PETER J. MILLER
WESTFIELD – Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said that the city, through the Community Development Department, will host a panel of urban property experts to explore higher utilization of property in the downtown area.
The panel will be comprised of members of the nationally-renowned Urban Land Institute (ULI) on Monday, Oct, 26 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council Chamber at City Hall. The one-day review will focus on the City’s downtown development strategy.
The project is sponsored by MassDevelopment, the state’s economic development and finance agency, who works with businesses, nonprofits, and local, state, and federal officials and agencies to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth.
“We are very pleased to welcome the Urban Land Institute to Westfield on Monday,” Knapik said in a prepared release. “For the past 26 years, the redevelopment of Elm Street, particularly the now-vacant site of the JJ Newberry’s fire, has vexed our revitalization efforts.”
“With a ratified Urban Renewal Plan and real progress having been made on the Intermodal project, it is vital that we better understand the possibilities, and frankly, the limitations associated with private development on this important property,” Knapik said.
Community Development staff met with the panel earlier this week, providing background information and documentation to assist with the review.
The panel will be taking a walking tour of the downtown in the morning, followed by meetings with downtown stakeholders, including realtors, business owners, property owners, and residents. They will then review their findings and develop their recommendations, which will be presented at the evening public meeting.
“This is an important exercise and I am thankful MassDevelopment has arranged this opportunity for us,” Director of Community Development, Peter J. Miller, Jr. said. “While we’ve all grown weary of studies, this one-day, focused program will provide us with some vital unbiased advice we will use to move forward.”
City Advancement Officer Joe Mitchell said that last year the city applied for a Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) grant and was awarded funding for the ULD assessment.
“This bring in professionals from Boston who know about urban development, know about financial challenges and who know about available resources,” Mitchell said. “It’s a fresh pair of eyes to look at our city to see if we’re missing something that we can do to move forward.
“Monday night is the community element of that assessment when residents, business owners, property owners, non-profit organization will have an opportunity to discuss issues with the panel,” Mitchell said.
