Kite plans to redevelop Fishers Station shopping center

The vacant Marsh store in the high-traffic area of Allisonville Road and 116th Street in Fishers could soon be demolished and replaced with a new shopping center and grocery store.

Indianapolis-based Kite Realty Group Trust plans to redevelop its Fishers Station shopping center, where Marsh Supermarkets Inc. operated a store until last year when it closed it along with several other Indianapolis-area locations.

According to documents filed with the city and obtained by IBJ through a public records request, Kite will demolish the western portion of the retail center, expand the property by more than three acres to the north, construct a new anchor building—possibly to be occupied by Kroger—and add several smaller buildings for retail shops.

Kroger spokesman John Elliott confirmed to IBJ that the Cincinnati-based grocery store chain is considering opening a new store at the site. If the project moves forward, the existing Kroger across 116th Street in the Fishers Crossing shopping center would close.

Elliott said the Kroger gas station on the northwest corner of Allisonville Road and 116th Street would remain there because it would be too difficult to relocate.

The site plan submitted by Kite do not specify square footage of any of the new structures, but shows that the anchor building will shift toward the center of the property. The existing 57,600-square-foot Marsh anchor building is located on the northwest corner of the property along Allisonville Road.

The eastern side of the retail development where Mexico City Grill and Dollar Tree are located, and where Stacked Pickle previously operated, would remain. Stacked Pickle recently moved its Fishers location to the former Bagger Dave’s Burger Tavern on State Road 37.

It’s not clear what would happen to the existing stores in the area slated for demolition. That would include Goodwill, Little Caesars Pizza,The Nail Studio, Majestic Foot Spa, Total Tan, Indiana Blood Center and Cold Stone Creamery.

But documents for the project do include renderings of a Goodwill store so it seems likely it will still have a presence in the remodeled shopping center.

The outlot buildings along 116th Street don’t appear to be impacted by the redevelopment.

Kite declined to comment on the project.

It’s not the first time Kite has tried to revamp Fishers Station. In 2010, the company renovated several buildings and landed Goodwill, Dollar Tree and Mexico City Grill as new tenants.

Work on the redevelopment is expected to start by October and be complete by December 2017, according to documents filed with the city.

Elliott said if the new Kroger store is constructed, it would have most features of a Kroger Marketplace, but with a slightly smaller footprint.

The average Kroger Marketplace typically includes 125,000 square feet, costs about $20 million to construct and requires 340-360 employees. Elliott said those figures can vary and the Fishers store would likely cost less than that.

He said there’s not enough room at the existing store at Fishers Crossing for the company to remodel or expand, which has led to discussions of opening a new store nearby.

Kroger has been heavily investing in its Indianapolis area locations since 2014 when the company quietly kicked off its four-year plan to invest at least $464 million to remodel existing stores and construct new locations.