PETITION TO MAYOR, TOWN COUNCIL & PLANNING BOARD

We, the undersigned, all residents of Westfield, NJ, ask the Mayor, Town Council and Planning Board to reconsider the proposed plans for a new apartment complex at the corner of Prospect Street and Ferris Place.  The proposed plan calls for 64 apartments and 96 parking places on less than 1 acre of property.  This is a 90% increase in building coverage for this property.  The redevelopment agreement with the owner/developer of the property should specify a substantially downsized building—a reduced scale structure with fewer stories, fewer residential units, fewer parking places, but more open space and a setback compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. 

Downsizing of this redevelopment initiative is necessary to: 

1. Maintain the transitional aesthetic of this neighborhood.  Promote a reduction in building height and design that is more in line with the nature of the neighborhood.  The redevelopment properties are currently bounded by 1 or 2 family homes on Prospect Street and Ferris Place.  The proposed structure is higher (4+stories) and more massive than most downtown buildings.
2. Allow for a set back from the street in line with setbacks on adjoining properties. Proposed setback is 12 feet. Nearby setbacks are 20-25 feet, including the existing multi-unit Chelmsford, Westfield Terraces and Westfield Arms on Prospect Street.
3. Prevent additional traffic and congestion in an already very busy area, populated by a hectic supermarket parking lot, an office building with 9 businesses, the YMCA, the Methodist Church, the YMCA child-care program and the Wesley Hall pre-school as well as a number of nearby residential homes. The streets directly affected include Prospect Street, a main artery to downtown; Ferris Place and Clark Street-- all widely used by Westfielders from all over town.
4. Promote the safety of pedestrians and drivers who already find these streets difficult to navigate.
5. Reduce the number of cars that result from the redevelopment initiative. Street parking on Prospect Street and Ferris Place is near non-existent. All tenant and visitor parking should be provided for within the redevelopment plan.
6. Provide sufficient loading zone area for trucks and daily deliverers like Amazon, FedEx and UPS. Ferris Place is a narrow one-way street. Without ample loading zone space, such trucks will create significant additional congestion and safety concerns on both Ferris and Prospect.
7. Limit the amount of impervious land cover and therefore counteract potential flooding and storm water buildup. 

We call for all actions that would: 

1. Result in a reduced scale structure with fewer stories, fewer residential units, fewer parking places, but more open space and a setback compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.
2. Result in an environmental review of the development plans (will green roof be sufficient to compensate for the proposed drastic increase in impervious groundcover).
3. Result in a fully transparent and careful third-party review of the developer-commissioned traffic study .  This review should consider and ensure that the study:

• Was not conducted during times of reduced traffic, e.g.,COVID
• Includes traffic impact due to future development of the nearby 7-acre Lord & Taylor properties
• Was conducted after full occupancy of the commercial building at 133 Prospect Street (directly across from the proposed apartment complex)
• Reflects the history of traffic related accidents in the area