City Market tenant agrees to move to alternate space

The Indianapolis City Market has dropped its attempt to evict a Greek restaurant after the tenant agreed to move to another location in the historic building.

A settlement between the market and Grecian Garden also calls for the market to pay $5,000 toward the eatery’s legal bills, said the tenant's attorney, Cliff Rubenstein.

“We believe that [the settlement is] an acknowledgment by the market that the case was without merit,” he said.

Market officials on Sept. 1 filed to evict Grecian Garden on grounds the 10-year tenant had paid its rent late for several months. A hearing on the charge, set for Friday, was postponed after the two sides reached their agreement.

Under the settlement, which is expected to be finalized this week, the Grecian Garden will move to a location in the southwest quadrant near the front entrance of City Market off Market Street

Paying Grecian Garden's legal bills was the most inexpensive way to get the restaurant to comply with its lease agreeement, said Bryce Bennett, an attorney for City Market.

"We're disappointed that Grecian Garden made the renovation project more difficult by taking an unreasonable position," he said. "But we're pleased to have resolved the situation under the most cost-effective manner as possible under the circumstances."

As IBJ reported last Thursday, market officials and Grecian Garden owner John Mavrikis were at odds over the restaurant's preferred new location in the historic marketplace.

Rubenstein, of Maurer Rifkin & Hill PC, said the attempt to evict his client stemmed from a past legal dispute between Mavrikis and market management, not because of late rent payments.