Noblesville has purchased 1.55 acres of land near Finch Creek Park from a homeowner for $205,000.
The property at 12651 E. 166th St., owned by Joseph and Mary Bays, was sold to the city after the Noblesville Board of Public Works and Safety in November 2012 approved an option to purchase real estate from the Bays, said Brandon Bennett, city parks and recreation director. Bennett said the option was negotiated as part of a larger real estate purchase involving 18 acres of land from the Bays with the option of purchasing the remaining property when they were ready to sell.
Bennett said the property owner reached out to the city in the fall regarding the sale of the additional 1.55 acres, which was purchased using park impact fees. Those fees are paid by residential property owners to help fund new park infrastructure projects, according to the city.
The city had the property appraised by two independent appraisers and made an offer to purchase the property that was no greater than the average of the two appraisals, which is required under state statute, according to Bennett. The purchase agreement between the city and Mary Bays and Sheila Bays indicates the price of the property was $205,000, according to city documents.
“It was land we knew we wanted to be part of the park and had purchased an initial 18 acres from them 11 years ago,” Bennett said.
Bennett said the land acquisition will be incorporated into Finch Creek Park, which consists of about 200 acres.
“We’re still imagining that portion of the park from a design perspective, but we couldn’t imagine that part of it without owning (the land), so now we can bring that into the design process,” Bennett said.
Bennett said the city is still determining its next steps regarding the future of Finch Creek Park, which will ultimately shape the direction the city goes in moving forward regarding its overall design.
“It’s going to be a multi-purpose park with several different aspects,” Bennett said.
In May, the city announced a partnership with Pacers Sports & Entertainment that will bring an 85,000-square-foot arena to Finch Creek Park. The Mad Ants, an affiliate in the NBA G League, plans to relocate to Noblesville from Fort Wayne.
The city is committing $36.5 million and will be responsible for issuing bonds to finance the design and construction of the facility. The new arena is anticipated to open during the 2024-25 season and the Mad Ants would play at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the interim, according to officials.
Bennett said the city is waiting for proposals tied to the arena project, which will help determine the location of different amenities that could be available at Finch Creek Park in the future.
“That will give us an idea of when we could really kind of move forward and we expect to do a lot of different types of park activities out there, whether it’s passive or active,” Bennett said. “We’ll be looking at it holistically, but there’s a piece out there that we’re waiting on that will drive that design.”
