WESTFIELD — The Westfield City Council on Monday rejected a proposal to build an entertainment district of more than 100 townhomes north of a major youth sports complex, beginning construction after a planning process the city’s mayor called a “total disaster.”
Two years after West Fork Whiskey Co. opened its new distillery in Westfield, the Indianapolis-based company wanted to expand its presence in Hamilton County by partnering with M/I Homes to build 105 townhomes in a neighborhood with walking paths, fire pits and, a pond, an outdoor concert hall and a dog park.
But Westfield City Council scuttled that idea with a 4-3 vote earlier this week. For now, councillors have decided to preserve 26 acres of land that are crucial to the development of the area around the Grand Park Sports Complex, a youth sports centre that attracts millions of visitors annually.
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The city’s Advisory Planning Commission approved the proposal last week by a vote of 6 to 1. As of Monday, little had changed in the plan, aside from a concession to build five fewer townhouses and minor differences in the design of the new streets.
But Chad Huff, one of four city councilors who voted against the proposal, told IndyStar he was concerned that building too many residential buildings along 191st Street, which runs along the park’s northern edge, would crowd out future uses that are more consistent with Grand Park’s mission to become “the youth sports capital of the world.”
“If we’re going to improve Grand Park, I don’t think residential housing has a place in or around Grand Park,” Huff said, adding that he would rather see more volleyball, tennis and hockey facilities to complement the dozens of soccer fields and baseball diamonds on the site. “That eats up a lot of real estate.”
David McIntyre, co-owner of West Fork and a Westfield resident, told IndyStar the company has complied with city council requests to reduce the number of proposed townhomes and increase the space set aside for retail. The initial 150 units were reduced to just over 100 by Monday’s meeting. Three times as much vacant space is expected to attract new businesses.
Although Westfield Mayor Scott Willis said the plan seemed appropriate, he added that developers were “very confused” when they presented the plan to city officials.
“It’s been a moving target ever since we were confronted with this,” Willis told councillors Monday night. “There’s been iteration after iteration. We have drawings that don’t match the wording. It’s been a complete disaster.”
McIntyre, who founded West Fork 10 years ago with childhood friends Blake and Julian Jones in north Indianapolis, said he viewed the nearly six-month process of reviews and adjustments as a testament to the project’s strength, not a weakness. The distillery’s owners have shown a willingness to listen and adapt, he argued.
But now West Fork officials are being forced to rethink their plan to invest millions of dollars in the piece of land east of their roughly $10 million distillery and restaurant. They argue that commercial developers have expressed little interest in the site, in part because a gas line running through the property makes new construction difficult. And, they say, building middle-class housing would benefit the area, where the median sales price is $457,000.
“To create dynamic businesses and attract investment, you also need density and a vibrant community,” co-founder Blake Jones told IndyStar. “That was part of what we were trying to do, to create a community hub where people can work and play, and of course that requires additional housing.”
Councilmen Noah Herron, Kurt Wanninger and Jon Dartt joined Huff in opposing the plan. Councilmen Victor McCarty, Joe Duepner and Patrick Tamm, the council president, voted for the plan.
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At the heart of the decision is the question of how best to develop the area around Grand Park. The 400-acre sports complex opened in 2014 and features 31 soccer fields, 26 baseball fields and a 35,000-square-foot event center where the Indianapolis Colts train in the summer. The sports center attracted more than 5.5 million visitors in 2023 – more than Lucas Oil Stadium or ESPN Wide World of Sports, a 220-acre sports complex in Orlando.
In July, Westfield officials announced ambitious plans for new hotels, restaurants and offices on the waterfront, including the nearby retention basins in the area south of Grand Park.
McCarty said he doesn’t accept the argument that the city should oppose new housing near Grand Park and 191st Street, saying that that train had already left the station when Aberdeen, a new neighborhood with single-family homes priced between $450,000 and $732,000, opened north of the West Fork distillery.
The new district would have brought new restaurants and shops, McCarty said. By rejecting West Fork’s plans, Westfield missed an opportunity to retain visitors who come to Grand Park for sporting events and then migrate to other Hamilton County cities such as Carmel and Noblesville to eat and stay overnight.
“As much as we want commercial, it can’t be commercial everywhere,” McCarty said. “That’s where mixed-use development comes in. … Having townhouses near restaurants or shopping – that’s key.”
Email IndyStar reporter Jordan Smith at [email protected]. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09
