Guided Growth: Westfield’s Economic Development Impact

A community often experiences economic development through visible results: a new business opening its doors, a new housing complex taking shape, or an exciting seasonal event tied to a local amenity. What is often less visible is the extensive work that happens behind the scenes to ensure those opportunities strengthen the region’s future.

The Westfield Economic Development Department has notably led numerous projects that span months and years, often unable to communicate progress for confidentiality reasons before a shovel hits the ground. In Westfield, those initiatives have taken many forms. For example: 

• A recently approved Downtown Redevelopment Plan provides a blueprint for a nature-focused experience district to highlight Cool Creek and the award-winning Grand Junction Plaza. The new plan expands on early downtown wins, including The Union and Sun King Brewery, developed by Old Town Companies.
• Westfield’s Grand Park District features the Droplight Grand Park Sports Campus, which drew more than 5.5 million visits in 2023 and has been named the top sports facility in the nation for soccer and lacrosse. The campus is gearing up for its first IndyCar headquarters, ECR (formerly Ed Carpenter Racing), along Championship Way’s main straightaway and the first phase of mixed-use development in the sports entertainment district. 
• NorthPoint Business Park, home to Abbott Structural Heart, Insects Limited, and Vikan North America, has shovel-ready sites available for corporate campuses and single-site manufacturing, in line with the city’s vision for high-tech medical and other manufacturing operations, creating attractive jobs for Westfield residents. 

Taken together, these and other initiatives guided by Westfield’s dedicated economic development staff have helped make the vision of Mayor Scott Willis come to life while creating new opportunities for residents, including shopping and recreation, high-wage jobs, and best-in-class park and trail infrastructure, with a focus on diversifying the tax base to provide continued access to quality services and amenities.

That is work worth celebrating, and we hope you’ll join us next month in appreciating the important work our economic development team does every day. To learn about how the Westfield Economic Development Department supports life and business in Westfield, visit our website or contact us for more information.