After sitting empty for more than five years, the former Marsh property on the city’s east side appears to be stirring with life.

“We’ve been close to making the building someone’s new business home, but not yet,” said Eric Halvorson, manager of corporate affairs for Kroger’s central division.

Kroger has held lease since Marsh closed

The property is owned by Bloomington-based Bryan Rental Inc. & Crane of Indiana, which acquired the property in 2005, according to the local GIS system.

Documents on the Indiana Secretary of State’s website list as the corporation’s executives Bloomington residents David H. and Lisa J. Kamen.

David Kamen said Cincinnati-based grocery store chain Kroger has leased the property since Marsh abandoned it.

He referred questions about the length of the lease to Kroger, but said they were working on some things, though he could not provide details.

Kamen also operates K&K Sales LLC, at 1440 Liberty Drive, which, according to its website, is a “coin amusement and toy/novelty” distribution center. It sells toys, such as plastic ducks, novelties including keychains and machines such as arcade-style video game systems.

Halvorson said discussions with potential tenants are confidential, but he’d be happy to share information once a deal has been reached.

In mid-January, the interior of the store was largely empty, though it held some unopened cardboard boxes, some industrial/commercial equipment, including some that was shrink-wrapped.

Halvorson said the equipment reflects the Kroger Co.’s use of the building as a “temporary staging area ahead of the remodeling work we plan in Bloomington.”

Hardware store?

Employees working in a nail salon and dentist’s office nearby said they have not seen any out-of-the-ordinary activities on the site recently.

Local property records show the roughly 5-acre parcel last year was valued at $3.6 million. Annual property taxes are near $70,000.

City Council member Ron Smith, whose district includes the former Marsh property, said he drives by the site frequently and sees lights on in the building occasionally, but was not aware of any concrete development plans.

Smith said he’d like to see another hardware store on the city’s east side.

The property is zoned MC, or mixed-use corridor, which, according to city planning, calls for medium-scale developments including “storefront retail, professional office, and/or residential dwelling units along arterial and collector corridors.”

The leasing agent on her website touts the property’s proximity to Indiana University, College Mall, the new Indiana University Health hospital and “two newly-approved multi-family apartment projects totaling 1,100 units (that) are less than 1 mile away.”

The agent listed the size of the property at more than 5 acres and the size of the building at 53,483 square feet. Monthly leasing costs are nearly $38,000.

Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Kroger leased former Marsh site on Bloomington's eastside for 5 years