Westfield Residents Voice Concerns Over Ferris Place Development

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield has proposed a 64-apartment redevelopment site on Prospect Street and Ferris Place, and many nearby residents expressed their concerns over the new building and the traffic and safety issues it may bring.

During the public comment period of Westfield's Town Council meeting on Tuesday, several residents — many of who live on Prospect Street — spoke against the new development and stressed that adding more people to the street would only bring more dangerous traffic.

What does the project entail?

According to the town website, the plan calls for the development of 64 apartments, as well as 1,000 square feet maximum for a café or retail shop and the preservation of the historic 18th century home at 112 Ferris Place. The historic site is proposed to be reused as an education and cultural amenity space.

The plan was first brought to residents' attention in November, and the council unanimously adopted a redevelopment plan for this project — the first step in the redevelopment process.

According to Mayor Shelley Brindle, this plan outlines the land use regulations of the development, including not only height and setbacks, but also detailed building design standards, the inclusion of a 'green roof', affordable housing units and the obligation to reuse and restore 112 Ferris Place.

The project will not go to the planning board for site approval until the council authorizes a redevelopment agreement with the redeveloper.

Brindle said the Westfield is also requiring the redeveloper to provide a traffic impact study to determine the impact the building will have on traffic patterns in the area and to identify potential improvements to traffic infrastructure and pedestrian safety.

"Safety remains the absolute top priority of this administration in everything that we do," Brindle said.

Residents Voice Concerns

Robert Tarte of Prospect Street said he is particularly concerned about the proposed development, as he lives in a condominium complex across the street. He also questioned when the traffic study for the project was conducted, as he believes past impact studies yielded inaccurate results.

"We are concerned with the traffic in the area," Tarte said. "I know years ago when we had a parking deck controversy, the parking study was done on a Tuesday afternoon on a cold day in February, which really did not reflect the actual traffic problems that would have arisen."

Another resident from Prospect Street relayed concerns about the worsening traffic on the street.

"We live o this street every single day, and it's getting worse and worse and worse," the resident said. "... It is literally impossible to maneuver safely. People drive like maniacs. They go up and down the street at 40 miles an hour."

"I have people refer to Prospect Street as 'death trap place' because they can't maneuver around ..." she continued.

The resident also said her main problem with the new structure is that the proposed loading zone is "not nearly big enough," as people are constantly driving in and out of the street.

"I don't care what the traffic study says, I've lived on that street for 12-and-a-half years, and it's just terrible," she said.

Resident Phyllis Karp also read a letter she wrote to the mayor, explaining that many residents in the neighborhood are not opposed to the redevelopment plan, but are rather opposed to its size and scale, as well as the resulting impact it will have on the surrounding streets.

"We are all dismayed at the number of empty storefronts and wish as much as the downtown merchants to see our town blooming again," Karp said. "But stuffing 64 apartments into a historic, residential area with narrow streets and across from Trader Joe's in order to generate downtown foot traffic is not a viable redevelopment plan."

Karp also referred to another plan to build a redevelopment on the old Lord & Taylor property.

"If both properties are built as four-story apartment complexes, how will the town cope with the ensuing traffic?" Karp said. "This area has seen serious and fatal accidents in the past."

Mayor Brindle Responds

In response to residents concerns about the traffic impact study and pedestrian safety on Prospect Street, Brindle reemphasized that safety is the council's "number one priority."

"We would never do something that we thought would create additional safety concerns," Brindle said.

She added that she believes traffic improvements need to be done on this street, regardless of whether the redevelopment is approved or not.

In terms of the traffic study, Brindle said the town is using WSP — a traffic engineering company — that just conducted a town-wide traffic and circulation plan and is intimately familiar with the Westfield area.

Brindle also said what's notable about this particular project is that the town is requiring a redevelopment agreement, which she said has rarely been done before her administration.

"One of the primary reasons you do redevelopment agreements is to hold developers accountable for living up to the obligations that you set forth," Brindle said.

She emphasized that the town has a lot of control over the quality of the project and overseeing how it will come to fruition.

Next steps?

The results of the traffic study will soon be set forth by the Public Safety Committee, according to Brindle, which will then be followed by a redevelopment agreement that the council must approve.

If approved, the proposal would go to the planning board for them to weigh in. Brindle said there will be another public hearing for the planning board, as well.

Brindle assured residents that they will be involved in each stage of the process.

To view Tuesday's full council meeting, visit the town's Facebook page.

To learn more details about the Prospect Street and Ferris Place redevelopment, check out this document.

Have a news tip? Email remy.samuels@patch.com.

Get a free morning newsletter with news in Westfield or another town: https://patch.com/subscribe