Builder proposes 237-home development that would save historic Carmel house

A custom-home builder is proposing a mixed residential development that would bring 237 new homes to Carmel’s north side and preserve one of the oldest houses in the Hamilton County suburb.

Old Town Companies LLC, a sister company of Carmel-based The Old Town Design Group LLC, has filed plans to develop a neighborhood featuring single-family and multifamily dwellings at the northeast corner of 136th Street and Keystone Parkway.

The company is asking the city to rezone about 60 acres from the R-1 residential zoning designation to a planned unit development, which would allow the developer to build attached homes in addition to single-family residences.

Called The Overlook, the neighborhood would consist of up to 103 single-family homes and 134 multifamily units of for-sale condominiums or townhouses. The multifamily units will be built in six buildings.

The property is mostly vacant, except for a house that was originally built as a two-story log cabin in 1834. The house was expanded in 1853 and 1909. The home will be preserved as part of the development plan as a community gathering space or office. At least three acres surrounding the historic house will be used for a community park, according to town documents.

The home has been owned by several generations of the Hull and Brennan families since the early 1900s. The house was constructed by members of the first wave of pioneers in Hamilton County and was originally the center of a 631-acre plot of land deeded to William Wilkinson in 1822.

Historians who have been working to preserve the property believes its the second-oldest home in Carmel, behind a 1827 log cabin at Main Street and Keystone.

The Old Town Design Group has been building residential developments in Carmel since 2008. Its other projects include Sunrise on the Monon in Carmel, Gray Oaks in Carmel and Timberstone in Fishers.

“We feel we have created a timelessly designed community that will benefit its residents, as well as a site plan that integrates seamlessly into its surroundings in terms of use and nature,” the developer said in plans filed with the city.

Company representatives did not return calls seeking further information about the project. 

Beazer Homes of Indiana LLP filed plans last year to build a 157-home age-restricted community called the Reserve at Cool Creek but withdrew the proposal early this year.