One Westfield Place, Affordable Housing Settlements Approved In Westfield

UPDATE: 'No Endorsement': Westfield Advocates Respond To One Westfield Place Settlement

WESTFIELD, NJ — Democratic Mayor Shelley Brindle's last Town Council meeting in office was marked by giving thanks and looking forward with four newly-approved resolutions set to advance both One Westfield Place and affordable housing.

In the remarks given at Tuesday's Town Council meeting, Brindle revealed a settlement with the Westfield Advocates for Responsible Development that wrapped the organization's string of lawsuits brought against the Town.

The Advocates are now required to dismiss their latest appeal that challenged the most recent One Westfield Place redevelopment plan.

"Each time, the judges affirmed the integrity of our process and One Westfield's Place's consistency with the Town's master plan," Brindle said. "This is also a fitting conclusion to my administration's time in office following what has been years of intentional delay tactics by the Advocates."

This latest appeal was the fifth legal challenge the group brought against the project.

Officials have still not announced a date for breaking ground on the project, one that Brindle said will infuse $375 million into the downtown economy and another $42 million in infrastructure and streetscape improvements. She also has highlighted the "$165MM in PILOT revenue will diversify and stabilize our tax base, benefiting all taxpayers."

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Three other late starter resolutions out of the executive session on Tuesday authorized Brindle to sign settlements on the challenges to the fourth round affordable housing plan. Two of these were filed by developers, and one was brought by the Fair Share Housing Center in which a settlement was reached.

"I'd like to thank this council for their bipartisan support to bring a sensible plan to fruition that meets our state obligations, shields us from related litigation, ensures that 70 percent of the town remains zoned for single-family residential, and, very importantly, helps to address our state housing crisis," said Brindle.

In March 2024, Governor Phil Murphy signed a law that was aimed at adjusting the way mandatory affordable units are decided across municipalities. Under the state Supreme Court's Mount Laurel doctrine and New Jersey Fair Housing Act, the NJ Department of Community Affairs released its first list of obligations in October 2024.

This included how many low- or moderate-income units were to represent each town's "fair share."

Communities throughout New Jersey argued that this "fair share" of affordable housing brought an unfair burden on the towns. The Fair Share Housing Center called the different efforts from municipalities across the state to fight this more "wealthy communities who have fought affordable housing for decades, every step of the way."

The details of the settlement between Westfield and the organization were not immediately available.

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Along with the end of Brindle's eight years in office, Tuesday's meeting also marked the last for four other members of the Council: David Contract, Michael Dardia, Linda Habgood, and James Hely.

"It's fitting that we close this chapter tonight at the last council meeting for my administration as this was the most important legislation work we have undertaken," Brindle added.

Brindle is the first female mayor in the Town's history.

Democrats Jeremy Berman, Westfield's newly elected mayor, and councilmembers Reshma Adwar, Jennifer Gilman, Drew Pecker, and Vik Venkataraman will be sworn in at a meeting in January.

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