BOONE COUNTY

BOONE COUNTY

Zoning approval sought for assisted-living center

An assisted-living provider is seeking to rezone property on Michigan Road north of 116th Street to construct a facility that would include 200 residential units and an Alzheimer’s wing.

The company is in the beginning stages of the approval process. The company’s identity will be revealed after preliminary paperwork is submitted to the town of Zionsville March 20, its attorney, Mike Andreoli, said.

His client already has a presence in Indiana and is well-known within the industry, he said.

An older home and a small landscaping business occupy the five acres the company is purchasing on the east side of Michigan Road. The property needs to be rezoned from neighborhood business to business/ office.

Zoning hearings will be held in April or May. The earliest construction could begin is in late summer, Andreoli said.

The commercial development creeping north on Michigan Road to 116th Street is prompting the owners of Century 21 Realty Group – Alexander to sell their office.

Principals Jerry and Susan Alexander bought the residence and accompanying three acres at 11411 Michigan Road in 2002 and converted it to 5,000 square feet of office space. It can accommodate 60 real estate agents.

But in the nearly six years since, the property became lucrative to commercial developers. Now it is listed for $2 million.

“People inquiring and pounding on our front door asking if we would sell made the decision that we’re better off leasing space down the street,” Jerry Alexander said. “We just don’t need to sit on that much real estate.”

Home Depot, Kohl’s, Petco, Best Buy and Target are among the retailers that have sprouted along Michigan Road.

Besides, he said, the residential real estate business has become so dependent on Internet listings that agents often work remotely. For that reason, the Alexanders likely will lease smaller space somewhere along Michigan Road. They also operate a Century 21 office in Lebanon.