Grand Park Plan A Blueprint for Future

The City of Westfield has announced the Grand Park District Master Plan, a visionary blueprint designed to enhance and expand the existing Grand Park Sports Campus. The plan introduces three key destinations and various innovative design elements, creating a lively destination that seamlessly blends sports, recreation, business, and the community.

The Master Plan is set to reshape Grand Park, bringing flexibility and world-class amenities to foster sports development and community interaction. The primary goal is to connect the park with the surrounding Westfield community, including residents and businesses in the district, creating a cohesive and accessible urban environment.

“When Grand Park was first envisioned, city officials predicted around 250,000 yearly visitors. Today, we’re welcoming over 5 million annual visits, and our goal is to develop an area where people want to stay between tournaments – or even extend their stay,” said Mayor Scott Willis. “This is also a tremendous opportunity to create a true destination for our residents, one where they feel a deeper connection to the park. That’s something we haven’t always seen, and we’re excited to change that.”

There will be three key destinations defined in the plan, including:

• The existing Grand Park Events Center (GPEC) will continue to serve as a hub for local, regional, and national events
• A proposed 10,000-seat Championship Stadium to be located at the northwest corner of 186th Street and Grand Park Boulevard
• An anchor at the south end of the park, offering either a four-sheet ice facility or a sports-related headquarters, designed with maximum flexibility to cater to future needs

A linear park, Champions Way, will connect GPEC to the newly designed Grand Park Lake. Champions Way will be a dynamic space to celebrate champions and engage the community, including Westfield residents and district employees. The walk will feature a variety of “zones” that foster social connection, including a mini recreational football field, Olympic-style podiums, play structures, splash pads, hammocks, swings, and more.

At the lake’s southern end, there will be opportunities for a feature attraction, currently represented as a Ferris wheel, and an urban beach with activities like kayaking and paddle boating. The lake will be connected to the existing Grand Park Village Lake through a canal system. These amenities will provide an immersive and interactive experience for visitors of all ages.

The Grand Park District includes reimagining the park’s existing retention ponds into urban-style canal walks, offering new views of the park’s core elements. New parking garages will be constructed in the southwest corner of the Grand Park Events Center and throughout the district to ensure continued parking accessibility.

The current championship field and diamond will be relocated to allow for the park’s ongoing operation while the development progresses.

“This plan represents a unique opportunity to create synergy between the thriving sports community at Grand Park and the growing business and residential areas in Westfield,” said Jenell Fairman, Westfield’s Economic Development Director. “Currently, these two uses are somewhat separated, but with this plan, we envision a connected, dynamic space that will serve as a destination for residents, visitors, and sports fans. Grand Park District is poised to become a hub of activity, with something for everyone, all day long.”

Phase 1 will focus on the immediate construction of the parking garage, full-service hotel, and mixed-use development with apartments, retail, restaurants, and entertainment as well as an expansion of Indy Eleven’s soccer operations headquarters that have been located at Grand Park for the last decade. Over the next six months, Keystone Group will continue working alongside city officials to refine the district’s design, budgets, and schedules, focusing on creating a walkable, active, connected urban environment.

Development will require Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to fund infrastructure, including parking garages, roads, trails, and public amenities, ensuring the park becomes a hub for the entire Westfield community.

Additionally, Card and Associates has contracted to purchase all the land in the Grand Park District south of 186th Street. The City will be partnering with Card and Associates to rezone that area to facilitate the development of the south area of the Grand Park Master Plan.

The Grand Park District Master Plan was funded by Hamilton County Tourism and will serve as the guiding document for future development. By building upon the park’s reputation as a premier sports complex, the plan seeks to create a lively and accessible environment that celebrates community, sports, and entertainment.