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Westfield approves use agreement with Downtown Westfield CDC for temporary parking near Park Street
Summary
The Westfield Board of Public Works and Safety approved a use agreement letting the Downtown Westfield Community Development Corporation use and improve four lots north of Park Street for temporary gravel parking and staging; the CDC will pay market rent to the property owner and the city will perform the work through Public Works at no charge.
The Westfield Board of Public Works and Safety on a unanimous voice vote approved a use agreement that allows the Downtown Westfield Community Development Corporation (DWCDC) to use and improve four lots on the north side of Park Street for temporary parking and staging.
"Yes, this is a use agreement with the DWCDC," said Lauren, Economic development staff, explaining the lease would allow the CDC to use the lots and have the city perform improvements. "This will allow improvements to include demo of those structures and then a gravel lot."
The agreement lets the CDC pay the property owner the fees the owner would have received had the two houses on the lots been leased; the transcript states that amount is about $3,500 a month. Caitlin, legal staff, said the city will not pay the property owner and that the CDC will perform or fund the work through the Department of Public Works. "The city won't be paying anything," Caitlin said. "CDC would be paying $0 but it would be performing the work through the Department of Public Works, like demoing the buildings, doing asbestos testing, and constructing a parking lot."
Board members discussed that the city will carry out demolition, testing, grading and gravel installation through John Nail's department. Officials said a full engineering design has not been completed, so the final number of parking spaces is not yet known. The agreement's term was described as matching the lease period with the private property owner and was said to run through 2028.
A motion to approve the use agreement was made, seconded and approved by a voice vote. The board chair closed discussion after members said the plan would help staging and parking needs during downtown development.
The agreement is intended to provide temporary parking relief while downtown redevelopment — including the Park and Poplar development referenced in the discussion — comes online next year. The city and DWCDC will finalize details such as final construction estimates and the exact parking layout through the Department of Public Works before work begins.
Questions about engineering, final spot counts and exact construction schedule were left for staff to resolve prior to implementation.
