JEFF DALEY
I have been asked by the Westfield News to provide a regular update on economic development activities in our city. So in this, my inaugural article, I would like to give an update on our downtown. There has been a lot of scuttlebutt, now that the Green Project is complete and the roadwork almost finished, and I want to take this opportunity to let the residents of Westfield and surrounding communities know where we are and where we are going.
Since Mayor Knapik has been in office, the city – acting through its Community Development Block Grant funding – has invested an unprecedented $250,000-plus in downtown business development. Further, with the support of the city council, we have already invested (or soon will be) nearly $4 million in the following activities:
• Connecting the new bridge project to the Green Project with all new infrastructure and roads (which wasn’t originally part of either project)
• Launching the Gaslight Project, which will begin this fall and will provide all new infrastructure to the side streets and parking areas on the west side of Elm Street
• Demolishing blighted properties, such as School Street Cleaners and the Block Building
What is driving these projects is the simple truth that we need to invest in our downtown if we want any private developer to do so. If, after completing nearly $100 million in projects over the last five years, we were to leave the middle portion of our downtown or the West side of Elm Street with 100-plus-year-old pipes, infrastructure, or paving that is crumbling under our feet and tires, it would be nearly impossible to attract anyone to visit, let alone invest.
In terms of the demolition projects in our downtown, we are strategically going after not only the most blighted properties but also those with the highest positive impact to our community. With each property that is taken down, new possibilities open up for our city. Over the next few months you will be hearing more about the development of the former J.J. Newberry’s lot – this is long overdue for our residents and visitors. The market tells us – and I concur – that this block has the potential to be the catalyst to reinvigorate our downtown.
Another initiative that you will be hearing more about in the near future is Westfield’s move forward on promoting market-rate housing (110 percent above the area’s household median income) in our CORE district. Having residents in our immediate downtown neighborhoods or above retail stores on Elm Street is vital to the growth of our downtown. The state has created programs to encourage market-rate housing developments, and we are putting together the proper documentation to take advantage of these programs.
Commercial development and investment discussions are becoming more and more frequent as they pertain to our downtown – people are taking notice. Developers, retail stores, professional offices, medical offices and others contact me on a weekly basis about the future of our downtown and its investment potential. I can assure you that developers – both property and retail – look to our downtown as one that many cities and towns are envious of. Not only that, but they are putting their money where their mouth is. There are at least eight-10 new downtown projects that I am currently working on with investors, businesses, and nonprofits, not including those who have already invested or re-invested in our downtown.
The ceiling is high for our downtown, and I hope that you will recognize these projects for what they are – keys to our future growth and the betterment of our downtown – and go down and support the businesses that are there today, as well as the new businesses that will come. Without our collective support, our downtown will again be dormant and one in which businesses will struggle to survive.
Living in Westfield my entire life, I truly understand the frustration that we have with our downtown, but the residents of Westfield need to know that we are working hard with the Business Improvement District, the Chamber of Commerce, Westfield State University, businesses, realtors, developers and citizens on how to make our downtown more vibrant and get projects across the finish line so that we can all be proud of our downtown and the unique experience it will provide!
Jeffrey R. Daley
City Advancement Officer
City of Westfield
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of the Westfield News.
