The announcements of IKEA and Top Golf coming to Fishers were made many months ago. We are about to see the reality of what this means to local residents.
The larger media outlets, such as area TV stations, the Indianapolis Star and the Indianapolis Business Journal, are doing the countdown to opening day, particularly for IKEA.
When I interviewed Steve Delaney, a specialist in restaurant real estate at CBRE Group, in a podcast interview several months ago, he views Top Golf right up with IKEA as a restaurant draw for the big Yard project being planned near both IKEA and Top Golf.
One thing all Fishers residents know for sure is this – 116th Street just west of Interstate 69 will become a very busy place. If you live and/or work in that area, your ability to move around in your vehicle will be changed from now on.
I will give Mayor Scott Fadness and the city engineers credit for doing everything possible to prepare for this. More lanes are available in that area of 116th Street. The traffic configuration has been changed, per the city’s economic development deal with IKEA.
However, we will not know for certain how this will all work out until everything begins to open. If you are a Fishers resident, my suggestion is to stay away from IKEA on opening day (unless you are hellbent on trying to win some of the free stuff). Check it out later once things quiet down.
I will say this for Portillo’s, located in the same general area. They were busy on opening day and they have been very busy every day since then.
I was having a conversation recently with a prominent person in Carmel, complimenting him on all they have accomplished. Yes, the Carmel person said, but Fishers got IKEA.
IKEA was the big “get” for all Central Indiana communities. It had been clear for some time that IKEA was scoping possibilities in the Central Indiana area and Fishers won the sweepstakes. It was shortly after the IKEA announcement that Top Golf said its Central Indiana location would be Fishers.
A few months later, The Yard culinary development was announced. We are still waiting to hear what restaurants plan to locate in The Yard. We’ve been promised that list for a very long time and we continue to be told it will be “soon.”
Prepare for a regional media onslaught in the coming days, and, of course, a sea of humanity for the IKEA opening in Wednesday, October 11th. Then, let’s see what happens next.