NinjaZone plans return to Grand Park with new facility

NinjaZone Academy is planning a return to Grand Park even though the company and the city of Westfield terminated a lease at the Grand Park Events Center earlier this year following a dispute.

Wright’s Property Group, an affiliate of 3E! that operates Wright’s Gymnastics and NinjaZone Academy, has requested four acres of land directly east of the Pacers Athletic Center at Grand Park be rezoned to a planned unit development designation to accommodate construction of a 35,000-square-foot facility.

The facility would combine gymnastics training and obstacle courses for children through classes. NinjaZone currently has 475 family customers and anticipates growing in the new facility by 35 percent.

Conceptual plans include a possible future 29,000-square-foot building expansion.

For two years, NinjaZone operated a fitness academy in a 3,000 square-foot space it leased from Westfield at the Grand Park Events Center, but in May, the city and NinjaZone terminated that lease after the Westfield Redevelopment Commission agreed to pay NinjaZone $625,000. A confidential settlement between the two parties gave NinjaZone until June 30 to leave the events center.

Shortly after IBJ first reported the lease had been canceled, NinjaZone announced it was planning to build a facility that would combine NinjaZone and Wright’s Fundamentals North gymnastics facility under one roof. At the time, NinjaZone officials would not say where the new facility would be constructed. NinjaZone and Wright’s both currently operate out of Wright’s existing facility on Kendall Court in Westfield.

The new building will share a parking lot with the Pacers Athletic Center.

Documents associated with the project don’t indicate how much Wright’s Property Group is spending on the project. NinjaZone officials weren’t immediately available for comment.

A public hearing on the rezoning request will be held during the Sept. 13 Westfield Area Plan Commission meeting. The city council could vote on the rezoning as soon as Oct. 14.