Downtown Wins National Accolades for Restoration

Downtown Westfield was accredited for the 17th year in a row as a National Main Street community, state officials announced Monday.

State Community Affairs Commissioner Lori Grifa announced that Westfield, along with 13 other New Jersey communities, had received the designation from the National Trust Main Street Center. The accreditation comes after Westfield was judged by the national trust and state main street officials for meeting the criteria set forth for the designation.

"Every year they evaluate our performance from the prior year," said Downtown Westfield Corporation Executive Director Sherry Cronin, who oversees the downtown business district.

Cronin said the National Trust Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, looks at several criteria in making the designation. The criteria includes broad based community support for the downtown program, public and private sector support for the downtown, a downtown agency vision and mission statement, a comprehensive work plan for the downtown agency, a historic preservation plan for the downtown, an active board and committee system for the downtown agency, an adequate operating budget, an employed program manager for the downtown agency, an on-going training program for downtown staff and volunteers, the amount of volunteer hours spent on downtown business and meeting the criteria set forward by the New Jersey Main Street Program. The state program includes quarterly reports on downtown activities, along with statistics related to job growth, public/private investment and job loss.

"It says we have high standards," Cronin said of receiving the designation, which the town has received every year since the DWC was founded in 1993.

New Jersey's amount of nationally recognized main streets has declined since 2009. This year 14 towns were honored while 26 received the designation last year. Joining Westfield on the list are Boonton, Bridgeton, Hammonton, Highland Park, Lawrenceville, Millville, Montclair, Newton, Salem, Somerville, South Orange, Vineland and West Orange.

Cronin said the company and amount of towns to receive the designation statewide is a boon to Westfield.

"Fourteen out of 566 says something," Cronin said, referencing the number of municipalities in New Jersey. "We have a successful vibrant downtown. We have more vacancies but we are considered a vibrant place to do business, dine and shop. We are doing well."

Cronin said the designation is a public relations boon to the community, along with possibly opening up Westfield to more grants for downtown beautification and related programs. She said Westfield is hindered though with grants due to the town being one of the more mature downtown programs in New Jersey and a wealthier community. Cronin did say the DWC has received various grants and loans throughutt the years for downtown projects.

Outside of the grant issue, Cronin said the dual classification as a special improvement district and a main street program is a benefit to the community long term.

"Being a SID and a designated main street gives us the best of both worlds," she said. "The SID gives us funds and the main street program gives us a designation other towns don't have."