WESTFIELD — After several months of discussion and debate that spanned multiple government entities and local commissions, the Westfield Planning Board voted Monday to unanimously approve a new Historic Preservation Master Plan Element.
“The historic preservation plan element, as a part of the master plan, serves as a guide for future physical and economic growth of a community through the overall policy related to the preservation of historic and cultural resources,” the town notes via a project overview that was posted to its website. “This plan element builds upon the past efforts conducted by the Town with the overarching goal of reinforcing Westfield’s appreciation of its rich history and continuing to preserve significant irreplaceable resources that represent that rich heritage.”
Last year, the town council voted to award a $60,000 contract to H2M Architects and Engineers, the same planning group that helped the town to amend the rest of its Master Plan back in 2019, for the purposes of completing an updated survey of the town’s historic properties, districts and homes in order to better inform its local zoning laws. The project was funded in large part by a $45,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ Preserve New Jersey Historic Preservation Fund. The remaining funding, Westfield’s Town Planner Don Sammet explained Monday, came from the town itself.
“As tract housing and strip malls make more and more places look identical, it becomes more difficult for communities to keep their identities intact,” H2M planner Sanyogita Chavan said, adding that properlydesignated historic districts and neighborhoods often become centers for tourism and commerce. “That’s why historic preservation is so essential, especially in a town like Westfield.”
The Master Plan Element, which can be viewed in its entirety on the town’s website, identifies more than 300 individual properties and 12 historic districts throughout the community that could be considered eligible for local, state or national designation. As of January of this year, the plan notes, the town had one locally-designated historic district (Kimball Avenue) and 23 locallydesignated properties, all of which are under the jurisdiction of the Historic Preservation Commission. Four of these individual properties also are listed on the State and National Registers.
The Stoneleigh Park Historic District, meanwhile, has been designated as historically significant at both the state and national levels, but does not yet have local landmark status.
Some of the areas identified in the plan include the Downtown Historic District (which will be re-examined for potential national recognition over the course of the coming years); sections of Boulevard (consisting mainly of large, turn-of-the-century houses); Brightwood Park and the streets that surround it; and Tremont Avenue (which is identified in the plan as “one of the purest and bestpreserved early Colonial Revival streetscapes in Westfield”).
One neighborhood, identified in the new element as the Harding Street California Bungalow Historic District, was listed as potentially significant in the 2002 Master Plan but has since been altered beyond the point of potential designation.
“Since 2002, a majority of these houses have been altered and no longer reflect their original Missionstyle architectural features, or have been demolished. As such, the Harding Street California Bungalow Historic District no longer retains integrity; therefore, designation is no longer recommended,” the new plan element states. “The loss of this district exemplifies the importance of the preservation of Westfield’s significant historic resources and the potential consequences for properties and districts that are not under the jurisdiction of the Historic Preservation Commission.”
Ms. Chavan reiterated that local designations often “carry more weight” than state- or national-level listings in terms of being able to prevent teardowns and demolitions.
“Education is such a key component of what we hope to accomplish here in terms of awareness and visibility,” Ms. Chavan said.
Jennifer Jaruzelski, chair of the Westfield Historic Preservation Commission, thanked the planners for their efforts in preparing the document.
“Our primary objective continues to be the National Register of Historic Places for the downtown, and we look forward to moving into that phase,” Ms. Jaruzelski said.
One resident, Peter Primavera, asked the board to delay its vote in order to give local experts more time to analyze the most recent revisions to the document, but his request was denied by Board Chair Michael Ash.
To view the new Historic Preservation Master Plan Element in its entirety, visit westfieldnj.gov.
