Westfield keeps economic development focus on Urban Renewal project and industrial park
The city of Westfield has taken a precise, multi-year approach when it comes to economic development, focusing on two main areas, urban renewal downtown and a possible industrial park on the city’s North Side. Both areas have had projects slowly cooking on the back-burner for many years and are this year’s priority for Mayor Brian P. Sullivan and his team. “We are making visible progress,” says Joseph Mitchell, advance officer for the city. The industrial park land, located on 66 acres between Turnpike Industrial and Cabot roads, was purchased by the city to expand the landfill in the late 1980s. A state moratorium on landfills squashed that project, leaving the city with a large wooded parcel that was perfect for an industrial park, but too costly for the city to develop on its own. So, it sat for two decades despite the best efforts of past administrations.