WESTFIELD—While city officials continue to wait on what will become of the space where Romani’s Bowling Alley once stood, those visiting downtown can at least park there after the building was officially demolished.
The site has been open for parking since last week, which City Advancement Officer Joe Mitchell said occurred ahead of schedule. The former building on Church Street was just recently demolished, as part of the revitalization efforts in downtown.
Mitchell said that the project was under budget, though additional work required the project be funded through contingency funds by the Westfield Redevelopment Authority (WRA). The additional work needed was for the removal of asbestos and the removal of an unknown underground oil tank at the site.
The location on Church Street where parking is now available
The contingency, according to Mitchell, was allocated at 10 percent of the roughly $138,000 budget. Of that contingency, “about $6,000 to $7,000” was utilized.
Mitchell said that now that the demolition is complete, the city is continuing to research potential development ideas for the site. This includes meeting with regional developers and looking at who tenants could be.
“Essentially, we were gathering background data to write a smart ‘request for proposal’,” Mitchell said.
Regarding parking at the now-vacant lot, Mitchell said it will be free until the WRA, along with the city’s Off-Street Parking Commission and the Law Department, develop an agreement for the lot to formally “become part of the city parking landscape downtown.”
