Mayor Sue Finkam is nudging Carmel forward into its next phase of urban development, one that includes brand new digs for active seniors and a greenspace that doubles as a tribute to veterans. During a City Council meeting, the mayor, alongside the Carmel Redevelopment Commission, unveiled plans for a four-acre militia of construction located on Old Meridian Street, complete with housing and park amenities—this according to a recent bulletin released by the City of Carmel.
The Signature55 Carmel project seems to mesh public and private plans with the kind of seamless ease many urban dwellers only dream of. It pledges to not only provide ample living space for the spry elder community but also to deftly connect park space and existing urban trails. "I frequently hear from active older residents who want to downsize their living space yet are eager to remain in Carmel," Mayor Finkam stated in the bulletin. Signature55, it appears, is aiming to fulfill that very desire.
Touted features of this grand project include a virtually planned Veterans park with a splashy central water element, the brainchild of Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation in concert with local vets. If the concrete information laid out in the bulletin holds water, residents can expect to soon stroll along paved paths connecting the park to Old Meridian Street and the nearby VFW post. Also on the docket is a parking structure with enough room for 356 vehicles—75% of which promise to be unclaimed and up for grabs by the public.
City Council Vice President Matt Snyder, who stands as a staunch supporter of park spaces and trail connectivity, helped organize a meeting to discuss these developments last Monday at the VFW Post. And now, the ball is firmly in the City Council's court to both review and, hopefully, roll forward with the process that includes an intergovernmental shuffle of land intended for park use. This next step seems crucial to constructing a new piece of Carmel that could eventually pump an additional $483,000 annually into the tax coffers—a notion that might be enough to convince the most fiscally conservative stalwart.
On the tail end of a previous deal by Cross Development that fizzled out, Signature55 is seizing the opportunity to purchase the land at a cost that’s described as "well under the appraised value." According to details etched in the City of Carmel's release.
