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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA longtime Indianapolis-based distributor of Caterpillar equipment is seeking to build a new headquarters on the city’s southeast side as part of an ambitious expansion.
MacAllister Machinery Co. Inc. has filed plans with the city to rezone 133 acres of farmland to allow for corporate offices and industrial buildings near the intersection of Interstates 465 and 74. The Metropolitan Development Commission’s hearing examiner is set to hear the request Thursday.
Plans call for a 30,000-square-foot headquarters, 180,000-square-foot parts and service facility, 8,000-square-foot tech building and 40,000-square-foot storage area, according to the city filing.
Founded in 1945 by P.E. MacAllister, who still serves as company chairman, the Caterpillar dealership has been located on the east side since the 1950s and at its current address of 7515 E. 30th St. since 1966.
The company has outgrown the space and is looking to purchase the property bordered by Raymond Street to the north, Southeastern Avenue and U.S. 421 to the south, and Hunter Road to the east.
Contacted by IBJ, MacAllister general counsel John Deckard declined to provide details about the project, such as the company’s total investment or how many jobs it might create, because the rezoning and the sale of the land aren’t complete.
The rezoning would allow for uses such as vehicle and equipment sales and rental, a welding shop, sandblasting shop, trash compactor and painting booth, as well as a "museum building."
The city filing says that a 10-foot berm, 30-foot setback and rows of evergreens will be required on various parts of the property to shield operations from residential neighbors.
MacAllister operates in 17 locations throughout Indiana, including three in Indianapolis and one each in Beech Grove and Fishers, according to its website.
In 2012, MacAllister announced that it would spend nearly $9 million to expand its Daviess County dealership in Washington in southern Indiana and create up to 61 jobs by 2016. At the time, the company claimed more than 750 workers statewide.
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