The City of Carmel and the Department of Community Services (DOCS) recently updated 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 drafting of the previous Comprehensive Plan in 2008, we have seen the near universal adoption of smartphones, baby boomers retiring and down-sizing, two significant economic recessions, the most recent of which brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 Greenway 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.