Residents group opposing Lord & Taylor's big plans for downtown Westfield, N.J.
WESTFIELD, N.J. -- The town council is set to vote on a huge redevelopment project that will bring new apartments and office space to downtown Westfield.
But as CBS2 found out on Tuesday, a group of residents opposing the project say the plan will change the character of their town.
Westfield is known for its quaint downtown, but during the pandemic many chain stores like Lord & Taylor shut down as people starting shopping online.
The owners of Lord & Taylor want to redevelop seven acres of their own property and build new office space and apartments. They also want to buy land from the town at the train station for the project.
Mayor Shelley Brindle supports the $300 million-plus plan she says the town needs. She showed CBS2 a model of what has been proposed.
"This is actually 205 apartments, overall, 165 of them are for the 55-and-over community. A new town square, a new green, 10 new traffic intersection improvements, new parking, and so forth," Brindle said.
Brindle says no tax money will be used for the project, but opposition has been growing, including signs on many front lawns.
"The project in our opinion is too large in scale. It is being rushed through the approval process," said Frank Fusaro of the group Westfield Advocates for Responsible Development.
Residents who've formed the group opposing the plan say the project will change their town's character.
"The buildings, as proposed, are very large. They are 75 feet tall and six stories and abutting a single-family residential neighborhood, where houses are only 35 feet tall," Carla Bonacci said.
"We are not opposed to development at Lord & Taylor within reason, within the zoning laws. A 75-foot building at Lord & Taylor is not within the zoning ordinance," Fusaro said.
The opposition is also concerned about traffic problems, especially around the train station. However, the mayor says if the proposal passes, construction would happen in phases, adding it's needed for Westfield to financially survive.
"We are one of the slowest-growing towns in Union County, and, you know, a growing community is a healthy community, and you don't want to stagnate. So you have to move forward or you die," Brindle said.
The proposal would go to the planning board if the town council passes it. The group of residents say they'll be there to oppose the plan.
The mayor is asking residents to take a look at the huge model that is set up at a storefront downtown. That's where they'll also find information on the project.
