WESTFIELD – After many meetings and a public hearing, the abutter’s notification zoning ordinance passed the City Council unanimously.
Prior to the vote, Ward 2 Councilor Ralph J. Figy held up the sign to be displayed on properties requesting a zoning change, the last issue to be worked out before the ordinance became law.
Figy said that the Planning Department will be responsible for creating and erecting the signage on the properties.
The new ordinance, submitted by At-large Councilor Dan Allie will notify by mail within 10 days of a public hearing all abutters whose property is within 300 feet of a proposed zone change. The applicants will be responsible for obtaining a list of all abutters from the Assessor’s office and providing it to the City Clerk.
The City Council also voted on a second reading and final passage on an order transferring custody and management of the 66 acres on Cabot Road from the Board of Health department, which had originally planned to install a landfill there, to allow permitting for a proposed industrial park. The order also transfers the authority to dispose of the property in according with Massachusetts General Law Chapter 30B, and gives the mayor authorization to sign any and all documents necessary to effectuate and disposition.
City Councilors Dan Allie, Dave Flaherty, Mary Ann Babinski and Andrew K. Surprise during a pause in the meeting Thursday. (Photo by Amy Porter)
The vote on a second reading had been continued from the May 4 meeting after a long debate, and returned to L&O for consideration, where it was recommended by a vote of 3-0.
At Thursday’s City Council meeting, Ward 1 Councilor Mary Ann Babinski said that she was going to vote against the order the last time, and thought that it would come back from L&O with language changes. She said it did not, and was the exact same resolution before them.
“I’ve seen that presentation before when I was sitting on the other side with residents,” Babinski said. She said she objected to the language that the mayor be authorized to sign any and all documentation for use of the property.
“I think open space would be a good one for this property. I am not against business. I am for responsibly sited businesses,” Babinski added.
Figy responded, adding that he normally doesn’t comment during the second reading of a proposal. “This is an order, it’s not a zone change, it’s an order to transfer custody. I think if we vote no on this, we’re telling the mayor that we don’t trust him. The mayor can put restrictions through the RFP process,” Figy said.
At-large Councilor Dave Flaherty, who also had reservations at the last meeting, said he was also going to vote against the transfer. “By giving carte blanche to any one person to dispose of this land is not right, to whatever the mayor wants to agree to. All we were asking for is some language,” Flaherty said. He added that the vote was not needed to get the grant money for the permitting process, according to a conversation he had with city advancement officer Joe Mitchell, one of the arguments made at an earlier meeting.
Ward 4 Councilor Mary O’Connell, who also recommended the order as a member of the L&O Committee, said she found herself in a funny position by supporting it.
“Sometimes we have to take a leap of faith,” O’Connell said. She gave the example of the City Council’s support of the $15 million bond for Westfield G&E, which she said they reciprocated by increasing their in lieu of taxes (ILOT) payment to the city.
O’Connell said there will be some protections put in the RFP (Request for Proposal) process as to what type of businesses the city wants on the Cabot Road property, which will be “bookended” on the other end by the Planning Board and the Zoning, Planning and Department (ZPD) committee. “We are going to set parameters going into this and ending this with final approval,” O’Connell said of the city council’s future role in the process.
“This is a large parcel of land not over the aquifer. By approving this, we’re allowing the advancement officer to do his job,” O’Connell added.
Council President Brent B. Bean, II gave kudos to O’Connell for her statement. He asked the question what exactly does the city council consider a friendly business, although he said he agreed with the concern about truck traffic expressed by Flaherty. “We need to do a leap of faith,” Bean said.
At-large Councilor John J. Beltrandi, III, who has been supportive of the project from the beginning, said the city needed the revenue, which it hasn’t had from the property since 1982.
Ward 3 Councilor Andrew K. Surprise said there were a lot of good arguments on both sides, and that he respected Babinski for standing up for her ward. “I don’t want to distrust the mayor. I think the mayor’s not going to do anything to inflame Mary Ann – she’s a bull dog,” Surprise said. “I am reluctantly going to vote for this,” he added.
The vote to transfer the property on Cabot Road and authorize the mayor to dispose of the property in accordance with Massachusetts General Law passed 11-2, with Babinski and Flaherty dissenting.
