The City of Noblesville has approved the selection of a developer for a planned events center and parking garage near Interstate 69 as part of a project tied to the developmental league team of the Indiana Pacers.
Patch Development, based in Westfield, was selected from among the two bid proposals submitted to the city, which sent out requests for proposals and qualifications June 7. In May, the city and Pacers Sports & Entertainment announced a partnership to build an 85,000-square-foot arena being developed at Finch Creek Park, where the Pacers’ G League franchise, the Mad Ants, would play in the 2024-25 season.
The Mad Ants will relocate to Noblesville from Fort Wayne as part of the plan. The city and the Pacers struck a 10-year agreement earlier this year, but the selection of Patch Development as developer marks the latest update tied to the project since plans were announced earlier this year.
“This is the first major milestone for us to hit since the city and Pacers Sports & Entertainment came together on May 8 to announce a transformational partnership to bring the second most prominent men’s basketball league in the world to Noblesville,” Mayor Chris Jensen said.
The city plans to commit $36.5 million toward the project, which includes a 3,400-seat arena that would be rented by the Pacers for up to 40 days a year. However, the RFPQ sent out by the City of Noblesville specified “that the events center and parking garage must be located in the city with a preference to a location east of State Road 37 and in proximity to exit 210, Finch Creek Park, and Hamilton Town Center,” said Matt Light, deputy mayor with the city.
Patch Development was chosen over a proposal submitted to the city by Card & Associates, officials said.
“The committee met on multiple occasions in executive session to review and discuss the responses and requested clarifications and additional information from the respondents as deemed necessary to inform this recommendation,” Light said. “The committee also received input from consultants hired by the city to analyze economic impact, tourism impact, feasibility, parking operations, construction budgets, and construction timelines.”
“Mayor Jensen’s vision for how our G League team and this facility fit into Noblesville’s economic development strategy illustrates why we are so excited about this partnership,” said Rick Fuson, chief executive officer of Pacers Sports & Entertainment. “We look forward to continuing to work through this process with him, his team and City of Noblesville leaders.”
Light said the shift from Finch Creek Park to a new site near I-69 was done for several reasons. Among them include the economic impact of having the events center and parking garage within Innovation Mile with its proximity to I-69, Hamilton Town Center, existing and planned hotels and restaurants, Ruoff Music Center and other amenities and planned developments, according to a memo recommendation to the Noblesville Board of Works and Safety.
Innovation Mile is a master-planned business district along 141st Street between Olio Road and Prairie Baptist Road. Officials also said Patch Development’s proposal would generate two-and-a-half more in net spending and local taxes while also creating 30 percent more jobs.
“Additionally, the placement of the events center and garage as an anchor site within Innovation Mile provides a faster return on investment of phase one infrastructure expenditures and smart utilization of resources already planned and available,” Light said.
Light said a formal agreement with Patch Development will need to be approved by the Board of Public Works and Safety and the Noblesville City Council. The city and Patch Development have also worked on Washington Business Park, located on Ind. 37, through a public-private partnership, Light said.
The city plans to work with Patch Development to negotiate and award a professional services agreement, using the Build-Operate-Transfer, or BOT, procurement method. This agreement will further define the scope, design services, engineering and architectural services, programming, flexible use components, financing structure, and total costs of the project, consistent with the RFPQ and applicable law, according to the city.
The budget for the events center is estimated not to exceed $45 million, while a budget for the parking garage is estimated not to exceed $35 million, according to the city, which plans to fund the projects through bonds. Under the proposed plan, officials are seeking to build a parking garage adjacent to the events center that would have at least 600 parking spaces.
The Pacers G League team will play at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the interim until the new arena is completed.
