Carmel wins Home Place annexation fight.

[K_W]

Those of you following this story either because you live there, or are fighting annexation elsewhere, the great annexation battle that garnered national attention was finally decided over Fire coverage.

Home Place agrees to Carmel annexation after 12-year battle - TheIndyChannel.com Indianapolis, IN

 

[amboy49]

What is it about Home Place that Carmel feels is so crucial that it be annexed ?

 

[K_W]

What is it about Home Place that Carmel feels is so crucial that it be annexed ?

Tax revenue.

... and they want to tear down some "blighted" parts and put up offices (more tax revenue) and mixed apartment/retail buildings (even more tax revenue) and eliminate that unsightly hole on the map.

 

[Lwright]

Gotta pay for expensive public art some how.

 

[KellyinAvon]

Tax revenue.

... and they want to tear down some "blighted" parts and put up offices (more tax revenue) and mixed apartment/retail buildings (even more tax revenue) and eliminate that unsightly hole on the map.

Always follow the money. It probably leads to a round-about up that way.

 

[K_W]

Always follow the money. It probably leads to a round-about up that way.

Several of them... also elevated crossings on the Monon.

 

[miguel]

For the uninitiated..."Home Place" is basically the area south of 111th (Monon Water Park), north of 106th Street and west of the Monon Trail itself. Doesn't quite "officially" go all the way to Pennsylvania, but close. Much of it is 1950s type construction. Small houses. I'm sure they will start buying people out over time and bulldoze the whole area.

Hopefully they leave the cemetery just west of 106th and College alone.

 

[K_W]

For the uninitiated..."Home Place" is basically the area south of 111th (Monon Water Park), north of 106th Street and west of the Monon Trail itself. Doesn't quite "officially" go all the way to Pennsylvania, but close. Much of it is 1950s type construction. Small houses. I'm sure they will start buying people out over time and bulldoze the whole area.

Hopefully they leave the cemetery just west of 106th and College alone.

To my knowledge, living around here 23 years, Carmel has not moved any cemeteries yet.

Pretty much any homes west of Central Ave will be gone and redeveloped into offices and most of the business surrounding 106th and College will turn into apartments over retail.

Carmel also plans to extend East 96th St from Westfield Blvd. west to Pennsylvania Parkway, along the north side of 465 and current 101st St, which will wipe out about two dozen more homes.

The rest will remain pretty much unchanged.

 

[amboy49]

Well, Gee, I just thought Mayor Brainerd was doing it out of the goodness of his heart to help the citizens of Home Place. You know, a way to get them free stuff and all. I am shocked, shocked, I tell you.

 

[T.Lex]

They can't move the cemetery unless the Township Trustee is part of it. Cemeteries are specifically under that office (last time I checked).

Doug Callahan is the current trustee. He's a REALLY good guy. Former Carmel Fire Chief. So, he may play ball with whatever the Mayor wants.

Really, though, Home Place won't bring in much revenue right now. But, it will broaden the authority for the Mayor and CRC to develop Pennsylvania and probably College Ave. into more mixed-use. Those are 5 year type plans, though.

 

[Tactically Fat]

Is the plan to rezone everything so that "eventually" buyouts happen over time or will people be forced out via misuse of imminent domain?

 

[T.Lex]

Is the plan to rezone everything so that "eventually" buyouts happen over time or will people be forced out via misuse of imminent domain?

I don't think there is a "plan" per se.

Roads will be widened, which is appropriate eminent domain (even if we disagree on the need), so that'll take out some homes. In that same vein, roundabouts will be added (I'm thinking 111th and College will be first). That'll take out some homes. The traffic on 106th is bad, but I'm not sure how much can be done about that at College. With those businesses, ED there will get REALLY expensive.

On Rangeline, the church at 106th is an issue. It probably isn't going anywhere.

I think most of the growth will be fairly organic, with developers purchasing houses/parcels over time. Much of the development has passed Home Place by in the last 10 years and it'll take awhile for people to think about going in there.

All IMHO.

 

[Tactically Fat]

That's probably the best/easiest/kindest way to go about it, I suppose.

There's a short corridor of Smith Valley Road in Greenwood (generally between Yorktown Rd. and SR 135) that has been rezoned commercial, I believe. There are a few REALLY nice houses along there. If/when any of those folks sell, it's sold under the new zoning. They're not forcing anyone out - though they may be losing 25 ft. of land for the future expansion of SVR. But all those houses (save 1) are set WAY back on their 10+ acre lots.

 

[T.Lex]

The biggest thing Home Place has going for it is that the Mayor's big push now is for Midtown. That's where the money is going.

A decade ago, things were different. Back then, there were some checks and balances on the redevelopment spending. He couldn't do "crown jewel" type stuff.

Now, not so much.

 

[HoughMade]

They can't move the cemetery unless the Township Trustee is part of it. Cemeteries are specifically under that office (last time I checked)...

Yes. Public cemeteries and very old cemeteries even if not originally public. Geez I wish I didn't know anything about dead body/cemetery/cremation law. Long story.

 

[Kutnupe14]

Homeplace is going to look a LOT different in about 10 years, and so are the residents. Money is going to pour into that area.

 

[K_W]

Homeplace is going to look a LOT different in about 10 years, and so are the residents. Money is going to pour into that area.

Yes, that's what I'm afraid of. My home is fairly safe, but pretty much any neighborhood near the office Corridor of Meridian and Pennsylvania or were average home values are under $125,000 are going to be bulldozer fodder. Older but well-maintained neighborhoods like Holiday Hills and Dales, Orchard Park, Orchard Estates, Lexington Farms, some of the nicer homes along the area between the east side of college in the Monon will survive for the longest time but once those homes reach 70+ years of age are no longer going to be desirable to the younger Generations.

 

[T.Lex]

Homeplace is going to look a LOT different in about 10 years, and so are the residents. Money is going to pour into that area.

I think "pour" might be overly enthusiastic. I'd go with "trickle" at first.

Browning (?) is doing a HUGE development on the Carmel side of 111th at Penn. Where the last (I think) farmland is between Meridian and Keystone. People will want to see how that takes shape to sort out what to do next. That'll take a few years.

I agree that the changes will probably be incremental starting with the Meridian corridor. Maybe something like Justin Moffett and the Old Town Design Group can come in and buy up some parcels and rebuild around the Monon Center, like he's done in Old Town. I'm just not sure that'll have the same cachet as downtown Carmel or by the Palladium.

Maybe the city can buy Pleasant Grove church and put in sports complex.

(I remember having soccer practice there back in the day.)

 

[K_W]

I disagree, I don't think Carmel going to waste any time at all. They have had their eye on this area for 20 years, they're up against the clock with their mounting debt and sinking Bond ratings. I expect them to start issuing code violations to Residence of business is immediately to try to weed out the worst offenders in their view and the bids are going to come from the Road contractors and developers in the eminent domain will begin for the areas most readily convertible to high-revenue generating areas.

 

[T.Lex]

I disagree, I don't think Carmel going to waste any time at all. They have had their eye on this area for 20 years, they're up against the clock with their mounting debt and sinking Bond ratings. I expect them to start issuing code violations to Residence of business is immediately to try to weed out the worst offenders in their view and the bids are going to come from the Road contractors and developers in the eminent domain will begin for the areas most readily convertible to high-revenue generating areas.

I understand the root of those fears, but now - somewhat unlike the time of the "maybe they don't want police" comment - the developers already have areas of interest. There's no "prime" spots (other than the Meridian corridor and MAYBE around the Monon Center) compared to where the money already is: Midtown.

Brownfield development is expensive. Its a better bet to go in where someone has already blazed a trail, which is not Home Place.

Now, if we're talking a 20 year event horizon, then yeah. In that timeframe, Home Place will look as different as the Old Town area looks now.

IMHO, in the 3-5 year timeframe, there won't be much different.