Carmel Plan Commission to hold public hearing on housing regulations

Submitted by City of Carmel

The Carmel Plan Commission will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18 to receive public feedback regarding the city’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), zoning regulations, and land development rules in accordance with Indiana House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1001.

The hearing will take place in the Council Chambers at Carmel City Hall.

The goal of the review is to evaluate existing development regulations and identify opportunities to increase housing development. As mandated by state law under HEA 1001, the Plan Commission’s review will evaluate potential UDO updates focused on nine key factors:

1. Providing for higher-density development of duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in areas designated for single-family residential homes.
2. Constructing other housing types, including accessory dwelling units (ADUs), manufactured housing and modular housing.
3. Adaptive reuse of commercial buildings for residential use, such as allowing multifamily development in retail, office, and light manufacturing zones.
4. Increasing allowable floor area ratios (FAR) within multifamily residential areas.
5. Waiving or eliminating regulations such as requirements for:
   • garage size and placement;
   • steeper roof pitch;
   • minimum lot sizes and square footage;
   • greater setbacks;
   • off-street parking;
   • design standards that restrict or prohibit the use of code-compliant building products; and
   • property height limitations.
6. Reviewing impact fee zones in coordination with the applicable zone advisory committee.
7. Streamlining or shortening the processes and timelines, including through one-stop and parallel process permitting by 15 days or more.
8. Using property tax abatements to enable higher density and mixed income communities.
9. Donating vacant land for affordable housing development.

No specific ordinance amendments are proposed or being voted on as part of this public hearing. This session is strictly intended to gather public comment and perspective from Carmel residents, business owners, and community stakeholders.

If future amendments develop from this review, they will be considered through additional public hearings with formal legal notice in accordance with local and state procedures.

All interested members of the community are invited to attend the hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18 in the Council Chambers at Carmel City Hall. Public comments will be heard in order of appearance.

Community members who cannot attend or prefer to submit feedback in writing may send comments directly to the Department of Community Services, Plan Commission Secretary, Bric Butler, at bbutler@carmel.in.gov prior to the meeting. Written submissions will be made part of the official public record.

The public hearing information will be available on the City of Carmel’s website at this link.