Fresh Fare high-end grocer first business announced at The Farm

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(Photo by Theresa Skutt)
(Photo by Theresa Skutt)

By Ann Marie Shambaugh 

It’s been nearly two years since the town council approved plans for The Farm, a mixed-use development designated as a key gateway into Zionsville. To this day, the 62-acre site on the southwest corner of Michigan Road and Sycamore Street remains unchanged, with an iconic barn still standing as a reminder of the area’s agricultural history.

That’s about to change.

Fresh Fare, a high-end grocery concept by Kroger, will be the anchor of the development, according to Steve Pittman of developer Pittman Partners. This will be the first Fresh Fare in the state. Pittman described the store as smaller than a traditional Kroger, making it an ideal fit for the maximum of 65,000-square-feet designated for a grocery store in the plans approved by the town.

With the Fresh Fare announcement to build in Zionsville, Pittman is in discussions with other tenants about moving to the site – but he’s not in a rush.

“We’re talking to a number of businesses, but we haven’t locked anybody down. We’re not trying to lock anybody down right now,” Pittman said. “We’re trying to see who might be interested in the site, but all tenants want to know when we’re going to start on the work and when space may be available. We don’t have that information yet.”

‘A very special site’

The town council gave its stamp of approval to the development – known as The Farm – in August of 2013. Pittman said he didn’t originally expect the site to sit unchanged for the next two years, but he kept finding reasons to fine tune the plans.

“We look at this as a very special site that deserves to have special considerations. That’s one of the reasons we’ve taken so much time,” Pittman said. “It’s not just the next field. It’s not just the next piece of property to develop. It’s a critical piece for Zionsville and it’s critical for us.”

Wayne DeLong, Zionsville director of planning, said the town does “not see any issue with the timing” of the development.

“We believe maybe even as early as this fall we’ll see some activity out there, not any vertical improvements, but movement of earth,” he said.

Pittman said there is no timeline for construction to begin, but he’s hoping to submit plans to the town in the next 60 days or so.

 A piece of history

While thousands of people are familiar with the historic barn quietly resting near the busy intersection, for Pittman the scene is personal. His family bought the site when he was in high school, and he has many memories of working hard at the farm.

Though the site will soon look very different, Pittman is committed to preserving its history for future generations.

“In our conversations with Fresh Fare, they’re interested in taking some portions of the barn and maybe some pictures and other things and showing that in their store,” he said. “Of course we’re calling it The Farm at Zionsville, so in the name itself we’re preserving the thought of what it once was and what my family referred to it over all the years we’d be out there when my dad would put us to work baling hay.”

While the site is still being developed as a key future gateway into Zionsville from Hamilton County, DeLong agrees that it’s important to preserve the history of the farmstead.

“You have a very iconic piece of property,” he said. “Certainly the family is very much interested in conveying that history of the property while moving it forward into its next use.”


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