Mayor Brindle Talks Misconceptions About One Westfield Place

WESTFIELD, NJ — Following an intense public comment section at the previous Westfield Town Council meeting, with many residents expressing strong disapproval of the One Westfield Place redevelopment, Mayor Shelley Brindle addressed misconceptions surrounding the project.

The term "overdevelopment" has become popularized among Westfield residents, as well as others in surrounding towns, who oppose the large development and believe it will change the character of the town. However, Mayor Brindle argues that many of these opponents are uninformed on the details of the project and have a "fear of change."

Read more: Residents Voice Concerns About 'Overdevelopment' At Westfield Meeting

"I can appreciate and empathize with the legitimate fear of change, but implore our residents to educate themselves about this project in order to better understand the opportunity it presents to preserve our downtown and stabilize and potentially lower property taxes over the long-term," Brindle stated in her update email last week.

"One Westfield Place is not overdevelopment. It’s a long overdue worthy investment in our downtown to make up for the lack of investment for the past 60 years," she said.

Brindle pointed out a number of inaccuracies that she found within a petition created by the group Westfield Advocates for Responsible Redevelopment that now has more than 1,400 signatures. The group has also been distributing flyers throughout the town in recent weeks.

The petition calls for the council to rethink the scope and size of the project, arguing it will alter the town's "small town character," as well as increase traffic, pollution and congestion — among other complaints.

"The petition does not have full context," Brindle said at the Jan. 4 council meeting. "It does not tell the whole story and it omits many important facts."

Here are a few misconceptions about the project, according to Brindle:

1. The petition states, "The plans as proposed will obliterate the idyllic sight lines of trees and church steeples and reduce the amount of open space that brings our residents a sense of tranquility."

Brindle said the language used here is "quite extreme" and that the petition does not state that the project will add 200 trees to the landscape.

The mayor also argued that the project will not "reduce the amount of open space," as the project proposes adding more than two acres of open space that is currently taken up by asphalt parking lots.

"The sites are changing from surface parking lots surrounding a train station to a mixed-use development that will promote transit use and pedestrian activity," an FAQ on the project states.

The proposal calls for a "Transit Oriented Development," which according to the EPA, contains environmental benefits like "lower household transportation costs, [increased] public transit ridership, [and] reduce[d] greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution."

2. The petition states, "This project would increase traffic, pollution and congestion."

While many people believe that increased traffic is inevitable with the project, Brindle argues it will improve traffic circulation at several problem areas in the town.

"The fact of the matter is, the revenue from the project is enabling us to address current traffic problems that would otherwise not be feasible," Brindle said.

HBC Streetworks has proposed traffic improvement measures at 12 of the 17 intersections that surround the development. In total, Streetworks has proposed $54.2 million in public improvements.

Read more: 4 Takeaways From The One Westfield Place Traffic Impact Study

But Westfield Advocates still argue that the 731,000 square-foot development will impact traffic.

"Commonsense would tell you that a 731,000 sf development with 223 apartments and 1200 employees commuting to work would impact traffic," Westfield Advocates stated in the comments of a Patch story. "The traffic study confirmed residents concerns that the existing vehicular level of service at many intersections studied are D, E, F (low scores which indicate long delays). This proposed development maintains many of the E and F levels of service."

The group hired their own traffic engineers to address questions. These questions and comments were sent to the mayor and town council on Jan. 2 after a review performed over the holidays, according to Westfield Advocates.

3. Many comments on the petition mention "overcrowding" in Westfield and its schools.

One commenter wrote four days ago, "Schools are getting crowded, bringing more residents is good for businesses perhaps, but I’m concerned of overcrowded schools."

The mayor countered this point by arguing that Westfield has had a "historic loss of population" over the years. Since 1970, she said the town has 2,000 fewer residents and has lost over 2,000 employees since 2015.

According to the project proposal, One Westfield Place projects to add 350 residents — a 1.1 percent increase over the 2020 Census population.

A total of 223 residential units will be designated for residents aged 55 and over. Around ten school-aged children are projected to reside in the age-restricted housing.

However, Streetworks has also proposed 69 residential apartments that will cater to families and young professionals.

As the petition first started circulating on Dec. 8, Brindle argues that people were making assumptions about the project before "key information was made publicly available."

"Reacting to such an important topic without full information is not only unproductive, but also hinders our ability to incorporate your feedback into the proposal if you are making assumptions based on feelings and not facts," Brindle said in her update email.

Brindle also laid out the next steps in the project's process, which include a number of information sessions to help inform the public:

• January 11 Facebook Live / 6:30 pm: Streetworks will present modifications to their proposal based upon feedback received through their interactions with residents as well as the input and questions this Council has heard directly. The Town’s Finance professionals will provide a follow-up to last month’s Finance presentation and answer questions that have been received since that initial presentation. The live presentation will be recorded so it can be viewed at your convenience.
• January 17 Town Council meeting / 8:00 pm: Streetworks and the Town’s Planning and Finance professionals will be presenting to Town Council the updated One Westfield Place project and financial structure.
• January 19 Facebook Live / 6:30 pm: Town and Streetworks planning professionals will review and answer questions regarding the updated planning and design aspects of One Westfield Place.
• January 31 Town Council meeting / 8:00 pm: The Town’s planning and legal redevelopment professionals will provide a presentation to Town Council introducing the One Westfield Place Redevelopment Plan (RDP) Ordinance which would enable the zoning for the project. The Council will refer the RDP to the Planning Board to assess Master Plan consistency
• February 6 Planning Board meeting / 7:30 pm: Redevelopment Plan will be presented to the Planning Board who will determine if it is consistent with the Master Plan
• February 14 Town Council meeting / 8:00 pm: Public hearing and vote on the adoption of the One Westfield Place Redevelopment Plan if the Planning Board affirmed consistency with Master Plan.

A vote on a Redevelopment Agreement detailing the project specifics and designating HBC | Streetworks Development as the developer would follow, with subsequent votes required on the financial agreement and bonding, as well as eventual full site plan review and approval by the Planning Board, Brindle said.

Here are some other Patch stories on the project to check out:

Lord & Taylor Development Gets Mixed Response From Westfield Residents

Residents Launch Petition To 'Rethink' One Westfield Place Development

One Westfield Place Redevelopment Top Of Mind For Residents At Meeting

3 Takeaways From The One Westfield Place Finance Discussion