Lawmakers debate if they should rein in this redevelopment tool, or use it to create affordable housing

Before Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard took office more than two dozen years ago, the now-booming, wealthy suburban city was home to roughly 35,000 people. 

Under Brainard, Carmel’s population has almost tripled in size. What was primarily farmland and a mostly vacant strip center is now the site of a ritzy multi-story downtown residential and commercial destination known as City Center, home to the Palladium and Hotel Carmichael. Nearby, a former industrial area of the city now houses the popular...