Westfield unveils Grand Park master plan proposing mixed‑use ‘Champions Way’, hotel, stadium and ice facility

City officials and outside designers presented a master plan for the Grand Park district at the Westfield City Council meeting, outlining a mixed‑use, walkable development centered on a new boulevard called Champions Way plus hotels, retail, sports facilities and an option for an ice facility.

The plan, presented by Janelle Ferron, Westfield’s economic development director, and the design team from Spec Dempsey and Perkins and Will, is framed as a roughly 10‑year buildout that would convert surface parking and underused land between the Grand Park event center and the pond into a second town center. Ferron said the city controls most land north of 186th Street and has parcels under contract south of 186th, and that rezoning would be city‑initiated as a new Grand Park district rather than a PUD.

Why it matters: Grand Park already draws large regional visitation and the plan is intended to capture more visitor spending and create a year‑round, walkable neighborhood that supports retail and hospitality businesses on non‑tournament days.

The design team said Grand Park Sports Campus drew about 5.5 million visits in 2023, citing a Hunden study and Placer.ai data presented during the meeting. The master plan’s illustrative program shows roughly 8,000,000 square feet of total development (including parking), about 5,300,000 square feet excluding parking, more than 4,000 residential units, roughly 500,000 square feet of retail and an estimated 7,000 structured and surface parking spaces across the north and south areas. The team said parking square footage across the two areas is about 2.9 million square feet, mostly in structured garages.

Design concepts and anchors: The plan centers on Champions Way, a 60‑foot linear park and boulevard intended to connect the Grand Park Event Center in the north with an expanded pond and southern anchor. Program elements discussed include a 10,000‑seat stadium, relocation of a championship baseball diamond, a full‑service hotel and conference center (several sizing options between about 220 and 275 keys were cited), a potential four‑sheet ice facility (test‑fit for three sheets with room to expand to four), a sports technology innovation hub, family entertainment and active play elements (pickleball, mini golf, skate features), and a Ferris wheel as a visual southern anchor.

Phase and delivery: The city’s chosen development partner for the north side, Keystone Group, will begin a six‑month refinement process; Carden Associates has a contract to purchase parcels on the south side and is working on its own development plan. Ferron said Keystone expects phase‑one to start with a parking garage to replace existing surface parking and a full‑service hotel and conference center adjacent to the Grand Park Event Center. The city and developers will receive CAD files and a regulating plan from the design team so Champions Way aligns across both developments. Ferron said the city intends to incorporate the regulating plan as an addendum to the comprehensive plan and then pursue a city‑initiated rezoning for the district. She said the full master plan document would be finalized in about a week.

Governance, timing and next steps: Ferron described the overall timeline as approximately 10 years from start to finish, while cautioning that market demand will determine actual phasing. She said the city will work with Hunden on a hotel market study (hotel sizing options were described as 220–275 keys) and with consultants to produce a project cost opinion. The city intends to issue an RFQ for an ice facility (likely a build‑operate‑transfer model) and expected that RFQ process to move forward in spring–summer after additional test fits and bridging documents. Ferron said proceeds from Grand Park (lease payments from GPSC) and transfers from the general and food‑and‑beverage funds are possible funding sources for capital projects tied to the district.

Design rationale and flexibility: The design team emphasized regulating plans that control public‑realm dimensions and building edges while leaving flexibility on private uses. Jeff Speck of Spec Dempsey summarized the organizing principle as a central amenitized canal and Champions Way boulevard creating vistas into the surrounding sports fields. Sarah Kellerman (project manager, Perkins and Will) said the plan requires the spine to be lined with active retail uses and that the regulating plan will require retail or similarly active uses along much of Champions Way’s edge. The presenters said the regulating plan will control street sections, curb cuts and public‑realm details while allowing the city and developers flexibility to adapt block uses to market demand.

Questions and outstanding items: Councilors pressed for details on parking and peak event management, with designers and staff saying a deeper parking study is needed and that district design cannot be sized solely for peak events; shuttles or trolleys and off‑site parking were discussed as strategies to manage peaks. Councilors also asked about sequencing, the amount of residential density and which developer controls which parcels; staff said Keystone will lead the north side and Carden the south side, with coordination to align public spaces. Other items for follow‑up included finalizing the hotel market study, the regulating plan CAD files, detailed parking and traffic analyses, and the RFQ for an ice facility.

Constraints and operational notes: The presenters noted on‑site constraints including a Buckeye gas easement that is not buildable, detention basins and flood zones, and operational needs to maintain tournament logistics and field irrigation. Ferron said the city will relocate some of the roughly 900 existing surface parking spaces to structured parking prior to building on those lots.

What comes next: Ferron said the design team will deliver the completed master plan document within about a week; the planning staff will bring the plan forward as an addendum to the comprehensive plan and initiate rezoning for the Grand Park district. Development agreements and specific project reviews will follow as individual proposals come forward.