New plans for old Kroger store at State and Spy Run

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - After sitting vacant for years, there is a proposed new plan for the old Kroger building at State and Spy Run in Fort Wayne. Leaders are happy someone's interested in revitalizing the lot.

"Vacant properties do not help a community. Properties that are filled with vibrant businesses, that's what a community wants," VP of the Planning Commission Don Schmidt said.

They've got plans of turning it into a climate controlled storage facility. The project manager said it just seemed logical to turn the old grocery store into a storage facility. He said there's a void in the area. The nearest storage facility to people living in the neighborhood is on Coliseum Boulevard. Although the idea may seem strange to some, the Vice President of the Planning Commission said he has seen it done in English, Indiana.

"Climate controlled storage is important and it is used because it's being used down there and I'm sure it will be used here in Fort Wayne."

The old Kroger building only takes up a small portion of the lot. Developers tell NewsChannel 15 they'd also like to put a gas station here."

"We have been approached by a gas station convenience store to go on the corner and we're talking to other users for that other side of the lot in fact fast food or a coffee shop or something along that line," Project Manager Brian Fleming said.

If approved the storage facility will have units folks can rent out on the first and second floor.

"It will more than likely be two stories with an elevator in there. There will be storage lockers on the first floor and storage lockers on the second floor all ranging from five by fives to 10 by 10s and 20 by 20 storage units."