What is happening to the land at 116th Street and Range Line Road?
The southwest corner of 116th and Range Line has seen some changes over the past year as Kite Realty Group purchased the land and demolished the existing retail structure. Kite is proposing a substantial mixed-use project, which would include apartments and office space on the upper floors and retail shops on the first floor – all wrapping around a public parking garage.
For motorists coming to Carmel from the south on Range Line, this would serve as a nice southern gateway to this vibrant corridor.
The City and Kite continue to work through details of a public-private partnership that would make 116th and Range Line an architecturally-distinct part of our central core. For motorists coming to Carmel from the south on Range Line, this would serve as a nice southern gateway to this vibrant corridor. This development should look great as the anchor corner at the future roundabout that is planned for the intersection.
The City’s focus on empowering its local businesses sheds a light on the contrast between how developers proceed with projects when they acquire land vs. the City’s process when it purchases land for redevelopment, such as Monon Square.
At Monon Square, after that purchase agreement was finalized, the City took time to visit with each tenant. As long-term plans get developed and development begins to occur at this location, the City will keep the tenants in the loop and do its best to ensure there is a place for them in the new development. Most of the tenants will have expired leases at this point but will continue to stay at the center as it transitions.
The alternative is what we see at 116th Street and other similar projects around the City. Developers tend to follow a certain process that does not necessarily favor existing tenants due to the demolition of buildings and preparation for the sitework. This can sometimes lead to an empty space for years until a project can come to fruition.
The City will continue working closely with Kite to ensure this does not become the case at this intersection.
Authored by Laura Campbell, Ron Carter, Sue Finkam, Anthony Green, Bruce Kimball, Kevin Rider and Jeff Worrell