Fishers, Airport Authority seeking buyers for prime 96th Street site

The city of Fishers and the Indianapolis Airport Authority have issued a call for proposals from parties interested in purchasing and developing a prime 65-acre site at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport in Fishers.

Fishers and IAA announced Wednesday that they are working with Indianapolis-based real estate firm JLL to market the site, which is bordered by 96^th Street to the south and Willow View Road to the west. Masters Road runs through the property. The site is across 96th Street from the Menard's store at 7145 E. 96th St.

The land is owned by the Indianapolis Airport Authority, but in 2015 a memorandum of understanding was established between the authority and Fishers that allowed Fishers to market 211 acres of land not being used for aviation purposes for commercial development.

The call for proposals is the "result of a collaboration between the IAA and Fishers to develop the unused land into a user-driven space that will result in additional jobs and contribute to the economic growth of Fishers," the city said in a written statement.  

The groups are calling the entire site Metro Park. The 65-acre site is considered Phase 1 of two planned phases for developing the land.

A conceptual plan for the 65-acre site shows seven two-story buildings ranging from 10,000 square feet to 98,000 square feet.

“The size, location and access to Metro Park will make this one of central Indiana’s great business parks for decades to follow,” John Robinson, managing director of JLL, said in written comments.

IAA initially preferred to retain ownership of the land and lease it to tenants, but it also said it was open to considering land sales.

“The city of Fishers welcomes the opportunity to partner with the Indianapolis Airport Authority and JLL on this call for proposals,” Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness said in written comments. “We have seen a significant amount of interest in this property since our [memorandum of understanding] was established in 2015, but developers and companies have been hesitant due to the preference of land leases. We now have the chance to sell this land and continue to transform development along 96^th Street.”