FISHERS, Ind. -- The demolition of a former Marsh supermarket location was supposed to signal a new future for the intersection of Allisonville Road and 116th Street in Fishers, Indiana.
Instead, it has led to more questions about the options people have when grocery shopping.
"That building could have just stayed there until someone else thought to buy it," said Rhonda Lacey, who lives near the intersection. "Now it's like a pit."
The Marsh closed in 2015, and the site was town down last year.
In December, the Fishers City Council passed an ordinance that would require any vacated grocery store site to be filled by another grocery store. Any company trying to build something else would need a variance from the city.
Kroger is now abandoning a plan to build a "super store" in its place. A spokesperson said the company is reprioritizing its approach and will instead renovate the current location.
The site is a reminder of missed opportunities for more traffic and potentially new customers for restaurants like Tequila Sunrise.
Diana Gonzalez, the manager of Tequila Sunrise, said the Mexican restaurant won't be able to grow as quickly without the "super store."
"We won't have that extra activity coming through here because we're so far away from the other businesses so we are tucked here in the corner," Gonzalez said.
The Kroger spokesperson said the company never talked directly to any of the nearby businesses about its plans.
That leaves Tequila Sunrise to use traditional marketing tactics, like coupon mailers and word of mouth, to attract new customers.
"It's sad that the Kroger next door but we hope to do well," Gonzalez said. "Despite [the fact that] it's not gonna be there."
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