The city of Westfield is moving forward with a proposal from Greenwood-based Jonathan Byrd’s for a five-story hotel at Grand Park.
Executives with the Fishers office of Fort Wayne-based The Hagerman Group Inc. introduced the project to the Westfield Plan Commission on Monday night. The 180-room hotel will be on 5.26 acres of city-owned property immediately to the west of the future indoor soccer facility on 191st Street.
Anticipated room prices and the cost of the project were not disclosed.
The city issued a request for proposals in June and received six responses, including one from Jonathan Byrd’s, which in addition to its widely known catering business also has a company branch that operates hotels.
In the RFP, the city suggested having rooms arranged as a dormitory with shared common areas for suites. The facility would also include a front desk, mail room, kitchenette or breakfast area, lounge, laundry operations, pool, exercise room, office area and parking.
The hotel, dubbed “The Haven at Grand Park,” is expected to be complete by July to accommodate visitors during the peak of the summer sports season.
Demand for hotel rooms during tournaments at the park has been strong, as Westfield only has one hotel currently open. Some out-of-town players, coaches and spectators have stayed in hotels in surrounding cities, with some being pushed as far away as Kokomo and Lafayette.
The city will maintain ownership of the land and lease it to Jonathan Byrd’s in order to maintain leverage over the land in the long term because of its proximity to the 370,000-square-foot indoor soccer facility and presence within the park.
It’s possible the hotel could connect to the soccer facility, but the details have not been finalized.
Several plan commission members weren’t thrilled with the design of the building. Instead of approving the proposal to move it to the Westfield City Council, they decided to return it to the advisory board for more consideration Nov. 16.
“We’d like to set a really high bar for the aesthetics that come out of Grand Park and everything around it,” said Ken Kingshill, a plan commission member. “I would love to see more creativity… It just doesn’t knock my socks off.”
City council and plan commission member Steve Hoover suggested adding more height variation to the building, windows on the north side that would face 191st Street and possibly changing the entrance configuration.
“We do strive to be much better than average in Westfield,” Hoover said.
Jonathan Byrd's is heavily involved in Grand Park's future. The $8.1 million indoor basketball and volleyball facility under construction at Grand Park will be known as the Jonathan Byrd’s Fieldhouse. The company agreed to a 10-year deal with fieldhouse developers for naming rights, concession stand management and space for a food court near the front of the building.
Byrd's is also expected to operate a restaurant and catering services in the soccer building.
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