JOE MITCHELL
WESTFIELD – The City Council approved the first reading of a request to transfer city-owned property over to the Westfield Redevelopment Authority to consolidate land for the Elm Street redevelopment project.
City Advancement Officer Joe Mitchell said the consolidation is authorized under the Elm Street Urban Renewal Plan that the City Council approved in June of 2013.
“This motion is to transfer six parcels of city property to the WRA,” Mitchell. “Some of it is parking, some was obtained through tax titles.”
Mitchell said the land parcels are being consolidated “so the WRA can put it out for private development of this property” in conjunction with development of a bus facility by the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority and a parking garage to be constructed by the WRA.
BRIAN HOOSE
Mitchell said the PVTA is ahead of the city in its area of responsibility and recently put out bids for the demolition of the Flahive Building on Arnold Street and for relocation of the residential and commercial tenants in the building.
Mitchell said the transfer request is being made because the WRA, as a redevelopment authority, has broader options under state law than the city.
“The city can only take land for public uses,” Mitchell said. “The WRA has certain land-taking powers under Massachusetts General Law (MGL) for private development. The WRA has authority to do certain things that the city does not have.”
“State law allows the WRA to deal with private developers,” Mitchell said. “The WRA has no authority over city-owned property. We need to hitch all of those six properties into one piece.”
BRIAN P. SULLIVAN
The WRA will be taking additional properties owned by members
of the Romani family, including the former bowling alley and the vacant Newberry’s site, but must comply with specific standards because those taking are being funded through state and federal programs.
“Under state and federal law the takings must be mutual and there is an appeal process for up to two years to allow the current owners to contest the purchase price,” Mitchell said.
“I have the funds for that (to acquire the Romani properties), the funds to demolish that building, and the funds for (environmental) remediation if it is needed,” Mitchell said.
The Arnold Street municipal parking lot is one of the six properties the WRA is seeking to transfer into its authority, which caused several councilors to ask about how that parking facility will be managed.
“Nothing will change in the short term because the WRA is sensitive to the downtown parking needs,” Mitchell said, adding that the Off-Street Parking Commission will continue to maintain that facility.
Ward 3 Councilor Brian Hoose, who is the City Council member on the Off-Street Parking Committee and is currently the chairman of that board, said the goal of both the parking board and WRA is to “preserve parking as long as possible” which the project is being developed.
At-large Councilor Brian Sullivan said the city “has skin in the game” because of the money invested to purchase the Block Building, to demolish that block and to perform environmental remediation in the parking lot behind those properties.
The council passed the the first reading of the land transfer motion on an unanimous voice vote at it’s meeting Monday night. The council will vote on the second reading and final passage at the August 21 session.
