Westfield council hears update on 20-year comprehensive plan and housing trends

The City of Westfield Common Council received a presentation on the city’s comprehensive plan update and baseline analysis from Cynthia Bowen, a partner at Rundell, Ernstberger & Associates (REA).

Bowen told the council REA’s comprehensive-plan process will span seven phases over roughly 18 months and will pair a baseline data assessment with public engagement, steering committees and targeted focus groups. She said the plan’s purpose is to provide a 20-year framework for the type, location and timing of future development and the implementation steps city officials and partners must take.

Bowen said Westfield has experienced sustained, above‑regional growth in recent decades and that the city’s housing stock is dominated by single‑family and townhouse development. She described the city’s housing mix as roughly 85% single‑family/townhouse, 13% “missing middle” product (duplexes, triplexes, small multifamily) and 2% apartment units or mobile homes, using 2023 snapshot data. Bowen said 65% of housing units were built in the last 25 years and only about 7% are more than 50 years old.

The consultant also presented home‑price indicators. She said the 2024 average sales price was presented as $463,000 and that the 2023 median home value was reported as $365,700; Bowen noted a sizeable share of owner households pay more than 30% of gross income on housing. She said about one‑third of renters were cost burdened (paying more than 30% of income) but that metric has improved since 2010.

Councilors pressed for more detail on the plan’s next steps and on specific policy tradeoffs. Councilor Dyer asked whether housing-unit counts shown on the presentation reflected built units (Bowen replied they were built, through 2023). Several members asked whether the consultant will quantify public‑service costs by housing type; Bowen said REA will evaluate the impacts of residential and nonresidential development on services (police, fire, schools) and will return with those findings. Bowen said missing‑middle product (cottage courts, duplexes, small apartments) is one lever to increase attainability for young professionals.

Council discussion broadened into regional comparisons, school‑age population trends and short‑term rental pressure. Bowen said REA will include implementation frameworks (transportation, economic development, housing, future land use) and noted the project’s first public engagement event at the Winners Farmers Market on Feb. 8.

Why it matters: the comprehensive plan will guide zoning, infrastructure investment and development review and inform whether the city targets more multifamily or missing‑middle housing to improve housing attainability and service efficiency.

The planning team said staff and the consultant will return to the council as study milestones are reached and when draft policies and implementation timelines are available.

Ending: The council did not take formal action on the plan during the meeting; REA will continue the baseline analysis, convene the steering committee and carry out scheduled public engagement events.