One Tour Leaves, a Team Arrives: USHL at Grand Park, LIV's Wind-Down, and the Ballot

Land Watch — Westfield & Northern Hamilton County

Week of November 9, 2026 · WKRP Indy Real Estate

Westfield gained a team and lost a tour on the same day. On November 5 the city announced a preliminary deal for a USHL hockey team at Grand Park. Hours later, LIV Golf said it is shutting down, three months after its last event at Chatham Hills. And the election settled the school rate for the next eight years.

1. SPORTS ECONOMY

Grand Park lines up a USHL team

Mayor Scott Willis said November 5 that the city has a preliminary agreement for a new USHL franchise, IBJ reported. The planned hockey complex near Grand Park is growing from three ice sheets to four. The team would play on its own rink with about 4,000 seats, and IBJ reports that rink could also host other hockey events, including major youth championships.

This builds on the ice arena we covered two weeks ago. At that time the Redevelopment Commission approved $1.13 million for the building pad and access road for the $88.6 million facility on the south end. The fourth sheet and the spectator rink are new, and the city hasn't released an updated cost.

Most of Grand Park's calendar is weekend tournaments, and most of it is outdoors. A USHL home schedule runs through the winter and brings crowds on weeknights. That's the kind of steady traffic restaurant and hotel users look for. "Preliminary" still means unsigned, so wait for a final agreement and a cost before you price ground off it.

2. EVENTS

LIV winds down after its Westfield finale

LIV Golf announced November 5 that it will "transition to an orderly wind-down" after it couldn't line up new funding. The same day, its lawyer told a bankruptcy court in New Jersey that the league is no longer pursuing a smaller "LIV 2.0" plan, the AP reported. LIV filed for bankruptcy September 8. Its last event was LIV Golf Indianapolis, played August 20-23 at The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield.

The 2025 event was the big one. Axios reported it drew more than 60,000 fans, a U.S. attendance record for LIV, and the Hamilton County Sports Authority estimated $23.6 million in direct local spending, nearly 70% of it from out-of-state visitors. City officials counted about 8,000 extra visitors in the neighborhoods near Chatham Hills, compared with a normal weekend of 600 to 700.

That was one week a year, and it depended on someone else's money. The USHL deal is the opposite: smaller crowds, but a home schedule that comes back every season. When you value hospitality or retail ground, count the events that repeat. A big one-time event is a bonus, not something to underwrite.

3. TAX BASE

The ballot settles the school rate

In unofficial results, the Westfield Washington Schools operating referendum passed 14,542 to 11,423, about 56% yes. It allows up to $0.3941 per $100 of assessed value for eight years. The district says it will start lower, around $0.3381, and it replaces the 2022 referendum that expires at the end of this year. Commercial owners in the district now have a rate to budget against instead of a question mark.

Up north, the Sheridan Community Schools referendum failed 1,022 to 931, a 91-vote margin. Funding decisions now move to the district's budget meetings. Anyone looking at land in Sheridan should watch what the district does next.

At the county level, Commissioner Christine Altman (R) held the District 1 seat over Ti'Gre McNear (D) by 323 votes on election night. Four County Council district seats were on the ballot. Democrats won three and Republicans held one. The council is the county's fiscal body, so it votes on budgets and borrowing, including money for county roads. The county certifies results Friday, November 13.

To learn more about Westfield or area land, feel free to email me at wkrpindy@gmail.com or call 317-698-2700.