The Carmel Redevelopment Commission has agreed to pay a little more than $1 million to acquire Miller Auto Care’s land along Range Line Road to build a new roundabout.
CRC Director Corrie Meyer said the city plans to extend Fourth Street into Midtown and construct a roundabout at Fourth Street and Range Line Road. Meyer said without the roundabout and road extension there will be too many people traveling to and from the new Allied Solutions headquarters in Midtown, which would lead to traffic congestion. The plan should alleviate congestion on Range Line, she said.
Miller Auto Care, however, is not closing.
The family owned business can still operate on the property but will lose about half of its parking lot because of the roundabout construction, which is why the CRC would acquire the entire property. Miller Auto Care would shuttle cars in and out and pay no rent for two years. Rent would be $5,000 a month after that. Miller Auto Care is allowed to stay for up to five years, according to the deal, but is likely planning to relocate to another building in Carmel.
“This would create a hardship for the business, and they would need to relocate,” Meyer said.
Old Town Design Group had an agreement to buy Miller Auto Care’s property when the developer originally needed the land to construct parking to support Midtown buildings. As part of the deal, Miller Auto Care would have been relocated to a new building in Carmel before the current one would be torn down. Old Town Design Group submitted designs for the new Miller Auto Care building and went through the Carmel Plan Commission, but planned buildings ended up moving locations and the Miller Auto Care land wasn’t immediately needed.
Meyer said the CRC would buy the land from Old Town Design Group, which will have acquired the land by the time the city purchases it. She said when Miller Auto Care relocates, the land can be used for further Midtown development. She said the city is under no obligation to help Miller Auto Care relocate but that it could be a possibility.
