To the relief of many Westfield residents, Mayor Brindle and her downtown overdevelopment partner, the international conglomerate Hudson’s Bay Company, just blinked. It appears that, more than a year after forcing an enormous, ill conceived, no-bid construction project down our collective throats, they have accepted the fact that the project is too big and economically infeasible. They don’t admit that, of course. Instead, they claim that they have “listened to” and are now responding to the concerns of the Westfield Advocates for Responsible Development, local Republican officials, and other anxious residents. Don’t believe it.
To the relief of many Westfield residents, Mayor Brindle and her downtown overdevelopment partner, the international conglomerate Hudson’s Bay Company, just blinked. It appears that, more than a year after forcing an enormous, ill conceived, no-bid construction project down our collective throats, they have accepted the fact that the project is too big and economically infeasible. They don’t admit that, of course. Instead, they claim that they have “listened to” and are now responding to the concerns of the Westfield Advocates for Responsible Development, local Republican officials, and other anxious residents. Don’t believe it.
It is far more likely that HBC listened to its lenders, financial advisors, and stockholders, who appear to realize that they will not make as much money on this no-bid monstrosity as they had hoped. Neither will the Town of Westfield, which will see its take from the allegedly “guaranteed” PILOT revenue slashed from $210 million to $157 million over 30 years. And this just a few months before residents will be asked to approve a separate $225 million bond referendum for our schools, the repayment of which HBC will not contribute one dime.
Our downtown needs some improvement, but the form of that development needs a fresh, comprehensive, and competitive new approach, particularly in the face of the town’s affordable housing requirements recently announced by the State. Westfield is obligated to allow for the construction of nearly 400 units of affordable housing over the next 10 years. How do they fit, if at all, into the Mayor’s and HBC’s revised plan? Aren’t our downtown parking lots now controlled by HBC likely a better location for such units than, let’s say, the Armory or the Elm Street field?
Graciously, the Mayor and her compliant councilmembers have given residents three whole weeks to weigh in on this dramatic change to a redevelopment plan that was years in the making. Why the rush Mayor Brindle? Perhaps to deny residents the opportunity to express their opinions on the revised project through next year’s municipal election? Westfield residents deserve more than 21 days to consider the proposed significant physical and economic changes to the downtown redevelopment plan. We also deserve to hear from other developers, in a competitive process, about whether a better plan is out there. Is anyone listening?
Sam Della Fera Westfield
