City Advancement Officer Joseph Mitchell speaks with Councilors Michael Burns, John J. Beltrandi, Jr. and Brent B. Bean, II at the Business Development committee. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – The newly reformed Business Development sub-committee, chaired by Ward 4 Councilor Michael Burns, with members John J. Beltrandi, Jr. and Brent B. Bean, II met on Wednesday primarily to clear old motions from the books.
City Advancement Officer Joseph Mitchell spoke to the history of some of the items. The first, from 2011, was regarding newly imposed taxes on Airport lessees. At the meeting in January of that year, several owners questioned the introduction of a new tax.
Mitchell explained that the Department of Revenue had determined that because the City of Westfield owns the Airport, they had to start charging taxes on rent. He said after seven years, people have “come to terms with it.” The item was removed from committee without action, but will have to be reported to the City Council to be cleared at the next meeting.
Also removed from 2011 were motions to create the Elm Street & Intramodel Project and begin the process of establishing an Economic Impact Zone downtown. Mitchell said the following year; the Elm Street Redevelopment Plan was created, replacing the earlier projects.
Another motion from that same year to contract with the University of Amherst, the Center for Business Development to complete a comprehensive study on a business plan for the downtown area was removed with no action.
Mitchell said when the City signed the Baker-Polito Administration Community Compact the focus was on economic development. The city completed an economic development self-assessment tool, with the help of Northeastern University’s Dukakis Center for Urban Regional Policy. “It identified what we do well, and don’t do so well,” Mitchell said.
One of the suggestions from the study was that permitting in Westfield takes longer than in nearby towns. “Permitting is something Westfield may want to address,” Mitchell said, such as investigating different zoning, and who has the permitting authority for special permits, to see whether they could be expedited, especially in the Industrial A zone, which he said is “the most permissive zone.”
Beltrandi said he has dealt with communities with expedited permitting, where he said it was “pretty quick,” such as on King Street in Northampton.
The last motion from 2016 to establish an Economic and Cultural Development Advisory Committee to make recommendations on Westfield’s development efforts was considered redundant to the efforts of the Business Development committee and other groups, and was also removed with no action.
Removal of the items will allow the committee to clean house and get off to a fresh start, the councilors said.
Connie Adams of Yellow Stonehouse Farm addresses the Business Development committee.
Connie Adams of Yellow Stonehouse Farm on 354 Root Road, who had come in part way through the brief meeting, asked what the committee was all about. She said her farm was close to areas that are industrial.
Beltrandi said the committee plans to look at the permitting process as it pertains to city development. “Some permits go back to 1988, to bring them up to current standards. We are lagging behind what’s new,” he said.
Adams said if they were looking for citizen participation she was interested. “I think you are missing an opportunity for agro-tourism,” she added, saying they already have Kozinski’s Farm, the winery and horseback riding available in her area, which she called “prime for development.”
“We just have to be careful about polluting the water,” Adams said. She also invited the councilors to attend Open Farm Day at Yellowstone Farm on May 19, when she said they will be giving asparagus away.
