Westside Redevelopment, Public Art, and more! - 7/7/25

Hello neighbors,  

I was humbled to receive the Carmel Police Department Civilian Commendation Award at Monday’s city council meeting. It was an honor to assist a fellow Carmel resident in need of medical attention, alongside several other first responders, and I’m pleased to report that he is doing well.

Below you’ll find a recap of the July 7 meeting, including information about an exciting new project in the Westside District, a minor update on the CCI investigation, and an invitation to enjoy Carmel’s newest public art piece.

As always, you can watch the entire City Council meeting here. 

CITY COUNCIL MEETING UPDATES

Recognition of Outstanding Citizens 

• Chief Drake Sterling honored Sergeant. Matt Keinsley, K9 Officer Brandon Owens, Mr. Ahmed Mereb and myself for responding to a young man who experienced a life threatening medical emergency near the Cherry Blossom Festival. 

  • I credit EMS for their phenomenal response. This experience further instilled an urgency in me to fund and support our first responders in any way possible. 

Mr. Ahmed Mereb, his family, and the city counil celebrating his award

Persons Who Wish To Address the Council 

• Andy Myers and his 15-year-old son, Samir Myers, suggested a speed limit for electric bikes and other similar vehicles rather than a ban on multi-use paths. 

  • I loved seeing this young man use his voice to affect his community!

Mayoral Comments

• Mayor Finkam celebrated the first of the Carmel Pop-Up series, held on June 17. This event enables city officials to reach residents, rather than the other way around. I am very much looking forward to having one of these events on the west side and happy to work on getting that accomplished.

• The city honored architect Stephen P. Sturtz with the Carmel Architecture Award. He started right here in Carmel and has built over 40 buildings in the city!

LEFT: Steven P. Sturtz, MIDDLE: Carmel 40 years ago, RIGHT: Sturtz's vision of Carmel, TOP: Carmel today

CHS Parking Lot Update

• Councilor Snyder brought up issues residents have had with the Carmel High School parking lot expansion. The addition appears to be positioned in a way that could potentially connect their neighborhood to the parking lot, which would create safety concerns. 

  • Councilor Snyder has attempted to discuss the issue with the school, but they haven’t been willing to negotiate. He used the opportunity to solicit the city council for help. 

  • Councilor Taylor suggested that residents join the town hall on July 30 at 6:00 at the Berkshire Clubhouse to discuss pedestrian safety.

Land Use Committee Update

• Land Use met just before Monday’s council meeting. The only item on the agenda was Ordinance Z-697-25 which establishes the US 421-WCD Planned Unit Development District 

• This project brings much-needed attention to one of the most overlooked and neglected areas of Carmel: Michigan Street from 96th to 106th which has been left without a cohesive development plan for the last two decades.  

• Learn more about the subject below, under the heading “Old Business.”

Redevelopment Commission

• Henry Metesky, Carmel Redevelopment Director, shared several updates, including:

  • A summary of TIF areas that the city must submit to the state each year

  • The roundabout at Main Street and Richland Avenue, near the library, is getting close to unveiling a new sculpture, “Taking Flight”

    • Come to the library for a celebration of the new piece Friday, July 11, at 10 to 11 am.

"Taking Flight" by Jason Klimoski (unfinished)

Old Business

Ordinance Z-697-25

• Approved

• Ordinance establishes the US 421-WCD Planned Unit Development District Ordinance. The Ordinance would rezone the real estate from I-1 Industrial to a Planned Unit Development district, allowing the development of mixed-use development, including multi-family and commercial uses, as depicted in the Concept Plan.

• Returns from land use with a favorable recommendation

• Jon C. Dobosiewicz, Land Use Professional at the law firm of Nelson and Frankenberger, spoke to us about his client’s rezoning request. 

  • Local Carmel developer Edward Rose and Sons is requesting to rezone the area west of Michigan Road, south of Retail Parkway, and north of 99th Street for both residential and commercial use. 

    • Learn more about this project in a previous blog post. 

• As councilor for the West District, I’ve learned that many people are unaware that this area of the Westside is part of Carmel, partially because it doesn’t conform to the traditional expectations of what Carmel looks like. This area is sorely in need of more development and beautification.

• Some councilors suggested the idea of an industrial business use for this site, none of which was realistically within reach.

  • In fact, it was suggested that I-4 zoning could be a use for this site instead of its current I-1 zoning, which would mean dumping grounds for hazardous waste or garbage instead of housing, dining, or other revenue-generating amenities.

• The residents of the Westside would never want to be exposed to volatile chemicals or become a dump site; that will never happen on my watch.

• That’s why I’m bringing new apartments, restaurants, and retail options to this area, developed by Edward Rose & Sons, a business that invests in its Carmel properties. 

• The project will not require any funding from the city or county and is expected to generate $2.2M in Park Impact Fees, the majority of which will fund the development of Bear Creek Park.

• We also had a robust conversation about public safety and how to manage traffic on US 421 effectively when adding these new homes. These concerns will be top of mind when developing this project further. 

Public Hearings

Ordinance D-2774-25

• Sent to finance, who will work closely with Land Use

• This ordinance appropriates $2,526,702.00 to support street repaving costs.

• The city council had a productive conversation about allocating more resources towards our Roads team, enabling them to be more proactive in improving our streets. We also discussed fostering greater collaboration between Roads and Stormwater Management. Councilor Snyder made a passionate plea for solid long-term planning to keep our roads in excellent condition, and I couldn't agree more

  • This project will take time, but I will ensure it won’t interrupt the money that our street department needs right now to make improvements.

First Reading of Ordinance D-2775-25;

• Approved 

• This ordinance appropriates funds to cover costs related to the White River Greenway North Extension Project.

• To be clear, this amount represents no tax dollars, just grant dollars that the parks has already received.  

Petition to Vacate a Public Way; Calvert Place; Greg and Gail Corn and Jerry and Patricia Hohn

Petition to Vacate a Public Way; Oswego Road – Lot 107; Thomas and Merilee Klootwyk

• This means that the city is vacating a small area to the citizens listed above.

• A public hearing will be held at the next city council meeting for the first vacation.

• The second vacation was approved.

New Business

Resolution CC-07-07-25-01

• Approval

• Transfers $1,356,465.35 from the Grant Fund into the Parks and Recreation Impact Fee Fund 

• White River Greenway expansion

Resolution CC-07-07-25-02

• Sent to the Plan Commission 

• This resolution refers to a proposal to amend Article 1 of the Carmel Unified Development Ordinance to the Carmel Advisory Plan Commission for public hearing and recommendation to the Common Council.

• This continues our effort to make the UDO clearer and more user-friendly. In particular, this resolution phases out certain irrelevant phases now that Carmel is a Class 2 city to make the administrative process more user-friendly.

Other Business

1. Letter of Engagement for Legal Services – Dentons Bingham Greenebaum LLP

   • Approved

   • This is the official engagement letter that will kick off the relationship between the city and this law firm for the CCI investigation. 

   • The next step is to get our questions to the law firm, which will then start searching for answers. 

   
   

Events Around Carmel

• Watch Pixar’s Luca as part of Carmel’s Movies at Midtown Plaza series on July 15 and 17 at 6 pm! 

• Enjoy the Summer Family Concert Series at the Gazebo for an evening of free music. The next concert will be My Yellow Rickshaw on July 16, at 7 pm at 1 Civic Square.

• Have some Brews on the Boulevard and sample breweries from across Indiana on August 3, from 5 to 9 pm in Midtown Carmel. 

I hope you found this information helpful! I’m excited to share future updates on the Westside’s redevelopment, which is sure to be a game-changer for the district. I have complete faith in Edward Rose & Sons to deliver a design that not only looks good, but also benefits the public and stands the test of time. 

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, please reach out to me and I will be happy to put your student's name forward.

If you’d like to attend a City Council meeting, committee hearing, or other council events, please visit our website for the calendar.