Westfield downtown redevelopment plan up for final vote, opponents expected out in force
WESTFIELD – Opponents are expected to be out in force on Tuesday when the Town Council will hold a public hearing and a final vote on a plan for the redevelopment of the shuttered Lord & Taylor site and train station area.
The Planning Board unanimously endorsed the plan last week, setting the stage for the vote on the project which has roiled the community,
If the ordinance is passed on Tuesday, Westfield will join other towns along NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line, like Cranford, Plainfield, Bound Brook and Dunellen, which have already adopted major downtown redevelopment plans in anticipation of direct commuter rail service to Manhattan with the completion of new tunnels under the Hudson River.
The Westfield One Redevelopment Plan is more than just the vacant Lord & Taylor property on North Avenue.
The plan for the 7.3-acre Lord & Taylor site calls for the adaptive re-use of the existing building into 100,000 square feet of office space; two residential buildings with 138 age-restricted units, 21 of which will be affordable; 16 townhouses for residents 55 and older; 13,300 square feet of retail space and another residential building at the corner of North Avenue and Clark Street with 28 market-rate units and six affordable units.
To the east of the train station on the North Avenue side of the tracks, the plan calls for a .22-acre section of Parking Lot 8 to have one residential building with 29 market-rate apartments and six affordable loft-style apartments; 2,110 square feet of retail at the corner of North and Central avenues and a public parking garage with 300 spaces.
By the train station on the south side of the tracks, the plan calls for a two-acre portion of Municipal Parking Lot 3 on South Avenue to have two buildings with a 210,000 square feet of office space, 12,000 square feet of retail along South Avenue and the new Boulevard extension and a new public parking garage with 200 spaces.
A citizens group, Westfield Advocates for Responsible Development, has led the opposition to the redevelopment, saying that elected officials have "ignored" the residents.
The organization's change.org petition asking officials to rethink the proposal had gathered more than 2,200 signatures by Friday afternoon.
At a marathon Council meeting on Jan. 31, Mayor Shelley Brindle said the plan is in the "long-term best interests of our community" and offers "a transformational vision for our town."
"Small solutions are not going to be enough," she said, noting the economic changes in downtowns across the country.
The mayor said she was satisfied with the plan which she said was "extremely well thought out."
"I can sleep well at night," she said.
The sole negative vote against the introduction of the redevelopment plan was cast by Ward 3 Councilman Mark LoGrippo whose motion to delay the vote failed because it did not receive a second. LoGrippo said he and other residents wanted more time to study the plan.
Opponents say the development will worsen traffic and there was a lack of public involvement in developing the plan. They also criticized the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) tax abatement program the state allows for redevelopment projects, a mechanism that other municipalities adopt as an incentive for revitalization projects.
Advocates of the project say it will revitalize downtown, which has seen several business closings including Williams Sonoma.
Bill Christie, a former Planning Board member, told the Council on Jan. 31 it was time for the town to tackle revitalization, instead of putting off projects.
"Westfield has never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity," he said.
The Town Council's adoption of the redevelopment ordinance is just one more step in the process. The town must reach a developer agreement on the project and negotiate a PILOT pact. In addition, the Planning Board must approve a site plan before construction can begin.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Westfield downtown redevelopment plan up for final vote
