Westfield Town Council To Meet; Historic Preservation On Agenda

WESTFIELD, NJ — The Westfield Town Council will hold its next regular meeting Tuesday at 8 p.m. Residents can watch the meeting live on the internet or participate via Zoom.

Among key issues on the agenda, the council will vote to revise the original ordinance that established the nine-member Historic Preservation Commission, which designates and oversees historic districts and landmarks.

Many have been concerned about the demolition or renovation of certain older and historic structures in town.

"In establishing and maintaining its survey of historic landmarks," says the ordinance (which is 33 pages long), "the commission shall be guided by the National Register of Historic Places Criteria of Eligibility and the criteria set forth in this ordinance. The commission shall consider for designation districts and landmarks that have integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and association, and that meet [listed] criteria..."

The ordinance lists 13 landmarks in Westfield to be so designated. To read about them, click here.

The ordinance was introduced by vote at the June 9 meeting, and is up for a final vote this week.

To read more background about the commission, click here.

Also on the agenda for Tuesday night:

• The introduction of a resolution to create the Westfield Mental Health Council.
• Ordinances related to development, and a redevelopment zone
• Resolutions to apply for federal grants for improvements to roads.

For more specifics and other matters to be discussed, see the agenda here.

If you plan to speak during the open discussion by citizens portion of the meeting, you must connect to the webinar via Zoom. Otherwise, you can view a live stream of the meeting on Facebook Live.

If you are an existing Zoom user, you can connect using the following link: http://www.bit.ly/WestfieldTownCouncilMeeting
If you are new to Zoom:

1. Go to Zoom.com
2. Click “Join a Meeting”
3. When promptedMeeting ID: 753-829-581

Telephone (for higher quality audio): 470-381-2552 or 646-518-9805

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