By KYLA RUSSELL
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
The future home of the Indiana Pacers G League franchise will be within the Innovation Mile in Noblesville, according to the Noblesville Board of Works and Public Safety.
The 3,400 seat arena, which was announced in May, was originally planned to be built at Finch Creek Park on the city’s east side. Now, the arena will sit between 141st Street and Interstate 69, east of Olio Road.
The change, which was proposed by Westfield-based Patch Development, will put the arena closer to the Hamilton Town Center, several hotels and restaurants, and the Ruoff Music Center.
“This is the first major milestone for us to hit since the city and Pacers Sports & Entertainment came together on May 8 to announce a transformational partnership to bring the second most prominent men’s basketball league in the world to Noblesville,” Noblesville Mayor Chris Jensen said.
The board will now work with Patch Development to define the scope, design services, engineering, architectural services, programming, flexible use components, financing structure, and total costs of the project, according to a Tuesday release.
The G League team will play at Gainbridge Fieldhouse until the new arena is complete.
Noblesville selects Westfield-based Patch Development for new Events Center
The Noblesville Board of Works and Public Safety has selected Patch Development as the developer team partner for the Noblesville Events Center and parking garage that will be the future home to the Indiana Pacers G League franchise.
On June 7, the city issued a Request for Proposals and Qualifications from developer partners who would work with the city and Pacers Sports & Entertainment to design, build, operate, and maintain the events center and garage. The city received two responses to the request.
“In the view of the evaluation committee, both were high quality proposals that would provide significant positive benefit to the community if chosen,” Mayor Jensen said. “Upon due diligence and further evaluation, the events center and parking garage will now be built within the master planned Innovation Mile project. Patch Development’s proposal included economic and financial benefits with this location and its proximity to I-69, Hamilton Town Center, existing and planned hotels and restaurants, Ruoff Music Center, and other amenities and planned developments.”
The evaluation committee also received input from consultants hired by the city to analyze economic impact, tourism impact, feasibility, parking operations, construction budgets, and construction timelines.
“Mayor Jensen’s vision for how our G League team and this facility fit into Noblesville’s economic development strategy illustrates why we are so excited about this partnership,” said Rick Fuson, chief executive officer of Pacers Sports & Entertainment. “We look forward to continuing to work through this process with him, his team, and City of Noblesville leaders.”
With the Noblesville Board of Works and Public Safety approving the selection early Tuesday, the city can now work with Patch Development to negotiate and award a professional services agreement, using the Build-Operate-Transfer procurement method. This agreement will further define the scope, design services, engineering and architectural services, programming, flexible use components, financing structure, and total costs of the project, consistent with the RFPQ and applicable law.