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Companies interested in buying or operating Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield will have an additional month to submit proposals.
The city announced Tuesday that is has extended the deadline from June 22 until July 25 because appraisers asked for additional time to perform their work at the 400-acre sports campus.
The Westfield Redevelopment Commission on March 3 issued a request for proposals to purchase Grand Park or enter into a public-private agreement to operate the sports campus.
The commission originally set a deadline of 3 p.m. Wednesday for proposals.
Grand Park appraisers requested three additional weeks to complete their appraisals, according to a news release, which said appraisals are required for the sale of municipal land.
Indy Sports & Entertainment LLC, which does business as the Indy Eleven, was among 18 companies that responded to the city’s initial request for proposals to either purchase or enter into a public-private agreement to operate the massive youth sports complex.
Also among the potential bidders was Ripken Baseball LLC, which is co-owned by Baltimore Orioles great Cal Ripken Jr. and operates youth baseball facilities throughout the United States, including the well-known Ripken Experience complex in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Grand Park Sports Campus opened in 2014. It has 31 soccer fields, 26 baseball diamonds, two administration buildings and seven concession stands. A 378,000-square-foot multi-use event center opened in 2016.
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This is not a bad thing. This is such a unique property that finding comparable data to properly arrive at a value will not be an easy task. I’d rather the appraisers take a little time to get it right as opposed to doing it fast. It will be very interesting to see where the appraised value lands.