FOX59

Proposed Meijer store concerns Glendale residents

Kendall Downing, Fox59

Neighbors have questions — lots of them — about a Meijer store slated to move in right along one of the busiest streets in Central Indiana.

Northside residents gave an engineer an earful Wednesday night, saying they don’t want their neighborhood disrupted by the big-box retailer.

The room at the Glendale Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library was packed to the brim. Residents did not get many solid answers Wednesday evening, because nobody from Meijer attended.

“I’m very concerned about the safety of pedestrians and commuter safety,” said Kerry Bender, who lives near the store’s proposed located.

Meijer has two entrances drawn up for its nearly 193,000-square-foot store at the corner of Keystone Avenue and East 56th Street.

Neighbors like Robin Bridges, who lives across the street, will be able to see the 56th Street entrance from her front door.

“I won’t want to come in my front yard if the traffic is in front of my house. What does it do for my property value?” Bridges asked. “I have a young child. I want her to be able to ride her bike on this street.”

Neighbors got word of the development weeks ago. It received attention quickly because some land Meijer wants to use, including a piece of property where an apartment building sits, would have to be rezoned.

Wednesday night dozens of residents packed the Glendale Library branch for a standing-room-only meeting, where a civil engineer working as a consultant with the company presented plans and attempted to gather concerns.

Neighbors grew restless, worried that their streets will become dangerous.

“What the heck are you going to do with all the traffic coming down from Kessler to make a quick entrance to your store?” one man emphatically asked.

Engineers stressed the project is still in an early stage of planning, adding that Meijer could back out.

Resident Kerry Bender said it all comes down to street safety.

“It’s our neighborhood. We all have a vested interest in our residence,” she said.

Fox59 reached out to a Meijer spokesperson on Wednesday afternoon to ask why nobody from the company was there for the meeting. There was no reply.

The zoning request will be heard by the city in late October.

Earlier this month Meijer announced plans to hire 1,800 seasonal and full-time workers in Indiana at current locations.

This story was originally published on Fox59.com.