The Olivia On Main, a new residential building in downtown Carmel, is currently leasing apartments for December move-ins and plans to complete construction by March. The building, located at West Main Street and Old Meridian Street, will also include several new restaurants.

According to Travis Long, leasing consultant for the Olivia, the public stores that will open in the building include Bar Louie, a Mexican tapas restaurant and a nail salon. He said there are two additional retail spaces that have yet to be filled.

“Any time you have retail in a building, it brings the whole community; it’s self-sustaining to a point. I think having a retail space is really going to bring people and introduce them (to the Olivia), even if they’re not going to live here,” Long said.

Seth VanNatter, Performer’s Edge Dance Theatre receptionist and senior, said he agrees the new restaurants will benefit the community. VanNatter works directly across the street from the Olivia.

“Working at a place where I will be for many hours after school, I often need dinner, and having new restaurants that are close to my job would be helpful,” VanNatter said.

According to the Indy Star, Carmel definitely is growing as it plans to start 35 new roadway projects, 25 of them roundabouts, in 2017 and 2018. Although the finished products are intended to ultimately improve traffic circulation in the city, the lengthy construction process and road closures may inhibit business.

For example, Matthew Taylor, Steak ‘n Shake employee and sophomore, said recent construction on Carmel Drive caused business at Steak ‘n Shake to slow drastically.

“(The construction) injured the money part of it,” Taylor said. “Our servers usually make about $150 in tips alone, and that week, they were only making 20 to 50 bucks a day.”

As for construction on the Olivia, Long said, “I think our construction crew has done a really good job of keeping everything contained, not affecting the roadways as much as some other construction sites may.”