Park will serve as a catalyst for development
Westfield has three current projects that will shape the city’s landscape for the future.
Grand Park, a sports campus designed to be a premier sports destination for the whole family, is in its final stages and will open next year. The U.S. 31 Major Moves project nears it final two years as construction heads north from 146th Street and site work begins at the U.S. 31-Ind. 32 intersection.
And the third massive project in Westfield is Grand Junction Park and Plaza, a 120-acre programmable space for all seasons south of Jersey Street between Mill and South Union streets. Grand Junction is envisioned to include trails, wetlands, a sled hill, plazas, an arts garden, a water play area, a nature play area, a great lawn, a performance venue, a play lawn and a vendor area.
“It’s a programmable and functional park,” parks director Melody Jones said. “It’s fits in real well with Grand Park. People coming to tournament games need something to do.”
Officials said the focus of Grand Junction is to create a place for connections so downtown will be the heartbeat of the city, pumping new energy in every direction.
“I’m amazed how many people don’t know where downtown Westfield is. We have an identity problem in Westfield,” Downtown Westfield Association Executive Director Ken Kingshill said. “There’s no courthouse square or municipal complex. No place in our downtown that could be considered a hub… (When Grand Junction is completed) there’s always something going on there. That is where the fun is.”
In addition to connecting family with friends, nature, history and popular regional trails, roadways and waterways, Grand Junction will provide places to dine and shop. New development is planned for retail, restaurants, office space and residences.
“Grand Junction is a catalyst for economic development,” Kingshill said.
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The Grand Junction Park and Plaza will be the focal point and the new heart of downtown It will include an amphitheater and Great Lawn gathering place for festivals, concerts and special events; an interactive water play area; an arts garden; a full size ice skating rink in the winter months; a hardscape festival boulevard; and a play in nature area.
Grand Junction also will be the connecting point of the Anna Kendall and Midland Trace Trails, allowing for access to Westfield’s complete trail system and other points of interest throughout the community. Pedestrian-friendly streets will invite visitors and residents alike to explore both the park and plaza and area restaurants and shops.
“There’s nowhere else in the State of Indiana where two major trails intersect,” Jones said. “We want to maximize the space for citizens to utilize.”
The city demolished the first property it acquired for Grand Junction during the Christmas holiday. Jones said that to date, the city has purchased eight homes and demolished two at 135 Park St. and 110/112 Jersey St. She said the other six will be demolished later this summer.
“Three others have purchase agreements – two will be bought in 2014 and one is closing in 2015,” Jones said. “The city has acquired almost a block and a half of the old downtown area.”
The city began purchasing land in 2011. To date, Jones said the city had spent $962,401 to buy the land, test for asbestos and perform demolition. The remaining properties appraised values equalled $1,169,425.
“None of it came from taxpayers,” she said, adding funds were used from bond proceeds, TIF funding and park impact fees. “If we had the funding, we’d probably have all the properties now.”
While the city purchases and clears land, one major obstacle must be fixed before construction can begin.
A significant amount of land in the downtown area of Westfield falls within the floodplain of the Anna Kendall, Cool Creek and Thompson waterways. Additionally, storm water detention requirements make development challenging on small parcels of land like many of those located in Grand Junction. To free up more land for development in the downtown area, the city has started work on a regional detention system.
“Regional detention has to happen before we start building,” Jones said. “We’ve really shortened the process by three years with regulatory red tape.”
“It was the biggest hurdle,” Kingshill said.
In addition to saving time, the regional detention saves money. The project is slated to take place as INDOT works on the U.S. 31/Ind. 32 intersection. As the city begins creating its detention system and ponds, the excess dirt will be used by INDOT for the overpass.
“It saves the city hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Jones said. “It literally adds six figures to our project.”
Jones said significant construction could begin as soon as next year, with the Grand Junction portion beginning in 2015.
