ARCADIA — The Indiana Department of Transportation has withdrawn its interest to claim eminent domain over the land of a beloved Hamilton County grocery store.
Wilson Farm Market, located at the intersection of Highway 31 and 256th Street near the town of Arcadia, is no longer in danger of destruction.
"I saw the header of the e-mail and looked at my phone and said, 'Dear, here it is,'" said owner Scott Wilson, whose family has owned the store for more than 40 years.
PREVIOUS | Hamilton County farm market forced to move, INDOT claims eminent domain (wrtv.com)
According to the department, they provided Wilson with an "intent to acquire" document and were working toward the process of eminent domain, but the owner was never on board. They said Wilson never expressed interested in selling the land during several sit-down meetings between him and INDOT.
"We heard him and the community loud and clear," INDOT said. "They wanted the building to stay."
Loyal Wilson's customers celebrated the news on Tuesday.
"Wilson's has a lot of food here that I can't find anywhere else in Indiana...I know if I come here, they have it here," said Kelley Sheiss, who routinely makes a two-hour journey from Fort Wayne to the grocery store. "You would hope that they would stay here for as long as they can. The fact that they can means more chicken tenders and baked goods for everyone."
INDOT's previous plans would have replace the farm market with a cul-de-sac, and the new plans would likely place the market alongside a cul-de-sac.
While the business itself is no longer in danger, Wilson said he would willingly raze the building if INDOT builds an interchange with through traffic on his intersection.
"We're going to be able to wave to customers driving by and have a cul-de-sac laid out front, but ultimately there needs to be an exchange here," Wilson said.
Wilson believes 256th Street is the best route from Highway 31 directly to Arcadia and Hamilton Heights High School and would fill the gap between the interchanges at 236th and 276th Streets.
He said he already has a plan if INDOT decides to add an interchange at his property.
"If we lose the building, we're probably going to go across the road. That's the only feasible financial answer because it is family ground," Wilson said. "Build an exchange and I'll shed some tears over losing this building my grandparents started."
For now, Wilson is just grateful his family's market will live on.
"The sun's going to rise tomorrow, I'm going to open up, and we'll adapt as we've always done," Wilson said. "Whether it's COVID or getting our road cut off, we'll adapt."
