Residents Launch Petition To 'Rethink' One Westfield Place Development

WESTFIELD, NJ — The former Lord & Taylor building in Westfield has the potential to turn into a massive redevelopment complex, and many Westfield residents are concerned about what that means for the character of the town, as well as traffic and congestion.

More than 700 people have signed a change.org petition, creating by a group called Westfield Advocates for Responsible Development, demanding the mayor, town council and planning board to rethink the proposed One Westfield Place development.

Related: Lord & Taylor Development Gets Mixed Response From Westfield Residents

The proposal calls for a 731,000 square-foot complex with office space, 154 residential apartments for people aged 55 and older, 69 apartments for families and young professionals, affordable units, two new parking garages and more.

Read about the full scope of the project here.

The group Westfield Advocates for Responsible Development has also filed a lawsuit against the town and developer James Ward to prevent The Sophia project on Prospect Street and Ferris Place from being built. The town council approved the project in a 5-3 vote in May, and the planning board authorized the plans in August.

Read more: 'The Sophia' Complex Gets The Green Light After Westfield Council Vote

The lawsuit claims that the town engaged in “spot zoning” and that the project will destroy the site’s historical significance.

Now Westfield Advocates are arguing that One Westfield Place is "too big in scope and size" and will "irrevocably alter the small town character" of Westfield.

"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," the petition states.

The group also argues that the project will increase traffic, pollution and congestion.

"We feel that the actual impacts of the project (i.e., traffic, PILOTs, business, real estate, neighborhood scale) are insufficiently investigated and being downplayed by the Streetworks developer and our elected officials," the petition states.

Meanwhile, Mayor Shelley Brindle has argued that the development will actually improve long-standing parking and congestion challenges, as well as provide new spaces for art and events and new sources of tax revenue.

Westfield Advocates said the object to the town council's "unreasonable zoning overrides, non-competitive sale of municipal lots to the developer, lack of a solid basis for this expansive and significant plan, lack of a full and fair public hearing to form a solid basis for public decision-making, misuse of Local Housing and Redevelopment Law and misrepresentation of residents’ responses to the Master Plan Reexamination Survey."

Through the petition, the group is urging the developer, mayor and other elected representatives to pause further approvals and agreements related to the Streetworks development proposal and to provide alternative proposals for the project.

Streetworks has been hosting a series of information sessions at the One Westfield Place Preview Center at 76 Elm Street on issues like traffic mitigation and the future of office space.

The next round of information sessions will be held throughout December:

• The Future of Office Space: Discussion of current market trends, demand for Class-A office space, office amenities, and post-COVID work spaces (December 13, 6:00 PM)
• Planning and Design: Discussion of land use, proposed scale, and overall aesthetics and design (December 15, 6:00 PM)
• Wellness and Sustainability: (Monday, December 19, 6:00 PM)

To manage capacity, pre-registration is suggested for these sessions, and is available at https://calendly.com/onewestfieldplace.

Mayor Brindle will also host a Facebook Live session on the traffic impact on Monday at 5:30 p.m.

She will be joined by John Federico from the town's traffic consulting firm, WSP, as well as Carolina Simon, VP of Development for HBC Streetworks Development and their traffic consultants from Kimley-Horn.

You can submit a question in advance at westfieldnj.gov/fblive, or in the comments during the presentation.

Brindle said the town also anticipates that Streetworks will be publishing their full Traffic Impact Study in the coming days.

"Given some of the misrepresentations of the traffic data that are circulating on social media, I urge you to attend on Monday (or watch the replay afterwards) and gain a firsthand understanding of the extensive analysis that is underway, which is also being peer-reviewed not only by the Town’s certified professional traffic consultant, but also by traffic experts from the Union County Engineering Office, NJ Department of Transportation, and NJ Transit," Brindle said in her most recent update email.

Subsequent Facebook Live events focused on the financial details of the proposal, planning and design, and the future of offices will be held immediately after the holidays.

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