my colleagues Council Members Ayers and Minnaar and Mayor Sue Finkam on Thursday. Its important the we continue to empower the next generation of girls ready to lead by serving as positive role models in active positions of leadership across our community.

Thank you all for reading this recap. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions.

Caring for Carmel,

Dr. Anita Joshi

If you have a fifth grade Carmel student who would like to give the mayoral update at a council meeting next year please reach out to me and I will be happy to put your student's name forward.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please reach out to me. I’m always here to listen and advocate for you. If you wish to review the details of our city meeting, the recording is available here, and the meeting agenda is available here! If you’d like to attend a City Council meeting, committee hearing, or other council events, please visit our website for the calendar!