WESTFIELD — What do nearly 500 tons of limestone, 50,000 plants and a 125-foot-long walking bridge all have in common? They’re ready for you to enjoy at Westfields newest ‘grand’ development.

Grand Junction Plaza that is, the city recently opened the six-acre park which will not only function as the city’s centerpiece and destination for the outdoorsy but will also serve the city’s growing infrastructure needs by mitigating water runoff through the heart of the downtown area along Grassy Branch Creek.

The park, which had been in the works for over a decade, proves that there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the park itself and its name. 

Grand Junction Plaza operates as a confluence point of sorts, conjoining several heavily trafficked trails running through Hamilton County. The Monon, Midland and Natalie Wheeler trails run right through it. 

The natural beauty of the park showcases more than two dozen species of trees and thousands of plants all along the creek but there was supposed to be even more to see and enjoy at the park – the opening of an ice-skating rink and cafe had to be delayed thanks to ongoing supply chain shortages, according to Westfield Director of Public Works Jeremy Lollar. 

“I believe it’s going to keep the excitement for the city going,” Lollar said. “We have a couple buildings to add at a later time. we’re working to finish up the little list of items that are left to go by the end of January… skating rink will come next year for the winter season.”

Despite a minor list of delayed items, the park and its immersive playground for children is ready for public use.

“The most exciting part for me is there’s a little something for everybody. We have a stage venue and amphitheater where we can put on the concert performances. We’ll eventually have a tenant and a cafe to draw people to the downtown area and our, one of our kind playground areas will be incredible for the children of the community,” Lollar said. “That’s the whole intention behind it, is to create a space where people want to come and hang out downtown… so as we continue to add additional amenities to the park it’ll only grow the love for our downtown.”

The park also adds much needed parking spaces to downtown Westfield, with plans to also build a parking garage nearby in the future. 

The park is located at the corner of West Jersey and South Union Streets in Westfield. It’s not on Apple or Google Maps yet. Westfield officials say they’ll celebrate another opening of the park in January when final amenities are completed.