The City of Carmel and the Department of Community Services (DOCS) is updating the city’s Comprehensive Plan. This update will help to refine goals related to growth for the next 10 years.

To put ten years in perspective - Since the last drafting of the Comprehensive Plan in 2008, we have seen the near universal adoption of smartphones, a spike in the baby boomer population, two significant economic recessions, the most recent of which brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic that we are currently experiencing. Amidst all of this, Carmel has been doing relatively well. Significant changes to the physical environment have made it attractive to new employers, employees, visitors and residents. The growth of City Center and improvement of the Monon Trail through a new Midtown has established a strong urban core. The City has in many ways begun to grow up instead of out. This emerging pattern of development is necessitating a refreshed look at mobility, public space, our mix of uses, urban densities and economic and environmental resilience.