By Anna Skinner
Grand Park has brought a plethora of sports teams through Westfield and after a year of the park being open, the city is beginning to see some of the developments attracted to the area as well.
The Monon Marketplace is one such development. Curt Whitesell, of Westfield, is the broker for the development. He said that the Monon Marketplace was spurred by the hopes for the Grand Park Village, an additional development to be placed directly by Grand Park.
“Originally, Greenwall Development hired us to market the Grand Park Village development, but because we got a big draw of businesses that wanted to be in Westfield but that were not quite ready for the park,” Whitesell said. “So Greenwall decided to do the Monon Marketplace at Wheeler Road and 32. All those retailers want to be there because of Grand Park.”
Wheeler Road is the main south entry road to Grand Park. Yet Whitesell highlighted another plus of the location.
The Monon trail passes right by the Monon Marketplace development.
“That location is the intersection of the Monon and the Midland trail, so you’ve got people coming from the west and the south there on the trail and with the new apartment plan to the west it will make for a pretty busy intersection,” Whitesell said.
Only a 4,000-square-foot space is left uncalled for in the development. Because of the commercial traffic continuing to pop up on the west side of U.S. 31 and the completion of the Monon Marketplace, Whitesell said that the Grand Park Village project may start this year.
“(The Grand Park Village) is starting to gain steam now,” Whitesell said.
Nationally known chains as well as local businesses will be leasing space in the Monon Marketplace. Tenants include The Stacked Pickle, Jimmy John’s, Titus Bakery, Spa 32 and a well-known medical group that could not be announced as of press time.
“We will be able to bring some really big established brands, but it’s also an opportunity for smaller ones to get into a space that will bring national exposure,” Whitesell said.
He added that although commercial development may not lease out space in the Monon Marketplace, there are retailers attracted to the west side of Ind. 32 because of the big developments.
“I have a long list of retailers that want to be at that intersection because of the Monon Marketplace. We needed to get one retail center going to get everybody excited about it,” he said.
IDEAL LOCATION FOR LOCALS
Titus Bakery is one of the tenants leasing at the Monon Marketplace that is a locally known business. Currently, the only bakery is in Lebanon, 820 W. South St.
“The new location is right on 32 and the route to get there is pretty simple for us,” Owner Terry Rake said. “We have a lot of customers from that area … and we really wanted to expand so we felt like this location would be a great first expansion for us.”
Spa 32, another local business, will open its first location at the Monon Marketplace. According to Owner Brenna Winiecki, she chose the spot because of the prime location.
“Location, location, location,” she stressed. “There are also no other spas right now in Westfield.”
