This is the latest development by D.B. Mann, who town officials say is putting Ingalls on the map by developing 500 acres off of Exit 14.
Owner Dave Mann has plans for an industrial park and two retail sites in the area. He started making plans for the property nearly 10 years ago, but things have only recently started happening.
For instance, Mann owns 60 acres at the southwest corner of Interstate 69 and Indiana 13. About 1 million square feet could fit on the site.
Preliminary plans show six retail outlots and two larger parcels for two-story office buildings. This type of development is typical for interstate interchanges, he said.
Construction will begin as soon as final approval is given for roads and drainage, Mann said. The project will take about 60 days to finish.
No tenants are lined up to move onto the site, but a few businesses have expressed interest, he said.
Mann would like to build a grocery store on the site, but the area does not have enough rooftops to attract grocers, he said.
Even Aldi's turned down a marketing pitch to move onto the site, Mann said.
To obtain this property, Mann had to make a deal with a church that formerly sat on the site.
D.B. Mann gave the church a piece of property next to the Summerlake subdivision in exchange for the interchange site.
Mann plans to name his commercial development the Ingalls Enterprise Park.
Just west of this site is the 140-acre industrial park that D.B. Mann is partnering with Mann Properties and Opus North to develop.
The industrial park was initially called the I-69 Trade Center, but Mann, who owns the property, has turned down that name. He wants the name Ingalls Enterprise Park on the development's water tower, which is being built on about five acres he donated to the town.
Ingalls Town Council President Doug Dowden said the town agreed to annex the industrial park site because it will boost the town's tax base once businesses start moving in. The development is a welcome addition to town, he said.
The industrial park is across the street from more than 800 homes in the Summerlake subdivision.
D.B Mann originally owned this property and sold it to C.P. Morgan, which built the homes.
Most people do not mind living across the street from the industrial park as long as no big-box retail moves in, Summerlake resident Tabitha Grant said.
Industry will not bring as many people to the area as a Wal-Mart or Super Target, she said.
Nearby retail developments are not much of a concern either, as long as they are small neighborhood businesses.
"That might actually be convenient depending on what moves in, because there's not a lot out here right now," she said.
D.B Mann is building Summerlake Shoppes east of the subdivision, at the southwest corner of Indiana 13 and County Road 800 South. Plans show a 34,000-square-foot strip center at the intersection.
The county ordered work to stop on the strip mall's construction last month because of an annexation dispute between the town of Ingalls and county commissioners.
Commissioners say the annexation is not valid because the property was not close enough to the town's borders to get absorbed into Ingalls.
But a local judge ruled the county does not have the right to dispute the annexation, because it does not own any property in the annexed area.
Construction will likely resume on the strip mall next month after the project gets final approval from the county drainage board, Mann said.
He has not finalized agreements with any tenants for the site, but is speaking with a submarine sandwich restaurant, a hair/nail salon and an Asian restaurant.