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Plans to bring new life to abandoned Marsh building delayed

Posted at 9:38 PM, Jul 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-07-12 07:00:25-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- A plan to bring new life and business to an abandoned Marsh store is taking longer than expected and people who live in the area are worried that the longer the property sits vacant the more likely it will be to breed crime.

Back in May, Thomas English Retail Real Estate announced his plans to divide the building at 62nd Street and Keystone Avenue into different retail spaces.

English said he had hoped to have that project finalized by the end of July, but he has run into some issues that have pushed his timeline back to August.

Neighbors are happy that English is making an effort, but the longer the building sits dark and vacant, the more worried they become about what it will bring to their area.

“There are no lights lit up there at night,” said Alex Lesniak. “Whenever you have a big space like that, especially when you have a building that hasn’t been inhabited for a while, it creates the opportunity for potential crime. Certain things we don’t want in the neighborhood.”

“It’s just vacant and it’s got graffiti on it and I would just love for something to go there,” said Zander Elston. “It would be super convenient.”

English says the Neighborhood Association and other stakeholders will be updated on the final plan when it is ready.