Meijer is proposing a neighborhood grocery in Avon, but the plan faces sharp criticism

Meijer is looking to open a neighborhood grocery store in Avon, but the project faces an uphill battle as many view the spot the big box retailer has identified for its second location in the town as a residential neighborhood.

The grocery behemoth is proposing to build a 90,000-square-foot grocery store and three standalone retail spaces on the 27-acre open field at the corner of E County Road 200 N and County Road 900 E on the north side of Avon, miles from the hustle and bustle of the rampant commercial development along the town's main thoroughfare, U.S. Highway 36.

As a neighborhood grocery store, the store would be smaller than a full-service Meijer and sell only fresh food and dry goods. Green space is incorporated into the site along with outdoor seating areas. But even with a smaller footprint and a nod to verdant features, the plan faces local opposition. Now it's up to the Avon Town Council whether to approve the rezoning required to build commercial space on the site.

Half a dozen people spoke to the Avon Town Council meeting last week, expressing concerns about the store even before Meijer representatives presented the initial plans. The proposal will next go to the town commission for review and then back to the council. Those designs will likely undergo some changes before a full council vote.

Meijer officials said they view the store as an alternative place to buy groceries for the growing Avon population. They noted that the side of the site farthest from the residential neighborhood borders on future warehouse development.

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"Our use actually ends up being a buffer between that light industrial development that's going in [that] area," said Meijer Indiana Real Estate Manager Ross Beyer. "Our total building area will be about 1/7 the size of that warehouse, so it's significantly smaller and less intrusive."

The site borders the Bicentennial Trail and dense residential housing to the west. The approved 700,000-square-foot warehouse development sits to the east. One single-family house remains on the east side of the proposed Meijer site and would not be impacted by the development, Beyer said.

Nearby homeowners expressed concerns about the impact the Meijer could have on property values as well as skepticism that landscaping and safety plans meant to separate the store's parking lot from the popular trail would be sufficient.

Initial plans call for a strip of grass with bushes and four-foot trees separating the parking lot from the trail, helping partially block noise from cars and serving as a visual divider. Councilors agreed with neighbors' concerns and said they wanted to see other landscape features that would block the store throughout the winter.

In addition, the county roads surrounding the development are not designed for commercial use, neighbors say, and large trucks and more cars will overrun the area's infrastructure."The roads can handle cars, not semis, and other heavier loads," said Avon resident Erin Diebold.

Pedestrians cross the street immediately next to a proposed exit from the parking lot. An independent traffic study is underway around the site, Avon town officials said, and will be presented to the council when completed.

Several residents pointed to the existing full-service Meijer store in Avon on U.S. Highway 36, four miles southeast of the intersection for the proposed grocery, as sufficient Meijer presence in the area. Others expressed openness to adding grocery stores in other areas of the town.

The rezoning will go before the Avon Planning Commission for a public hearing on Sept. 23. If approved, the Town Council will hear it again for a vote.

Meijer will hold a community meeting with residents on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Avon Middle School North .

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Even if the rezoning request passes the council, the Meijer will need separate approval, leaving some councilors worrying about the future use of the site if Meijer's plan falls through.

"Regardless of what the intent is, those businesses could fail, and then we're stuck with whatever moves in there underneath the zoning," said councilor William Holland.

Meijer is currently building another full-service store just north in Brownsburg at the corner of N County Road 900 E and County Road 600 N.

Fishers heard a similar public outcry earlier this month, as the plan commission voted 7-0 to approve a full-service Meijer. In that instance, the land had already been zoned for commercial use in anticipation of the suburb's growth.

In Fishers: Many places pine for grocery stores. Some Fishers residents tell Meijer: Not in My Backyard

Alysa Guffey covers growth and development for Indy Star. Have a business tip? Contact her at amguffey@gannett.com or on X: @AlysaGuffeyNews

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Meijer is proposing a neighborhood grocery in Avon, but the plan faces sharp criticism