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After calling off a plan five years ago to relocate a high-traffic Fishers supermarket across Allisonville Road to a site formerly occupied by Marsh Supermarkets, Kroger is reportedly ready to finally make the move.
According to a consultant’s study commissioned by city officials, Kroger has notified Fishers of its intent to relocate its store in the Fishers Crossing retail center at the northwest corner of Allisonville and 116th Street to the Fishers Station retail center at the northeast corner of the busy intersection.
If Kroger does make the move, Fishers Crossing could undergo a major redevelopment that might include converting the vacated store to a city-owned recreation facility, a food hall and restaurant incubator, or other commercial spaces.
The 96-page study by Indianapolis-based HWC Engineering also suggests mixed-use buildings could be constructed at the site if the retail strip connected to Kroger is demolished, and a public plaza and open space could be added nearby.
“It is important to note that this redevelopment concept is just one potential way the property can be re-envisioned for the future,” the study’s authors wrote. “It’s possible that a new tenant move into the vacated Kroger space and the shopping center remain largely unchanged.
“At the same time, the site represents a unique opportunity to address several corridor study goals by introducing new and varied commercial spaces and potential for varied housing options, in combination with community open space that creates a unique destination along the corridor.”
A Kroger spokesperson did not immediately respond to a question from IBJ about the company’s plans.
In 2018, Kroger abandoned a plan to build a 123,000-square-foot Marketplace superstore on the former Marsh site. Kite Realty Trust Group had announced in February 2017 that Kroger had signed a lease to anchor Fishers Station.
Kite demolished the 57,000-square-foot Marsh store, relocated retention ponds and remodeled or rebuilt the rest of the shopping center. Today, most of the center is leased, but it still has a major open spot in the middle that had been reserved for Kroger. A site plan for Fishers Station on Kite’s website still shows a 123,000-square-foot Kroger store.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness established the Allisonville Road Steering Committee in the summer of 2022 to work with HWC to conduct a study examining the Allisonville Road corridor between East 106th and East 126th streets.
Fishers last April commissioned the $85,000 study from HWC that puts a significant focus on the 116th and Allisonville commercial district.
The Fishers City Council will vote Monday night on whether to adopt the recommendations made in the study.
The 116th and Allisonville intersection could have major changes, including a landscaped roundabout that would serve as a gateway into the city and reflect its proximity to the White River, according to the study. Construction on the roundabout would begin in early 2024.
The study also recommends improving the city’s bicycle and pedestrian network along the Allisonville Road corridor with trails and sidewalks.
In 2017, the city worked to prevent vacant grocery store properties from being redeveloped without city oversight. The Fishers City Council approved the ordinance that would only allow grocery use in vacant or occupied grocery stores within existing retail centers.
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