This fall, downtown Westfield has two centers. Park Street, the block everyone calls restaurant row, is closed to cars until at least December. A few hundred feet of new storefronts along Jersey and Union Streets, facing Grand Junction Plaza, opened one after another through 2026. The way the city has designed the finished Park Street suggests the split is temporary. The plan is for both sides to work as one walkable evening district once the brick goes down.
Restaurant Row Went Quiet in September
The $6.2 million Park Street improvement project broke ground May 8 on the stretch between Poplar and Mill. The plans call for brick pavers, parklets, flush curbs, new landscaping and lighting, and a reversed traffic direction. Some of the work is underground. As Current in Westfield described it, the project includes storm drainage upgrades, buried power lines, and a connection to the Midland Trace Trail.
At the start, Park Street was supposed to stay partly open to traffic. In a Fox59 report on Oct. 1, Parks and Recreation director Chris McConnell said the road "technically has only been closed for the last four weeks." Fox59 reported that The Italian House and Nyla's could only be reached on foot.
On Sept. 29, the sushi restaurant Chiba announced it had closed for good after about ten years on Park Street, and it pointed to the construction as the reason. McConnell told Fox59 that losing a long-running restaurant is always unfortunate and that the city has to move forward with the projects. Next door, the co-owner of the wine bar Something Splendid told the station that when visits fall off around the block, nearby businesses feel it too.
The city has given Fox59 a construction finish target of Dec. 1. That date covers the street work only. The city's February project notice projected the full two-phase project into late spring 2027, and Mayor Scott Willis has said landscaping will likely run through spring 2027.
The Plaza Side Spent 2026 Filling In
While Park Street was being torn up, the blocks around Grand Junction Plaza kept adding storefronts. When Sun King opened, Current described the brewery as completing the north side of Jersey Street facing the plaza.
| Opened | Business | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 5 | Black Orchid Barbers | 170 Jersey St. |
| April 24 | Sun King Brewery | 133 S. Union St. |
| July 1 | Stella's Ice Cream | 170 Jersey St., Suite 190 |
| Summer 2026 | Pop Junction gourmet popcorn | 203 Jersey St. |
When Current previewed Sun King in April, the two food concepts were still plans. Today, Sun King's Westfield page lists Stacked House downstairs and Upper House Social upstairs as part of the building. Stacked House posts its own hours at the 133 S. Union address. As for Pop Junction, the owner was aiming for a soft opening before July 4 when Current covered the shop in June. The shop's own site now says only that it has been in Westfield since summer 2026.
One building now covers a brewery, a sit-down kitchen, and an upstairs social space, Stella's handles dessert, and Pop Junction sits a few doors down Jersey Street. Together they can carry an evening on the plaza side while the next street over is fenced off.
Construction isn't hurting every business. Fox59 found a steady line most days at Rivet Coffee, across from the construction for The Grand on Main, a mixed-use development. The cafe's manager told the station that "the community has just been phenomenal."
Park Street Is Closed to Cars, Not to Diners
Even with the street fenced, much of Park Street's dining is still open to anyone who walks in:
- The Italian House on Park, 219 Park St. Its own site lists dinner Tuesday through Saturday.
- Nyla's, 211 Park St. Its own site also lists dinner Tuesday through Saturday.
- Broad Ripple Seafood North & Bar, 231 Park St. It opened May 27 in the former Greek's Pizza space, a few weeks after construction started, and its site was taking reservations for today, Oct. 12.
- Something Splendid, the boutique wine bar beside the project.
Those listed hours come from each restaurant's website. They aren't a guarantee of what the sidewalk looks like on a given night, so calling ahead is the simplest check while crews are working.
Friday, Oct. 23 Shows How Both Halves Fit
Trick-or-Treating in the Plaza comes back Friday, Oct. 23, from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at Grand Junction Plaza, 225 S. Union St. NSpire Church presents it, and the city's announcement says more than 60 local businesses and organizations will be handing out treats. It's the biggest scheduled night downtown while Park Street is closed, and the city's event notice lays out an evening that stays on the plaza side:
- 4:30 p.m. Trick-or-treating starts across the plaza. Costumes are encouraged but not required, and the event is free.
- Through the evening there are live dance performances, four magic shows in the amphitheater, a silent disco, free face painting, and a ghost tour through Old Friends Cemetery and other historic parts of downtown.
- Carnival games need a $10 Ghoulish Game Card. Proceeds go to Family Promise of Hamilton County, which is also collecting canned food, all-purpose cleaner, hand soap, Clorox wipes and body wash at the NSpire Church booth.
- 6 p.m. Goosebumps plays on the Great Lawn, so bring blankets and lawn chairs.
- Also on site is a Versiti Blood Center blood drive, which asks donors to make appointments in advance.
The parking notes matter more than usual this year. The city lists free on-street parking on Union and Mill Streets and in the public lots at Park and Poplar. The first three hours in The Union garage are free, with a small hourly fee after that. A free shuttle runs during the event between the Westfield Washington Public Library at 17400 Westfield Blvd. and the plaza. For anyone driving in, the shuttle is the most direct way to skip downtown parking while Park Street is closed.
When the movie ends, you're already next to Sun King, Stacked House, and Stella's. The open restaurants on Park Street are reachable on foot from the same parking areas.
The Week Park Street Is Due Back
If the city meets its Dec. 1 target, Park Street reopens four days before Westfield in Lights. That event is listed for Saturday, Dec. 5, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Grand Junction Plaza, with Santa, vendors, live music, and games, and the tree lighting is set for 5:50 p.m. Ice Ribbon dates for 2026–27 weren't in the city announcements we reviewed. Last season the rink ran Nov. 22 through Jan. 3, according to the city's November 2025 notice, and those dates shouldn't be assumed to carry over.
The finished street is meant to work differently from the old one. At his July town hall, as Current reported, Mayor Willis said the brick-paved road is planned to close to cars on Thursday through Sunday evenings, with live music and public outdoor seating. He also said the city has similar plans for Jersey Street, including brick pavers, pedestrian amenities, and an art project honoring Westfield's Underground Railroad heritage. If both streets end up closed to cars on weekend evenings, the plaza side and restaurant row will function as one walkable area.
Parking is the longer-term piece. The $123 million Park & Poplar mixed-use project was set to kick off this summer, according to the mayor's July remarks, and is scheduled to finish in 2028. Its agreement includes a city-funded $22 million, 523-space parking garage and a pedestrian plaza. Willis said the project "finally provides a solution for parking," and that downtown will be "uniquely Westfield."
Downtown Westfield is changing block by block, and the Kelly Todd Group keeps track of what opens, closes, and reopens on Park Street, Jersey Street, and the blocks around Grand Junction Plaza. If you own near downtown and want to know how these changes affect your home's value, start with an instant home valuation, and we're happy to talk through what we're seeing around the plaza.
