The WRA discussing their plan to rollout the Elm Street Urban Renewal Project proof of concept to investors and to the public. (Photo by Peter Currier)
WESTFIELD- The Westfield Redevelopment Authority announced their proposal for a rollout of the Elm Street Urban Renewal Project Tuesday morning in a meeting at city hall.
The WRA proposed a soft, invite only rollout for potential investors in mid-January before revealing more about the project to the public at a later date. The proposed project is not yet finalized, however renderings of a potential concept for the Elm Street lot were shown at the meeting.
The lot that will be developed is the space on the north side of Church Street Commons and the area around the PVTA station is located. The current proposal displayed a modern four-story building that would be a mix of commercial and residential spaces. However, that concept is not finalized and may be subject to change completely.
“This is not the plan that is going to be executed,” said WRA board member Kathleen Witalisz, “This is a concept of what the possibilities are downtown and taking on the task of getting to know the flavor of what we are and who we are.”
The lot had not always been vacant. A four-story building on the property was destroyed by a fire in the 1950’s. Another fire destroyed a one-story building in the front of the lot in the 1980’s. Seven years ago, another one-story building was demolished on the lot after a portion of it collapsed and caused damage to cars.
Witalisz added that additional parking is essential to any new developments on the property. Whether the final product is residential, commercial, or a mix of both, parking and further lighting of the property will be a part of the conversation. The property is already largely used for parking for area businesses, but the ground is only partially paved and is a mix of dirt and gravel.
The plan for the soft rollout to investors is to have a reception on a tentative date in January at a currently undecided location downtown. The rollout will be an invite only cocktail party to show potential investors a proof of concept.
The public reveal of the project proposal will likely occur on a weekend following the soft investor rollout. An exact time and location for the public reveal has not been decided on.
