There is almost no corner of the City of Westfield where the sound of nail guns or hammering are not heard throughout the day.

In 2023, a Census Bureau report showed Westfield was the sixth-fastest growing city in the U.S. with a population of more than 50,000, with a 7.7 percent increase in population between 2021 and 2022. Westfield was the only Midwestern city on the list — most others were in the South.

Growth has continued, evidenced most notably by the expansion of rooftops throughout the city.

According to an analysis by the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis, new home permits issued by Westfield outpace other Hamilton County communities at a rate of three to five times more each month. As of July 1, of 1,657 new home permits issued in Hamilton County in 2024, 944 were in Westfield.

Earlier this year, the city approved residential developments at Ravinia and Townes at Union. In July, two additional planned unit developments came to the advisory plan commission to add two new residential developments to the city. The PUDs reflect Westfield’s continued growth.

“We have more permits being pulled in Westfield than any other county in central Indiana,” Mayor Scott Willis said. “If you take Westfield out of Hamilton County, we (issue more permits) than the rest of Hamilton County.”

According to BAGI, the new homes come at a time when inventory is low but demand is high.

“With delinquency rates at historical lows, there are few distressed property sales,” said Steve Lains, CEO of BAGI. “The only answer to demand currently is new home construction, which is why it continues to grow steadily,”

Willis said Westfield hits all the marks for people looking to build.

“Our school district is nationally ranked. When you look at the folks who are moving here, they are families — parents with kids,” Willis said. “I moved to Westfield 21 years ago because of the school district. I think that has been kind of a common theme for a while.”

Willis said Westfield also has a strategic advantage that cities like Carmel and Fishers cannot claim — space.

“Carmel and Fishers are pretty much built out,” Willis said. “Finding a home in Carmel or Fishers is incredibly tough. Westfield is the only city right now (that’s) building because we’ve got lots of land. That combination of really being the only game in town, but then also add to it the fact that we can offer a new home product (is advantageous). A lot of people, whether it’s their first home or their forever home, they want to build it. They want to live in a brand-new home that has their touches and their preferences to it.”

Willis said Westfield also has focused on expanding what is available, pointing to the city’s downtown development for retail and commercial and planning underway to add retail, restaurants and entertainment at Grand Park.

“When you look at Grand Park and some of the amenities we have and vision of where we’re heading as a community, I think people want to be a part of that,” he said.

Willis said one area where the city has struggled with growth is business. Roughly 90 percent of the city’s tax base is residential. Willis said the approval of North Point II — a commercial PUD at U.S. 31 and Ind. 38 — is a start.

“It starts with land, identifying land that is available for commercial use,” Willis said. “Historically in Westfield, we have not had a plan for that. The city overall and the comprehensive plan I don’t believe did a great job of identifying key corridors that fit what the commercial world is looking for. But once you identify it, you have to have it available. North Point II will provide, for the very first time in a long time, available land in Westfield so that when those corporations come calling and say they are interested in Westfield, we have something to offer. I don’t know if the city has always done a great job to toot our own horn — 5.5 million people (visit Grand Park annually). Why isn’t there a midpriced sit-down restaurant in Westfield? There is some low-hanging fruit and we’re getting serious about (economic development).”

Willis said he knows that not everyone is on board with the growth. But for his administration, he said growth is about embracing the inevitable.

“We can’t tell a farmer who is sitting on property that 20 years ago was worth $10,000 an acre and now is worth $200,000 an acre that they can’t sell their land,” Willis said. “We’ve created something in this community that people want to be a part of, and we have landowners who want to cash out. You just have to tell that story.”

GROWING WESTFIELD

The Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis issues a monthly breakdown of new home permits issued by municipalities in central Indiana, including those in Hamilton, Boone, Hancock, Hendricks, Johnson, Madison, Marion, Morgan and Shelby counties.

So far, Westfield outpaces every community, with 944 issued in the first half of 2024. The next closest is the City of Indianapolis, with 787 issued in 2024 so far.

It’s a trend that has continued since 2021, when Westfield outpaced Indianapolis by 400 permits.

Since 2020, Westfield has issued 6,407 new home permits.

Learn more at bagi.com.