Westfield seeks state support for taxing district near Grand Park

Westfield is looking to seek support from the Indiana Legislature to create a special taxing district in the city’s planned Grand Park District sports and entertainment area.

The city will need state legislators to amend rules for professional sports and convention development areas for one to be created near Grand Park Sports Campus because a PSDA (an acronym for professional sports development area, its former name) is already in place in Hamilton County near the Fishers Event Center. Currently, counties are typically limited to one each.

A PSDA captures state sales and income tax revenue generated by sports facilities, hotels and other commercial properties within a one-mile radius of a new development in the district that serves one or more professional sports teams.

Revenue from a PSDA is used to fund infrastructure improvements and new sports facilities. According to a news release from the city on Monday, Westfield’s PSDA is expected to generate $92 million in tax revenue over the next 32 years.

On Monday night, the Westfield City Council will hear a resolution to pursue a PSDA in Grand Park District, which could feature a 10,000-seat stadium, a sports technology incubator space and a park lined with attractions, housing, office facilities, restaurants and hotels. The city unveiled a master plan for Grand Park District earlier this month.

“Westfield has long been a hub for professional sports, and this initiative positions us to strengthen our economic future and tourism potential,” Mayor Scott Willis said in written remarks. “The PSDA will enhance our status as a destination for world-class sports events and boost the local and state economy.”

The 400-acre Grand Park Sports Campus is home to the Indianapolis Colts training camp and training facilities for the Indy Eleven soccer club’s men’s and women’s teams. The sports campus has 31 soccer fields, 26 baseball diamonds, two administration buildings, seven concession stands and the 378,000-square-foot multi-use Grand Park Events Center.

The Indy Eleven women’s soccer team is expected to play at the 10,000-seat stadium planned at the 152-acre Grand Park District, which would cover areas north and south of 186th Street and bisected by Grand Park Boulevard.

The district, which could take a decade to develop, would have three key destination areas: the existing Grand Park Events Center at the north, the proposed stadium in the middle and either an ice rink facility or a sports-related headquarters building at the south.

“We are uniquely positioned to leverage our assets, including Grand Park, to create an ecosystem that supports professional sports, tourism, and economic development,” Willis said. “With the PSDA, we are taking a forward-thinking approach to planning and development that will benefit not just Westfield but the entire region and the state of Indiana.”

While any proposed PSDA requires a series of approvals from the state, counties are generally limited to one each. Already, lawmakers have made an exception in Indianapolis, which is working to finalize a second PSDA to support the development of a proposed Major League Soccer stadium.

Fishers scooped up Hamilton County’s designation for the area surrounding the Fishers Event Center during the 2023 session, with the district’s creation finalized late that year. The Indy Fuel minor-league soccer team and the Indy Ignite women’s professional volleyball team started play this winter at the Fishers Event Center, and the Fishers Freight indoor football team will play its first home game April 4.

Noblesville also plans to seek support from the Legislature for a PSDA for the city’s planned event center and Innovation Mile economic district—a stretch between East 141st Street and Interstate 69, east of Olio Road. The Noblesville Event Center will be home to the Indiana Mad Ants basketball team, a member of the NBA’s developmental league and an affiliate of the Indiana Pacers.

In December, members of the Westfield City Council unanimously approved a 30-year, $184 million public-private partnership with Grand Park Sports & Entertainment to operate the Grand Park Sports Campus. GPSE is a joint venture between Indianapolis-based Indy Sports and Entertainment LLC (the Indy Eleven professional soccer club) and Westfield-based Bullpen Ventures LLC.

Indianapolis-based commercial development company Keystone Group LLC is a private developer working with the city of Westfield on Grand Park District. Keystone and Indy Eleven are both owned by Ersal Ozdemir. Bullpen Ventures operates Bullpen Tournaments, which organizes baseball and softball tournaments at Grand Park.

Westfield retained ownership of Grand Park under the agreement that went into effect Jan. 1. The city and GPSE will manage and develop the sports campus for 30 years, which includes an initial 10-year term and four five-year extensions.