We're good. Good evening everybody. Adequate notice of this meeting as required by the open public meetings act was provided through the posting, mailing and filing of the annual notice of regularly scheduled meetings of the town council on December 17th, 2024. The
notice was on that date posted on the bulletin board in the municipal building provided to the Westfield leader and the star ledger and filed with the clerk of the town of Westfield. Miss Lashi, may I have a roll call? Mayor Brindle here. Council members here. Dardia here.
Dagala here. Kefir here. Saunders here. Armentoto here. Contract here. But not really. Keely here. Please rise for the invocation which will be given by Councilman Armento and
remain standing for the salute to the flag. In this gathering of our town council, let us pause to acknowledge the rich tapestry of beliefs and backgrounds that enrich our community. May we approach our deliberations with humility,
recognizing that each of us brings unique perspectives and experiences to the table. Let us listen with open minds, speak with kindness, and act with integrity. May our efforts be guided by a spirit of cooperation and a commitment to serving the common good.
To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nationy andice for all. Any comments from you? Should we go right? We'll do that first then. Okay. So, um, we have an appointment tonight.
I think a swearing in of a new chaplain for the police department. So, I'm going to invite up Chief Balora. Right. Doing this. Yes. Oh, we have to do the resolution first. Oh, sorry. I'm sorry. You're right. We have to do this
first. May I have a motion authorizing the appointment of police chaplain? Second. So, so move by Councilman Armentoto. Second. Second. Second by Councilman Saunders. Any discussion? All in favor? Yes. Opposed? This motion is carried. Now I'll invite everybody up
here. Police Chief Adalora Chaplain GI Keith Gib Gibbons and take it from there. Good evening. When I was first appointed chief of police in 2018, I was well aware that the Westfield Police
Department needed to improve. And perhaps the area in need of greatest improvement was our relationship with the public. Having the faith, the trust and confidence of the public is essential for us to do our jobs and to fulfill our
mission. And those are all things that must be earned. They are not given. The Westfield Police Department answers over 50,000 calls for service a year. Our officers are called to deal with just about every single type of problem
imaginable, and we are expected to be experts at addressing all of them. I will be the first to tell you that there are areas in which we excel and then there are areas in which we are in clear need of improvement. The position of police
chaplain was born out of the need for us to do better at one of our most difficult jobs. Like telling the mother that her 14-year-old daughter had just been killed in a tragic accident. The need for the implementation of a police chaplain program was recognized
by the death of Terresa Defalco in 2017 and the need for our officers to communicate in a more caring and compassionate way with her mother in the days, the weeks, and the months that followed as a criminal investigation of
that incident was conducted. One of my first orders of business as chief of police was to create and implement a police chaplain program for the sole and explicit purpose of making us better at what we do. It is now the standard operating procedure of the
Westfield Police Department to maintain a police chaplain program and to utilize trained members of the local clergy as police chaplain to assist not just members of the public but also police personnel and their families in times of
need. A police chaplain must be a credentialed or commissioned licensed or ordained minister, priest, rabbi, or other recognized leader of a religious body. Be active in the local pastor or with another Westfield faith-based
community and exhibit the highest moral and spiritual standards. Together with our officers, police chaplain provide ministry, guidance, comfort, and support to persons. In short, they help us do our
very difficult job better in accordance with NJSA4A14-141 and chapter 18 article 5 section 18-37 of the code of town of Westfield. And pursuant to Westfield Police Department standard operating procedure, the position of police chaplain has been established in the
Westfield Police Department. Pursuant to such, a police chaplain shall be appointed by resolution of the town council and serve at the sole direction and discretion of the chief of police. Our first police chaplain, Deacon Keith Given, was appointed and sworn in on
February 12th, 2019, and has been by my side for the last six years. He has been a source of inspiration and strength for me and an absolute blessing to our department and this community. Chaplain Deacon Gibbons has made us better at
what we do. And tonight I am very pleased to welcome Reverend Allison Phillip, an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and the current pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Westfield to the Westfield Police Department as our newest police
chaplain. I am certain that she too will make us better at what we do. I have asked Chaplain Deacon Gibbons to say a few words about Chaplain Reverend Phillip. I will then ask that Mayor Brind Brindle ceremoniously swear her in as police chaplain and together we will
present her with a certificate of appointment, her gold shield, and her official police credentials. Thank you, J. It is said, "We make plans and God laughs." A few years ago, only weeks away from swearing in Reverend William
Williams from First United Methodist Church, God had other plans and sent Pastor Allison Phillip to shepherd their congregation. Tonight, we thank God and our families from the First United
Methodist Church for sharing their gift of Pastor Allison with our town. She is loved by her congregation. Just ask any one of them. [Applause]
Allison is an active member and valued teammate of our clergy association. Always a yes to worthy projects, social issues, our food pantry, community clergy videos in times of need, and Pastor Peace Theater to
name a few. Pastor Allison has previously served as a chaplain in several hospitals and mental health facilities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and worked in New York City for interfaith and ecumenical
nonprofits including one focused on recovery work following the tragic events of 911. Pastor Allison has undergone chapl chaplain basic training, received training in coaching and spiritual
direction, and meets the unique qualifications required of police chaplain. She follows her heart. She shares her faith with family, friends, and community. Simply put, she's a doer, and
we have plenty to do. Allison, your new blue family welcomes you and your family. We hope you enjoy us and our very personalities. In return, we will also care for you and show all professional
respect. It is my honor to present Reverend Allison Vanbuskerk Phillip to be sworn in as the newest chaplain of our fine Westfield Police Department.
Thank you. Are you girls ready? All right. So, left hand on the Bible, right hand up. First time for everything. Okay. Please repeat after me. I, Reverend Allison Vanusker Phillip
I, Reverend Alison Phip do solemnly swear domly swear that I do and will that I do and will support the Constitution support the Constitution of the United States of the United States and the Constitution the Constitution of
the State of New Jersey the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and I that I will bear true faith and allegiance and allegiance to the same to the same and to the government's establish established. The government is established in the United States in the United States and in the state of New
Jersey in the state of New Jersey under the authority of the people the authority of the people and that I will faithfully that I will faithfully impartially and justly perform andly perform all duties of the position of police chap of the
position of police chap within the Westfield Police Department within the Westfield Police Department according to the best of my abilities. according to the best of my ability and understanding. So help me God. So help me. Congratulations. good picture. Okay, I just want to
extend my thanks all you already know how amazing Allison is. Thank you for extending your gifts to our police department and to the broader community. I always tell Allison she is small but mighty and any all of you that know her
knows exactly what I mean. So, we're thrilled and welcome to the family. So, [Applause] All right. So, you are more than welcome to
[Applause] She's a mess. She's just a mess. Well, that was fun. Um, wow. She did have a big crowd, didn't she? Thank you all for
coming. Totally. Um, now we have two uh really great proclamations that we're reading tonight. Um, I is Lisa Catz, is anybody here from the combat anti- anti anti-semitism movement? Um, we did this last year and uh this is a recognition
that May is Jewish American Heritage Month. Um, it's incredibly timely considering the incredible news that Eden Alexander was released from captivity yesterday since October 7th, 2023. Um, we are thrilled for our
Tennifly community and for all New Jerseyians and for the people of Israel for the uh for the return of this uh American um the last American living hostage. But we also aren't celebrating yet because there are more that need to
be returned. But um it's very timely that we're issuing this proclamation tonight in light of yesterday's news. So whereas since their arrival on American shores as early as the 16th century, Jewish immigrants and their descendants have played a vital role in shaping the
United States, contributing to the nation's creation, growth, freedom, prosperity, and enduring strength. And whereas the biblical and historical journey of the Jewish people and the enduring values of the Jewish faith have served as powerful sources of inspiration for the founding principles
of the United States, the civil rights movement, America's leadership in advancing global freedom, and the nation's ongoing pursuit of justice and equality. And whereas Jewish Americans have made profound and lasting contributions to every aspect of
American life, including the arts, sciences, business, law, education, public service, entertainment, and culinary traditions, enriching the cultural fabric of our nation, and helping define what it means to be American. And whereas for over four
decades, presidents of the United States have formally recognized the invaluable contributions of Jewish Americans to our country. And since 2006, the month of May has been officially designated as Jewish American Heritage Month through presidential proclamation and bipartisan
congressional support. Now, therefore, I, Mayor Shelley Brindle, on behalf of the town council, do hereby declare and proclaim May 2025 to be Jewish American Heritage Month in the town of Westfield. and I call upon all residents to join in celebrating the remarkable history,
heritage, and contributions of the Jewish to our town and our nation. So thrilled to enter that into the public record. Um and then we have another one and I'm thrilled to invite Councilman Mike Armentoto. Um it is um mental health awareness month and if any of you
have seen the green ribbons uh out front and around town. Um that is really um as part our mental health council has been working hard in collaboration with a lot of other communities um in Union County and beyond to come up with a uh a
broadreaching plan to for mental health awareness month. So Mike is being a not only a a physician but a a very active member of our board of health. Uh is graciously representing the mental health council. He's the liazison to
them. Um and he wore his green and everything which I should have done. So do you want to come up there Mike? Come up there. Make it make it official. Um And in addition to Councilman Armentoto, I did want to acknowledge um Roseanne
Peasy, uh Dr. Lauren Kaplan, and Amy Lewis from health department and was Jeffrey over there who works a little bit behind the scenes on this. So we'll do this and then if you have anything to say, how's that sound work? Okay. Whereas mental health is essential to everyone's overall health and
well-being. And whereas mental illnesses are real and prevalent in our country and half of us will have a mental health diagnosis at some point in our lives. And whereas all Americans experience times of difficulty and stress in their lives and should feel comfortable and
seeking help and support to manage these times. And whereas prevention, early identification, and early intervention have proven to be effective strategies in reducing the burden of mental illness, just as they are in addressing other chronic health conditions. And whereas there's a strong body of
research that identifies behavioral health risks and support specific tools that all Americans can use to protect their health and well-being. And whereas jails and prisons have often become the default places of custodial care for even non-violent people with serious
mental illnesses. And whereas each business, school, government agency, health care provider, organization, and citizen has a responsibility to promote mental health and well-being for all. And whereas the town of Westfield as a stigmaf-free community, thanks to our
mental health council, aims to eradicate the stigma associated with mental illness and substance use disorders and is dedicated to raising awareness of these illnesses by creating an environment where affected individuals are supported in their efforts to achieve wellness and recovery. And
whereas the town of Westfield supports the collaboration of the Cross Town Mental Health Coalition, representing 10 towns and several nonprofit organizations and their initiative to paint our towns green as a means of eliminating mental health stigma and advocating for individuals affected by
mental health illness. Now therefore, be it resolved that I, Michelle, Mayor Brindle, on behalf of the members of the town council, do hereby proclaim the month of May 2025 as mental health awareness month in the town of Westfield, and stand united to reduce
the stigma of mental health by recommitting our community to increase awareness and understanding of mental health, the steps our citizens can take to protect their mental health, and the need for appropriate and accessible services for all people with mental illnesses. So, thank you all. Thank you,
Councilman Armentoto. I have a couple words. Thank you very much, Mayor. I just would like to say a couple words. Uh the mayor did mention some of the committee members or the council members. I just like to list the other me the all the members. Uh the members of the Westfield Mental House
Council include Terresa Brown, Carolyn Angel, Ronic Kadakia, Dr. Lauren Capan Sagal, James Catalano, Dryden Watner, Allison Maral, Rachel Christensen, Fzone Balzone, and Roseanne Dzy Pagano, who's
the chair of the council. Um, Rosanne uh sends her appreciation for this. She was unable to attend that she's actually treating patients tonight. Uh, the goal of the mental health council is to raise, as the mayor said, raise awareness of mental health issues and reduce the stigmata of mental health.
And one of the ways cake, compassion, acceptance, kindness, and empathy. My shirt, the cake, the mental health council last year. Liz gave me my shirt when I joined the uh town council. And as the mayor said, you'll see ribbons around the town
and there's also banners by the circle and the the mental health council will be holding events during the year. They'll be having a book uh discussion and you can find those events on the uh website, the community website. So, it's a very important council. Mental health
is real important and we're really working to try to reduce the stigmata and try to get people as much help as they they need. It's very important these times. Thank you. Thank you.
[Applause] Okay. So, this meeting is adjourned. Okay. We're just getting started, right? Um uh nothing from you, right, Jim? No. Okay. I think we are um moving on. um is
oh I've got a few comments and then we're going to go on to presentation. Um just a few comments before we lead into tonight's legislative agenda. I just remind everybody that um public comment is accepted in person only and we're live streaming on YouTube and as always
there'll be replays on Facebook and TV36. Um I did want one uh comment of remembrance. Um, as many of you may have heard, longtime Westfield resident Tony Laaporta passed away on April 19th, and I did want to take a moment just to
recognize his contributions to the town um, and honor him as a incredible public servant and volunteer. Tony served on this town council for two years in 93 and 94 and afterwards on the planning board. He was an enthusiastic and committed volunteer to many community
causes, most notably the Rotary Club on Westfield of Westfield where he was a a fixture where he was on the board of directors for several years and serve both as club president and chairman of the foundation board. I said please join me in extending condolences to his wife Stephanie and his children Zachary and
Valerie. On to other just events. I want to um remind everybody that we have a Memorial Day parade coming on Monday, May 26th. Um it is a beloved Westfield tradition that is led by the Martin Wahberg American Legion Post 3 to honor those
who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. And the town as usual is assisting the Legion by collecting uh parade participant information on our website. So if you are interested in marching the parade, everybody is welcome. just please register and you can find full details of the today's
event. I also want to remind everybody about a very important primary election. It's happening on Tuesday, June 10th. Um both for governor and down ballot candidates. It's uh one of the most competitive Democratic I mean Democratic and Republican primaries I think we've
had in decades. So please registered voters can participate in three ways. You can vote by mail, in-person early voting, and in person on primary election day. Um, I do want to remind everybody if you are not currently, if you are an unaffiliated voter of when not declared a party, you can actually
go to the polls on primary day and declare a party affiliation and vote in the primary. Um, the dead and there's still not too late if you can register to vote by May 20th. Um, and June 3rd is a deadline to apply for a vote by mail ballot. Um, I do want to alert everybody
if you haven't been watching the news. Um, there's a lot of unfortunate transportation calamities that are happening across our state. Uh, hoping that one doesn't happen, but there is a potential New Jerseys transit strike coming on Friday. Um, please, they've
been sending out a lot of alerts. Um, major certain could be, God bless you, could be potential major service disruptions. Um and it will could result in the complete suspension of New Jersey Transit Rail service which of course will then have impacts on buses and
roads and everything else. So um God bless you. Uh so please just say follow New Jersey Transit take be mindful even if you're not a commuter. It's going to affect the roadways um buses and so forth. So if you can work from home please do so. Um there's very they are
adding very limited bus capacity to existing New York routes. Um uh but you can go to new jerseytransit.com for full details. But um let's just hope it doesn't come to that. But be prepared. It's Friday is the day it would begin. Um in terms of tonight's agenda, we have
a very busy agenda tonight evening. Probably one of the busiest we've had in a long time. And I just want to give a few highlights. Um, from public safety, we're voting on an uh on a resolution authorizing the extension of our crossing guard management services for
the seventh year with ACMS, which continues to be a very successful partnership. Um, we also vote on a resolution authorizing award of contract for replacement mobile light towers for the police department. Uh in code review, we have a resolution,
a very important resolution endorsing the fourth round housing element and fair share plan which has this uh has the full support of our affordable housing committee and then uh of course of course of all the council members here. The plan was unanimously adopted
by the planning board at their May 5th meeting and subsequently submitted to the state as part of the compliance timeline. I told and mentioned in conference session although it wasn't a contest at least I didn't know I was told that we were the second in the state to submit four hours behind South
Orange. So um but it's pretty amazing that we were uh all props to our subcommittee and quite frankly to our professionals administration for guiding this process um so cleanly and professionally. Um, and it is really uh
once again a reminder that our approach in fulfilling our affordable housing obligations is to protect the town and to pree preempt any other future development. They might not comply with what we consider a smart growth strategy that we have so diligently pursued. Um,
and the fact that we are able to drive the outcome in many of these sites is something we could not have done without the affordable housing process. So many thanks to my colleagues here, to the planning board, and to our professionals uh for this. And then from finance, Councilman Hapgood's going to have a
very busy evening this evening. Um we're going to hear ordinate ordinance on second reading to set the salary steps for 24 to 28 as part of implementing the new PBA collective bargaining agreement. Um we're voting on two resolutions for retroactive payments as part of that
bargaining agree agreement. Um, we're also voting on a special bond ordinance authorizing the purchase of a new fuel system at the DPW. We have a special capital ordinance on first reading authorizing $520,000 for the acquisition of parking system equipment, demolition of town owned
buildings at the the old Goodloop site and the property we acquired next to the firehouse. Um we've an uh Quimby Street improvements that we're working on a design plan for sanitary sewer uh system improvements assessment and various
improvements to public buildings. And then we have lots of good news on the revenue front. We're adopting several re resolutions to insert items of revenue in the building which in the in the budget which I'll allow Councilman Hapood to address when we get there. And lastly, we have several items related to
One Westfield Place. And I just want to provide a little context before I invite our professionals up to give a brief overview of what it is we'll be voting on tonight. As you may recall, last November, this council adopted the amended redevelopment plan for One
Westfield Place with a significant reduction of the plan scope while still delivering substantial revenue and public benefits. Tonight, the next steps get underway with the corresponding amended redevelopment agreement, pilot, and financial documents for introduction
and/or adoption. These documents have been brought before the full council tonight following the concurrence of the bipartisan finance policy committee who recently met to discuss these steps and then had the opportunity to speak directly with street works leadership and pose any questions or concerns they
might have. As always, just a reminder, resolutions are voted upon in one meeting, which will occur tonight for the amended redevelopment agreement and long-term tax exemption application, but by way of process, just so everybody's clear, ordinances are being introduced
on first reading tonight. in this case, amendments to the financial and special assessment agreements and a bond ordinance to reduce our debt authorization with public hearings to follow at the next meeting on May 27th when the final vote for adoption will occur. And this ordinance process, which
is standard, it's it's standard across municipalities. It's legislated by the state, is designed to pre present the facts upon first reading with a vote to determine if it proceeds to a public hearing. allow a few weeks for the public to digest all the information and then hold the public hearing to enable
resident input before a vote on adoption. And that's happening on May 27th. And then, as was the case with the amended RDP, tonight's documents are also amendments to the previously adopted RDA and financials. So, they're not all brand new. They're simply amendments to what has already been
adopted. and order date just reflect the updated terms and details that continue to provide the town with the robust protections. They reflect the reduced size and scope of the amended RDP which is adopted last October and a reduction in debt authorization from 57 to $45
million. This is not a relitigation of the entire project which is incidentally continues in the courts as we await the outcome of the last appeal filed by the Westfield advocates. If these documents do not pass the council, the previous agreements, financial terms, and all
amount of previously authorized debt stay in place. And just as we recently undertook the affordable housing fourth round process, many of the same principles apply to this project. Implementing a smart growth strategy in existing commercial zones to ensure the town maintains control of our
development outcomes and protects the character of our single family residential suburban community. The Lorden Taylor site, which is private property, could have ended up with many other outcomes that would not have delivered the significant public benefits that we are deriving from one Westfield Place. The redevelopment
agreement, which we are voting on tonight, allows us to preempt any less than desirable outcomes and control what is built, what the details look like, and what improvements are required on this key and strategically important piece of privately owned property. And
to provide the public with additional details, we will be hearing tonight from our redevelopment council Steve Malen and redevelopment bond council Matt Jessup. Both of who have worked on one westfield place from its inception to ensure that the town's best interests have always been preserved. Their
presentations tonight will be directed to the town council and only the elected officials will be asking the presenters questions this evening as I mentioned earlier with an opportunity for the public to weigh in during public comment and hearing at the May 27th public hearing. So with that, I'm going to
invite Steve and Matt up for the presentation this evening. Mayor, can I ask you one question? Sure. Do you want us to hold till the end to ask questions or Yeah, I would suggest if you can, I would suggest if we can hold questions till the end, we'll let Steve go through his and Matt go through his. Is that okay? So, just just to keep it flowing.
All right. Of course, it worked no problem before the meeting started. We can just look at David. Yeah. There we go. All right. Good evening, Mayor U, members of the council. I'm excited to
be in front of you um regarding the One Westfield Place project that the mayor uh set up for us. Uh on the agenda tonight that I'm going to be addressing is the resolution that is amending the redevelopment agreement and amending the public improvements construction
agreement. After I speak, Mr. Jessup will come up and speak about the ordinances dealing with the financials. So just as a table set, we have as a reminder we have three zones on this project. The west zone, the north zone, and the south zone. They remain the same. Within those zones, originally
there were eight separate components, eight separate private components. five in the west zone, one in the north, and two in the south. Redevelopment agreement that's being amended, those amendments fall into two categories. One, there's amendments to reflect the changes to the
redevelopment plan, and the second is to add enhanced protections to the municipality, which we're going to talk about. So, first with respect to the redevelopment plan, the agreements were updated to reflect the new project scope. So in the middle column uh and this is just on the west zone, the five
components that make up the west zone. In the middle column you'll see what was originally in the redevelopment agreement and on the right you'll see what is being proposed in the resolution today. It includes a reduced size uh scope of office on the Lord and Taylor adaptive reuse and the residentials are
all the same number of units um but they're shifted around to reflect the current project scope on the Zout zone. As you recall, we originally had two components made up of two separate office buildings and a total of 210,000 square foot of office. We have now reduced that to one
component and one office building and one parking garage in lie of the underground parking. So we went from eight private components to down to seven components. The redevelopment agreement just reflects that. There are no changes on the north zone. Okay. So a lot of the other
changes really deal with the public improvements and that's most of the ordinances that you're dealing with tonight uh reflect the public improvement changes. What we did first is we reordered the sequencing of the public improvements to advance the south zone public improvements. The originally
and as you have it currently there are three bond issuances scheduled uh to fund in part the public improvements. We've reduced those down to two. The developer which is obligated to fund part of those public improvements 4.7 million. We've accelerated the
obligation to pay that non-refundable deposit at the commencement of construction. So before they put a shovel in the ground, that 4.7 million has to come into the town and that will go towards uh funding those public improvements. The first bond issuance which will only happen after
satisfaction of a number of conditions precedent. The two big ones being footings and foundations for the West East residential which is the largest of the residential and going to contribute most of the pilot revenue to support the bond issuance have to be completed and
street works needs to or the development partner needs to contribute at least $18 million in hardcost equity. This is to ensure that before we issued the bonds that there's a certainty that the project's going to be completed and that pilot revenue will flow. And you'll hear from from Matt in a minute about all the
other protections we have in place. That first bond issuance is going to cover all the public improvements planned for the project with the exception of the north garage. That will come in the second bond issuance. Those public improvements must all be completed under our new schedule
by the completion of the first west zone component project. So before a certificate of occupancy is issued under the public improvements uh construction agreement, they must have completed all of their public improvements under the first bond issuance with the exception, as you see here, the note of the south
garage. That's going to take a little bit longer, but we've built in um that they must commence the south garage construction within two months of the of the bond issuance and must be completed within 18 months of commencement or within six months after the completion of their first project, whichever comes
first. Second bond issuance, which we're calling the north garage bond issuance, does not come until the conditions precedent are met for that, which include that the south garage has to be completed. We need that. We need that place replacement parking to be available in that south garage before we
sell off the south lot uh to the developer. After that is sold. There are advance there accelerated project schedules as you see on this. The most notable piece to this and protection that we've we've installed here and that the redeveloper has agreed to is the
elimination of force majour tolling. Now what that means is under every agreement there is a series of events that could constitute a force majour event which tolls the obligations of either party. In this instance there's been two lawsuits as you know that have been filed that have triggered the force
majour event which have told all of the obligations for the redeveloper in this case up until now since the inception of those lawsuits. Um, under the first amendment to the redevelopment agreement and the and the public improvement construction agreement, the redeveloper has agreed to wave the tolling of all of
those uh force majour events for those lawsuits up until uh the point of construction financing which is going to greatly accelerate the schedule for this project. In addition, we've built in for the town an option to terminate the both the
south zone and the north zone if the redeveloper does not reach the triggers under this agreement um within three years of of this. So June 30th, 2028, if they do not reach those triggers, this town has the option to terminate them from both the north and the south zone.
Um so you have that built-in protection as well. So, that is the changes to the redevelopment agreement and the public improvement construction agreement. Um, I think we want Matt first and then we'll have questions at the end. But, uh, I'll be back if you have any questions. Thank you.
All right, there we go. Uh, good evening, mayor, council members. Matt Jessup, McManaman, Scotland, and Bowman, your redevelopment bond council. Um, as you will recall, as some of the public may recall, we were here before you in October of last year, right before those redevelopment plan amendments were
approved to talk through the associated changes, sort of the ripple effect that those redevelopment plan amendment changes had on the financials to this project. Um, so a lot of what you're going to hear tonight, you I confess you have heard in October. Um but I think
it's obviously important certainly not just for your benefit but uh equally importantly the public's benefit to to go through some of those things. Um again so uh with respect to the pilot the payment in lie of tax which is the charge on the improvements right all of
the properties continue to pay land taxes conventional land taxes the pilot schedule for the project remains consistent as it was in October of last year as it was when the financial agreements were approved in 2023% of annual gross revenue for years
1 through 5 14% of annual gross revenue for years 6 through 15 and up to 15% of annual gross revenue in years 16 through 30. Um just as a reminder, annual gross revenue is exactly that. It is all of the revenues of the project or um you
know from from the project itself. So in the res residential context, that's rent, that's parking, that's pet fees, that's storage fees. I was at a meeting listening to somebody the other night make a similar presentation and they said if somebody buys a Snickers bar out of the vending machine that's revenue
and we're collecting depending on when they buy it 13 14 or 15% of that revenue. So it is gross revenue. We do not concern ourselves with operating expenses or net numbers of the developer. Our percentages are on the
gross as you heard Steve just mentioned. Um, we are still funding public improvements throughout the downtown, the town square north and the town green south, parking decks, a lot of traffic mitigation, traffic signal uh intersection improvements, environmental
remediation and um other improvements. Again, none of that has changed uh from 23 or 2024. When I think about the security for the bonds that we issue to fund those public improvements, I sort of think about it
um from two different two different phases. First, the time period where we issue the bonds to the time period where the project completes construction. That's a period of time where there is in theory risk that our debt service is out there and coming and the project
does not get completed and therefore we don't have the revenues to pay our debt service which is not an option for us right to be clear. Um so in that phase we have the special assessment that we approved in
2023 that is effectively an obligation for those developers to make payment to us for our debt service in the event that debt service is due before the project is complete and pilots are online because remember we cannot charge
a pilot until the project is complete. That's by component by phase etc. But we don't have the ability legally to charge a pilot on something that's halfbuilt. So until we get to that point, we have the special assessment that remains. It's an obligation for
them to make that payment to us so we can pay our debt service and we have a lean on the property and a tax enforcement lean in the event that they were to fail or their lender were to fail to make that payment on their behalf. um that is memorial that security feature is memorialized in the amended
and restated special assessment agreements. There are seven of them, one for each component uh which are before you on first reading tonight. The second phase is from the date that the project or any component gets to gets completed until we pay off our bonds. Right? Phase
two. And in that phase, we are using the pilot payments to make our debt service payments. Importantly and new to tonight's transaction essentially we have negotiated a minimum annual service
charge or a minimum pilot that is equal to de 100% of debt service on the town bonds. So as long as we get to construction completion of a component again go back to the revenues. If it's half full you're getting half the
projected revenues. If those revenues aren't at least equal to debt service on our bonds, they have to pay us the higher amount as a pilot in order for us to be able to pay our debt service on our bonds. And once again, similar to the special assessment, that uh
obligation is secured by a tax lean on the property. So, we've got um security from issuance to project completion and we've got security now from project completion through to the end of the debt service uh due on all of our bonds.
That minimum annual service charge uh in addition to the pilot schedule you saw earlier is memorialized in the amended and restated financial agreements which are also before you tonight. Um on first reading, uh we've reduced from three public improvement bond issues down to
two. Simplify, less costs, less debt service, more revenues to the town. And um one of the things I think Steve was hinting at uh in those conditions preceded to issuing bonds in the 2023 transaction,
we don't issue the second series of bonds until the South Office is at least 50% leased. We have now increased that up to 75% lease. So among all the other conditions preceded um you know governmental approvals um uh GMP
contract on the north parking garage. We also need at least a 75% leasing requirement of the south zone office building. And that's really done to make sure that we know the building is coming so that we know we're relying on pilots. While we have the special assessment, it's great. It's there. Uh we obviously
want to see it work the right way and see the pilots pay for it instead. Now you um have Bob Powell and Nassau Capital Adviserss as your redevelopment financial adviser. And although Bob couldn't be here tonight, um their job among other things is to
scrub the budget of the redeveloper, scrub the proform of the redeveloper. Um Bob looks at a couple things, right? We look at cost to construct the project. do we think they're in line with um current market conditions? We look at
operating expenses and we look at rents. Although we don't care about operating expenses from a pilot perspective, we obviously care about it from the perspective of um general operations. So Bob took a look at the proforma and made
certain downward adjustments to the construction costs that street works has presented via an application that uh you all have. So the west zone uh residential hard cost street works was showing $216 a square foot. Bob reduced
that down to $22 a square foot. And on the north south zone uh he which is the residential and the office he left that the same. Similarly like I said we look at the on the rental side right this does impact our pilot projections right
because again we're collecting pilots as a percentage of revenue rent being the largest one. So, starting with the west zone multifamily residential um street works model essentially showed a little over $5,100
um as average monthly rent. Bob looking at comps, you know, significant reports showing um projects all over the region, including the new parkside at the old Williams nursery, a project in Chadam and a few others. um he thought more
appropriately and more conservatively that the monthly rent, average monthly rent for those west zone multif family residential buildings should be just over $4,500 um per unit. And so the numbers we're going to go through in a minute are going to be reflective of that downward change. At the same time, um
Nassau also looked at the north zone residential and made an upward change of about 250 bucks or so in the uh monthly rent number. that will also be reflected in the in the um revenue numbers you see in a minute. And finally, um Nassau took
a look at the office rent numbers for the west zone office, effectively the reuse of the Lord and Taylor building. Street Works is hoping to get $46 a square foot. We are certainly hoping that they get $46 a square foot because again, we get a percentage of revenues.
Um but Nassau Capital adjusted that downward to $38 a square foot. um again based on their view of of where market conditions um stand with all of these. Again, the more the development success succeeds, the more we succeed because we
get a strict percentage of revenue. So, unless you're planning on moving in, we're all rooting for $5,100 a month in average rent on the west zone. But again, we've um taken a more conservative approach uh certainly with respect to uh those rents. And so,
here's how that looks. Um, you've seen this slide. This is now your third time, hence the three columns. Uh, back in 2023 when we approved this deal, in 2024 when we showed this to you in connection with the redevelopment plan amendments and now today. So, the total public
improvements has not changed from last year. It is and was downsized from 2023. Of course, the project being downsized, the total amount of revenues being downsized means that there's a corresponding reduction of public improvements that we were willing to pay
for. The north and south zone property price does not change at 11.1 million. The redeveloper contribution you heard Steve talk about earlier at 4.7 million. That's what we showed you um in October of last year as well. The bond numbers between 24 and 25
are simply rounding. Councilman Kefir, I took your comment uh with respect in our finance committee meeting. Why are these numbers so specific? We we did round a handful of things and I'll note that. So total bonds are rounded to 34.2 million. You can see the two bond issues there as opposed to the three that we used to. Um
maximum bonds authorized $45 million presuming we cancelled the 12 million which I'll talk about in a minute. Um interest rate remaining consistent debt service of $2.245 $245 million. Again, with the exception of rounding, all of those are substantially similar to
2024. Um, 32-year town revenue, using Nassau Capital's numbers, $164.5 million. Net of our debt service means over 32 years, the town is looking at $109 million in um excess pilot
revenue available to it for municipal purposes. Steve went over the funding priorities a little bit, so I'll do this very quickly, especially since this literally did has not changed from 2024 except for the rounding. Uh the first bond issue
effectively finances everything but the north parking deck and some south uh traffic improvements, but most of the improvements or at least the plan improvements are in this first bond issue. Um, again, net of the redeveloper contribution, which will get spent
first, $20.5 million together with the redeveloper contribution gets us to a little over $25 million of sources for all of our uses. Uh, second bond issue, similar. Uh, no changes here other than rounding. Land acquisition costs will still go towards that north garage and
south zone traffic improvements. So, we have a little over $19 million of improvements and we have uh a little over $19 million of uses. So, literally no real changes from uh 2024, from last year to this year. The cancellation bond
ordinance, this is new from uh I forget actually if we talked about this in 2024. Certainly, it wasn't a slide. I can promise you that uh you do have an ordinance before you, a bond ordinance before you that cancels $12 million of debt. We're doing this for a handful of reasons, right? First, as I mentioned
earlier, when we changed the project size and scope in 2024, we lost project revenues, right? We were originally showing if we go back up 210 almost $214 million of pro total
project revenue. We're now down to that about 165 down to 165 million project in project revenue. So with the reduction in uh project revenues, we want to similarly match our uh project debt
service. Um we also want to be consistent with the all of the transaction documents and the protections that we've built into the municipal budget. We are issuing general obligation bonds, right? That has been the plan from day one. The reason to do that is because the lower our debt
service is, the more in pilot revenues we receive. and your AAA rating is the best way to get the lowest possible debt service. How do we protect against that? The special assessment and now the um minimum annual service charge that's
contained within the financial agreements on top of the pilots that as you saw are uh more than sufficient. Um we don't need all of that debt. So we get to take it off our statutory net debt percentage. Now, you are nowhere
near your statuto net debt percentage, which is a great thing, but it doesn't matter, right? As I'll get to as we start to talk about the rating, rating agencies don't only care if you get to three and a half%, they care as you creep, right? And they care about what
your plan is um going forward. Your AAA bond rating just as a bond lawyer is a critically important and valuable um tool that you have as a general matter. you all talked about and you're considering several capital improvements tonight. I think at least one or more of
those are going to be adopted by bond ordinance and presumably short and or long-term financed. The ultimate cost of those projects are directly tied to what your rating is. So, we want to do everything we can to protect that AAA bond rating and we're doing that in a
handful of ways. One are the protections we talked about earlier with the special assessment and the um pilot and now the the minimum pilot equal to debt service. Two is being able to tell the rating agency that we are keeping our basically
debt to project revenues ratio the same. And remember that while the numbers look great, right? 55 million of debt service against 165 million of project costs, it's not always like that in the very beginning, right? That's the aggregate over 32 years, you know, it's
a staggering additional sum of money, but in the early years, it's thinner, right? Because debt service is what it is and revenues are lower as the project is f over the many years the project is first coming online. So, we want to be in a strong position to be able to go to the rating agencies, really S&P I think
is the only one you have, and explain to them how we have carefully um drafted a plan of finance here that does not hit or threaten to hit the municipal budget or certainly the taxpayer. Um, and we think cancelling the 12 million uh is a
critical step in in uh being able to tell that story with the with the rating agencies. We're also again not concerned about the total cost of the project relative to that uh remaining debt authorization. We do have two sources of cash. The budget has significant um
contingency and escalation. And then of course there's additional um additional room in this uh bond ordinance uh beyond all of that. So we're certainly not worried about exceeding a budget. Quite frankly, if we did, we probably don't want to do all of that work in the first
place, right? Because then we're devoting too many revenues and not probably bringing enough revenues to the municipal budget. So, this makes sure that, you know, all of those happen, all of those things happen the way um that they are supposed to. And with that, we are complete.
Thank you. Any questions from the council? have a couple question. Councilman Armentoto, um quick question in terms of that uh 20 thou June 2028, the three-year car
deadline. That's a deadline that if they don't meet it, we can the town council can stop the project. Is that right? that would allow you the option to to cancel and that would be effective by for both the south and the north because obviously the north zone which is the
small lofts project but primarily is the parking garage we wouldn't authorize you wouldn't want to authorize the bond issuance for that if we don't have the revenues coming from what they're building in the south so it would effectively be both are or nothing and in theory if uh the project ended up
just being the the west project how would that affect the pilot funds over the 32 years well The pilot revenues that are projected would be less, but it would be more much more than sufficient for the first bond issuance because the first bond issuance is entirely supported by the west. Nothing on the
south or the north. Um, a few questions and I'm excuse me, I'm not sure exactly which one it's for. Um, what is the plan for commuters during construction? I didn't hear anything about that. Can you talk to that a little bit? Sure. So, as I mentioned before, before we are selling them the south lot or they're able to
proceed, they have to have completed the south garage. So, the south garage will have been built to offset um some of the displacement of the parking of the parking on the south side. But, there's also an obligation for there to be a parking replacement management plan um
to work with the town and Jim and and his team to make sure that there is uh temporary parking during construction that is not covered by the South Garage. From my understanding, we're going to have to find temporary parking that's not currently there. I think like in the neighborhoods or the streets. Did I hear
that right from the meeting? From there's a portion of parking that's going to have to be identified at that time, but we're talking the reason it's not identified now is because we're sitting here in in May of 2025. It's projected that that's going to be the last component of this developed. That could be, you know, four or five years
from now. So, it's a different time frame and it's going to have to be something that is designed mutually between the redeveloper and the town before they're able to go forward. Um, and then net, the only thing I didn't see in the comparison was the
original plan and this amended plan. How many what is the difference exactly in the number of parking spots that are available between the original and this finally amended one? I can look that up, but that's really from the redevelopment plan um that was discussed, but I can I can look that up and get to it for you.
Okay. Um I guess my last question, and this could be an ignorant one, so I apologize, but we talk a lot about our town's AAA rating. Um and I'm just curious like the financial due diligence we did on Sachs Global. I've asked this question a few times, but I've yet to
see the financials of the partner we're going with and anything that I can see. We keep talking about a AAA rating and anything I see about Sachs is a triple I think C rating which I think is essentially like a a junk bond. So what
have we we keep talking about this AAA rating but we're partnering with someone a huge huge amount of money with a triple C rating. What type of diligence did we do during this new amended plan to actually look at their financials? Because I I didn't see anything under
this amended plan. Well, go back to 2023 when we spent many, many years in discussion with Street Works, um, which is now parent company of SAX Global, as you mentioned. Um, there was a lot of due diligence done. Your finance committee did a lot of due diligence. Now, we're under agreement with them. But the important thing to remember is
they're they're the redeveloper and our bond rating. And the reason Matt discussed it so long and and obviously he'll he'll weigh in as well, is we want to put those protections in place now to preserve that no matter what happens to this project, right? So that's why we're doing a lot of the things that we've
talked about in the redevelopment agreement with the accelerated schedule and the ability to opt out and certainly all the things that we've done already with the special assessment agreement and now the mandatory pilot payments and things that protects that AAA bond rating. But keep in mind that this they're the redeveloper right now on the west side. They own the property on the
north and south because this is a a unified project and that's how we're getting a lot of this public improvements funded. But ultimately the likelihood is that they're going to be partnering with an experienced New Jersey developer both on the west side and the residential and commercial and their other and our redevelopment agreement provides that at multiple
different stages. So on the west side before they're able to partner with somebody they have to provide us financial deliverables to satisfy us that that developer has the financial wherewithal to complete the project and and has the experience to do so in in a manner that Westfield appreciates. And then on the south and north, we have no
obligation to sell them those properties unless they hit all those condition conditions precedent. One of which is that they have to satisfy to us that they have the sufficient financing in place uh equity in place to complete the project before we sell them the land. Got it. I don't mean to paraphrase, but what I think I heard was that we did a
lot of diligence 2023 and it didn't feel like we had to do it in 2025. No. No. But we So did we do the So did we do the due dilig You said we did significant due diligence 2023, right? Did we do similar significant due diligence 2025?
The the finance committee met with the street work folks and were able to ask them all the questions and and have answers to those questions. The due diligence that was done in two 2023 did not need to be repeated because we're already under agreement with them. what we're doing here, especially under the redevelopment agreement and the public
and improvement finance uh construction agreement is adding protections for the town. So, we're already under agreement with them. Okay. You want to add I want to just sort of um share my perspective which is simply that um the
financials of Sachs Global are not relevant to the real estate development. What we have done is a significant amount of due diligence on the redevelopment project on the real estate project. That's all the numbers that you saw that you've seen in the pilot
application regarding land valuation, construction costs, operating costs, revenues, project returns, etc. All of that the team has done a complete set of due diligence on. You received a report
in 2023. you have another report in your packet from 2025 explaining all of the due diligence that went through the real estate transaction. That's what this is. Sax Global is not relevant to the real estate transaction. It's just not the way these deals are done. What is
relevant is the uh due diligence and the performance of the real estate transaction and as Steve just mentioned really importantly the partners that Street Works brings in to get this project complete. They are the land owner. They're our developer. They've
been a great partner to bring the project here, to plan it, to modify it, to bring all of the public improvements and the 100 plus million dollars of net revenue to the municipality, but at the end of the day, they're going to partner with somebody else whose equity we're going to care about and whose debt
financing we're going to care about, and we're going to vet, and we get to do it before we get to approve them. So, from my perspective, you know, Sax Global is they're just not relevant to the transaction. I have another question. You mentioned
in the beginning about um the uh pilot funds are protected in the in the new amendment. Uh they're protected. I'm just curious why when the deal was done several years ago, why wasn't that protection put in at that time, but it was now put in in this in the amendment?
So at the time there was obviously a lot more project revenue and so we did talk through that with street works. At the end of the day, we couldn't quite get there, but we were comforted by the um 200 plus million dollars of revenue and an analysis that we had run. And not to
sort of bring up old times, councilman had good, but um the significant um um sensitivity analyses that we had done to sit there and say if those residential projects are 30% occupied for 10 years, does it still produce enough revenue?
Yes. Are those projects only going to be 30% occupied for a period of 10 years? If they are, we have much bigger problems in town. Right? So, we were comfortable at the end of the day with the economics. When the project got changed in scope and the project numbers
came down, that was an opportunity to say, look, the numbers are changing. We want more assurance. And at the end of the day, we were able to build that in, which is a great ad. else. Okay. No other questions. Not yet. It's not public
comment. Um so um Okay. So, Miss Lashy, are there any advertised hearings? Yes, Mayor. We have an advertised hearing tonight for general ordinance number 202509, an ordinance to amend general ordinance number 2213 entitled ordinance
fixing the salaries of certain employees of the police, fire departments in the town of Westfield various amendments there too. Any motion to be heard on general or 20250? Please consider microphones to the hearing and address for the record. Seeing no one may close the hearing. This hearing is closed.
Councilman Hapood, please move for the adoption of this ordinance. I would like to move for the adoption of general ordinance number 2025-09, an ordinance to amend general ordinance number 2213 entitled an ordinance fixing the salaries of certain employees of the police and fire
departments in the town of Westfield and various amendments there too. May I have a second? Second. Second by councilman Armento. Any discussion? Please call the role. Council member, yes. Yes. Yes.
Yes. Saunders. Yes. Yes. Contract. Yes. Yes. Yes. Lar. Yes. We got it. Uh. Yes. And this motion is carried. May I have a motion to approve the minutes from the town council conference and regular
meetings on April 22nd, 2025. So moved. Moved by Councilman Dagodala. Second. Second. Second by Councilman Saunders. Any discussion? All in favor? Yes. opposed. This motion is carried. Now it's time for open discussion by citizens. Anyone may come up to the
microphone and speak to the council on any subject on which we have jurisdiction. Please state your name and address for the record. And please limit your comments to five minutes. Ready? Yeah. Hi Bob Saunders 97 Barchester. Question on the financials and I may have missed it. They talk
about incremental revenue to the town of 109 million over 32 years, but no one I didn't see on there what our baseline taxes would be. When I hear incremental, I view it as greater than we are getting now. Specifically, I have two time
periods of concern there. If things don't go well, they're going to cover the town's out-ofpocket cost being the bond, but the town was already collecting money from them. Is it reimbursement of those costs or reimbursement of those costs plus what the town was getting
prior? The second is the long-term area of concern. If the town did nothing and we just let them build without special privileges and this project's worth $300 million, they would probably pay about $6 million a year in taxes. over 32
years that would be $186 million in revenue versus I think you're projecting 109 million in revenue. So I'm not sure if you mean that your 109 is greater than is the 186 plus
109. And so it's not incremental revenue if you don't consider what we're collecting for doing nothing and giving up up nothing. So that's where I'm confused. So I don't see the comparison the baseline showing what we
would get if we did nothing in order to compute the incremental question clear understand I think this project could be worth 300 million we pay about 2% in tax that would be $6 million a year times 32 years I think is more
money than they're projecting that we're getting and that's without risk of renting and not renting look I pay in my building 14 15% of my possible revenue whether I collect it or not 14 15 16 of
without risk isn't a lot and I think we might collect more money doing nothing with our tax assessor coming up and telling us what we would collect on this project if we just let them use their own building and do what they want. I don't think that there's incremental
revenue and so I'm I'm unless that's built in here some but I didn't see that on the financials. Thank you. Hello, Skyler Quackenbush, 744 Tomquis Way. Uh, thank you for an excellent presentation. And to the gentleman's
remarks, I'd like to ask a simple question. Are the numbers that are discussed over a span of 32 years, are they present value dollars or just some sum without any discount? Because the
gentleman before apparently was just summing the money and maybe wasn't considering the the issue of discount or not expressing it as present value dollars. Can anyone answer that for me? So, just for the record, this is just
public comment and so not Q&A, but that's okay. I do want to remind everybody that the this is not the public hearing for this project. You're more than welcome to comment on it, but the public hearing where there will be Q&A happens on May 27th. Okay. Thank you. So, I will restate the saying, I am
confused and I wonder whether people are taking into account a correct statement of present value dollars when they're talking about revenue streams over time. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening. Denise Sherwood, 642
Hanford Place. Um, I'll just make comments because we really can't answer a question. So, um, there was on the projected budget, there was a line item that says
there's 20 million in acquisition costs for the west zone. And hopefully by next week, we'll be able to know what um that 20 million in acquisition costs, what does that represent? Also, um what does the 4.7
million for public improvements contribution to the west zone? What does that represent? Um this was a one of the concerns was um are we going to be losing affordable
units? Um the clause allows the developer to reduce the number of affordable units if the total number of multifamily units is res uh reduced thereby reducing the number of affordable units then the number of
affordable units must be replaced by an equal number of workforce housing units. And what exactly are those and will that impact our affordable housing obligation and why was that clause included in this
um amended um plan? I we just hope it wouldn't jeopardize our affordable housing commitment. And regarding affordable housing, since the project's been taking a while, um now the state wants 20% of units to be affordable. So
they only have to do 15%. So it would seem now that we're looking at an amended plan, maybe they should have 20% of the units be um affordable the way everything else is going to be um from
here on. Um there was also something that said there is a provision included that if the ground floor height exceeds 12 ft for every foot in excess of 12 feet the building height can be increased by a foot. So the building
height can really grow higher than the calculation that they're providing which was uh 55 ft. So that should probably be looked into too. And then there's still an issue that the Lord Taylor West zone east building has a five-foot rear
setback. So how does that such a minimal setback impact routine maintenance repairs and what is the impact on firefighting and the rear yard setback should be consistent with similarly size uh residential multifamily multi-story housing in the
county? Um, can the fire department and emergency service vehicles effectively utilize the center driveway loop to address fire and emergent events at the office building, particularly at the rear of the building um because it could
be a bottleneck. Um, you know, that's about it for now. So, next meeting I'll present some more things that I came across with Rich. So,
good evening. Carl Leonaci, 603 Lawrence Avenue, Westfield. Uh, our comments at this time will be to address project implementation, project risks, and community impacts of this OWP development that can and should be addressed in written comments with
Hudson's Bay Street Works LLC's for future town oversight approvals and mitigation requirements. The following comments would be applicable to any major development, design, and construction project to protect the community's best interests and town's financial stability.
regarding project oversight and compliance. Uh it seems light, I'm not even sure if it's in there to who's monitoring the redevelopment incre agreement including the financial commitments, the schedule milestones, the capital cost estimates, timing,
contingency amounts, uh design guidelines and criteria regarding approval of design development. I don't see any haven't ever a basis of design that really lays out the scope particularly for uh the public improvement projects really defining the
scope um and whether things conform with zoning uh codes and aesthetics regarding construction oversight and coordination to address specific issues um commitments for sequencing of construction activities, construction layown areas, hours of work, noise
levels, maintenance and I have a big problem with the cost estimate for the public work. It's been over two years. The numbers are exactly the same as what was in the original agreement. We those of us in the industry know that construction costs have increased by 15%
at least, maybe 20, and they continue to go up. Most people in the industry are upping their cost estimates to cover costs. You've not done that here. That means you're going to have to cut scope. There's no way. And also, your project
has moved out two years beyond. Uh, so your escalation costs have to increase. I have a big problem with what I'm seeing here. I think you're at great risk. You won't be actually buying what you think you're buying when you're down the road in construction. Uh, you should
be aware that Street Works is currently concurrently pursuing another major project to redevelop a Sachs Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. Uh California requires preparation and public review of an environmental impact report. They have done that. It's currently in review
for the public today as we speak. Um that document identifies major impacts and necessary mitigations. We haven't done that here. We really should look at something that puts it in the redevelopment agreement. Um, we have no such comprehensive document for one
Westfield Place and all the analysis including traffic analysis just published from Delman really hasn't been presented for public review. Um, it's going to take time to go through that and really understand what they've done. Um, so to the extent that this
development extends to the currently town-owned lots, we need to establish a town's owner's rep to ensure all the requisite impacts, mitigations, contingency allocations that become legally binding on the developer and the project LLC.
Seven LLC's, that's a lot to manage, especially if they sell them off to other people. Uh the current redevelopment agreement continues to be lacking in this regard for this yearslong construction activities slated uh to end in 20 the end of 2030 and not
to start until the end of 2026 if they stay on schedule. Anybody else? Uh Carrie Murphy, 502 Cotting Road. Uh, I think my first question really is, um, and it's more of I wonder if everybody
up there who voted yes for this project, if you're still confident it's going to be the success that you were telling us it was going to be way back when when it was rubber stamped through, it does seem to have changed significantly from when it was first again rubber stamped
through without uh, resident input or vote. So hopefully it's still falling in line with what you expected because I think it's not from our perspective many residents. Um
anyway, I'm up here again. I've been up here many times. I know you get tired of seeing me, but I will keep coming up. I think there's been so much going on in this town over the course of the last four plus years. Um I think it's unbelievable that we haven't had a town
hall meeting. I know that you had mentioned I had to leave the meeting that time. Um, and you had mentioned there was a town hall meeting, but I think that was a budget meeting that Linda was hosting or council councilwoman. That's not a town hall meeting in the sense of what a true town
hall meeting is. Uh, Councilman Kefir, I appreciate your calls. Um, but in the true sense of a town hall meeting, it's not a town hall meeting. I think we need to come together as a town, make it a big splash for residents, let them know it's going on like you do with
Adamsfest. We need to get into a room. People have questions. They're not being answered. We come to these meetings and ask questions and we It's not a Q&A. It's a queue. Um, and we, you know, it's just completely unreasonable. We should have been able to ask questions to these
guys since they came up and gave a, you know, their presentation, but we're not allowed to. I don't understand that. Anyway, there's so many questions we have. Anyone is anyone hearing this? I would like to see what I'm happy to initiate it. I'm happy to get involved
in planning a town hall meeting. I don't know how else to ask for this, but I think it's really important. If someone here is from TAP or the leader, maybe you guys can initiate a town hall meeting or somehow get involved. Um, anyway, there is so much information. We
still don't have the cumulative data on the traffic for all of these 12 plus overdevelopments. Um I keep hearing we'll mitigate it. I don't know how we're going to mitigate all of this traffic, but it would be lovely to hear how you guys are going to do that. Um there's questions about congestion in
town. Um the infrastructure, we're already seeing problems with our infrastructure and half of the development hasn't even started. Parking is completely unreasonable at the moment. I'm glad that you brought up the question about the parking when the construction's going on. I still don't
think that we've gotten a solid answer of what's going to happen with it. I don't think people in these parking lots know where they're going to park when this is going on. Um there's potentially school crowding. I mean, the list goes on. It's like you guys are, you know, approving these things without having
the most basic backup data to reassure the town that we can handle it and that, you know, it's not going to disrupt our lives. entirely. And also, you know, is it going to increase our taxes when potentially things don't go the way that you're planning that they're going to
go? I mean, there I heard a lot of if this happens, you'll get that. But what if it doesn't happen? Do we not get it? I I don't understand it. I feel like, you know, we're we're kind of taking on these huge projects and kind of crossing our fingers and toes and hoping that
they work. Assurance would be great. A town hall meeting would be wonderful where we could get answers to all those questions. Truly, I don't think it's an unreasonable request. Um, so anything I can do to help get it. Stop laughing. I don't know why you find this so funny. You're laughing. I find it incredibly
insulting as a taxpaying resident to have the mayor laughing. I do. If you could pull it together, that would be wonderful. Thank you. Hi, Liz Mahalland 1029 Harding Street. Want to thank all of you for all of your hard work. I know you've all been working really hard on affordable
housing as well as this project and I do appreciate all the due diligence that you all do. Um, I just wanted to answer some questions because I was sitting there and the questions from the public were asked and I was kind of wondering myself. So, I did a little research. Um,
somebody had asked about um the taxes we would take, the revenue we would take. Um, considering that Lord and Taylor currently pays taxes. I think we all know they're one of the biggest taxpayers in town. So, I did a quick little Google search and I think that they're paying roughly $500,000 a year
in taxes. So the next question was if we make $109 million I think it was over 32 years would that just be nothing and how much would that come out to? So I you know quickly just took my calculator out and did 109 million
divided by 32 years and instead of paying 500,000 I came up with the number of $3.4 4 million a year, which to me is a pretty nice uh bonus. And that's on top of, if I'm not mistaken, the $54
million in or maybe it was $38 million in public improvements. So, you know, personally, from a financial perspective, um I'm very happy with that. Uh you know, any new revenue to us, $3.4 million a year is kind of nice
personally. And um if that's on top of the public improvements, I think that's a wonderful thing. People may not like it, whatever. I was just answering that question. Also, there was a question about traffic. So, of course, I was wondering like, has there been a traffic study? Have they looked at this? So, I
quickly went on to the town website and of course, I found um some information there. And I'd just like to read some of the stuff that I found um just, you know, to clarify because obviously this came to my mind as well. And uh the question is are there traffic
improvements that will be necessary as a result of this process? And it says yes. The TIS identifies a variety of traffic improvements ranging from significant infrastructure improvements like new traffic lights to lower the cost
measures such as restriping to operational adjustments like modifications of signaling, timing at intersections. The proposed improvements include items identified during the master plan as well as other new changes resulting from the proposed project. It
goes on to say that the TIS analyzed 18 intersections in addition to the six major exit points of the proposed developments. And then it goes on to say that there was a whole host of new um traffic lights. So for example, it says
here based on the preliminary analysis, various proposed improvements have been identified. Route 28, multi-use trail, bike pedestrian between North and South Avenues, East Broad Street, Prospect, Summit Avenue, South Avenue, Ross Place,
Central Avenue, East Broad Street and North Avenue, North Avenue and Elm Street, Central Avenue, North Avenue. There is a whole host of of things that address the traffic issues. So, I just wanted to clarify that I think a lot of this can be found already on the
website. Um, and again, you know, if you're going to help lower my taxes, I'm all for it and you're going to get me improvements, go for it. I love it. Um, but, you know, I do appreciate that a lot of people may not like the development. That's just my perspective. And, uh, I do respect the people who don't like it. I just wanted to clarify
that. And thank you so much again for all the work you do. Hi, Greg. Greg Lindberg, 528 Grove Street. I want to talk about the Tomakos Park uh plans. Uh I know that the plans for Tomacos Park are still in the works and the artificial turf fields are under
consideration. I'd like to remind the council about the concerns expressed about artificial turf that were raised during the Edison field project. Uh some of you may remember uh that there were many issues uh there are many issues stemming from the materials used in
plastic fields. There are a host of chemicals including PAS, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, heavy metals um that are harmful to human health and the environment. These plastic fields also shed microplastic pollution from the day
that they're installed. The microplastics are found in every corner of the world and in plants, animals, and humans. There are concerns related to player uh players being exposed to excessively high temperatures on these fields,
particularly on sunny days. The fields act as heat islands and the plastic grass emits greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide and methane. All of which exacerbate climate change. The excessively high cost of these plastic fields is also another concern
especially with the tax increases that were approved recently uh to support board of education projects. Tonight, I'd like to remind everyone about the environmental pollution from these fields with examples right here in Westfield. Players carry these
pollutants off the field on their clothing, shoes, and skin. Rain washes the plastic and rubber pieces off the field, and the wind lofts them into the air and carries them away. Sit hulahan sheds gross amounts of
microplastics. I'll hand out photos when I'm done speaking that clearly demonstrate how the crumb rubber and plastic blades are escaping from the field into the local environment. It was easy to scoop up this pollution by the
handful. The same is true at Kaylor Stadium. The microplastics can be seen out on the sidewalk and on Raway Avenue. What's worse is what gets washed into the storm drains and go and flows out to
the Robinson's branch of the Raway River. This is the nature of the artificial turf beast. They all pollute the environment far and wide. Given all that, knowing that the existing fields in town are polluting our town, we need
to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, do we want to knowingly add more plastic fields that will pollute our environment, or do we want to preserve our remaining natural spaces? I've heard some myths and legends about certain
areas within Tomacus Park where only artificial turf can be used. I put that in quotes. Due to suspected soil contamination, does it really make sense to use more toxic chemicals to cover the
existing contamination? I would say no. The alternative is to remediate any known contamination as was done in the playground next to Lincoln School. Then natural grass fields with drainage could be built on top of the remediated area.
I hope that the design firm, the committee working on the Tomakus Park renovations, and the town council will reject any thoughts about adding more plastic grass to the town to help keep the environment clean. Thank you.
Anybody else? Okay. Um, hearing none, I close this portion of the meeting. Um, and I'm just, uh, because the public hearing is in two weeks. Um, I'm going to actually, I'm presuming Steve and Matt probably
wrote down a lot of these questions, I'm going to just ask that they save those questions and proactively address them at the public hearing. All the presentation that they presented tonight will all be on the town's website by tomorrow. Um there's also the um the
Nassau Capitol um report that Matt mentioned is also going to pop up go public. U Mr. Saunders that's going to address some of your questions about comparisons. So I'm going to ask that uh they'll go up. Please take your time. Please review all of them. Um which I
think will answer some of the questions that came up tonight. and then I'll ask these guy gentlemen to proactively address them as part of the public hearing in two weeks. Um, and the only thing I will say um, uh, really Miss Murphy and Miss Mahalland, thank you for
bringing up the website. Um, Miss Murphy, uh, every single thing that we have done on this website, on this project is on the website. Robust traffic. I would challenge anyone to find any municipality in any
redevelopment project with the robust indepth information that we have provided to the public anywhere. If you can find it anywhere, I want to know it. So, I'm sorry, public comment is closed. So, um I will just say that please every single thing that you've asked for has
been on the website. Um and uh I appreciate you traffic mitigation that Miss Mahal recited and everything. So, um, again, clearly not really wanting to hear the answers. Um, yes, just one minor point because I think it's
important as part of our team. We do have an owners rep that's engaged and Mrs. Bachi, I believe, mentioned that just to remind the council, this is the second year now. We have an owners rep that we have to our public RFP for as part of redevelopment team. And when in when the time comes, we have that in
place to do just what Mr. Paci mentioned. We need uh and they were publicly appointed in at the uh org meet for two years in a row. Two years in a row in January at the reorg meeting and again they are the our trust and verify uh you know uh partner here that make sure that all the things in the or in
the agreement not only are being met in the sequence but also is vetted beforehand and that's part of the team we have here tonight. So that's something we've had for in place now for two years. Thank you for that reminder Jim. Um okay so uh moving on to bills
and claims. Um, Councilman Hapgood, before we start with that, mayor, I just also want to make a note about um the difference between the taxes that the town receives in a conventional taxing um regime and um what happens in a
redevelopment agreement. So um the town gets 14 or 15% of the overall um taxing in a conventional arrangement but gets 95% in a pilot arrangement. So um it's all spelled out in this agreement and
more more importantly I think in conventional tax the county gets 24% of conventional taxes. Um they get 5% in pilot. So I think that's one we could all agree that we'd be happy about. When we start talking about amounts that we
receive, you can't really do that, you know, an applesto apples comparison looking at amounts that someone would pay um in taxes today because the town gets very little of it. So anyway, I'll go on to bills and claims and um we'll obviously continue the discussion on
these points at the next meeting. Um, I'd like to move bills and claims in the amount of $851,49356. May I have a second? Second. Second by Councilman Dom. Is that you? Um, all in favor? Yes. Opposed? This motion is
carried. Oh, I'm sorry, that's me. Next on the agenda, report to standing committees, you finance policy committee. Thank you again, mayor. Uh, I have 15 resolutions, 13 of which I'd like to move as a package. The first, a resolution authorizing the CFO to refund recreation
department fees. The second, resolution authorizing the CFO to draw a warrant for dog licenses for April 2025. Third, a resolution authorizing the CFO to draw a warrant to refund a street opening cash bond. Fourth, a resolution authorizing the CFO to draw a warrant
for the board of adjustment escrow monies. Fifth, a resolution authorizing the CFO to draw a warrant for unused parking permit fee. Six, a resolution authorizing the CFO to draw a warrant for overpaid taxes. Seven, a resolution authorizing the CFO to sign bi-weekly
warrants for the 2024 police PBA employee salaries retroactive to January 1st, 2024. Eight, a resolution authorizing the CFO to sign bi-weekly warrants for the 2025 police PBA employee salaries retroactive to January 1st,
2025. Nine, a resolution authorizing the change order number one for the Westfield Memorial Pool Filtration System Replacement Project. And don't worry, the pool will be open on time. All's going well there. 10, a resolution to approve a insertion of special item
of revenue the n for the national opioid settlement. And then there are three other um insertions of revenue. One to approve a special item of revenue um from the CDBG cares act um which is
going to um help offset the shade structure that we're in uh installing at the new memorial playground. 12. a resolution to approve insertion of special item of revenue for the police department's body armor. And uh 13, a
resolution to approve insertion of a special item of revenue for the recycling tonnage grant. Um it would ended up being more money that we had than we had budgeted this year. So that will go toward um covering our um recycling costs. May I have a second?
Second, by Councilman Armentoto. Any discussion? All in favor? Yes. Yes. Yes. Opposed. This motion is carried. And next, I have a resolution approving a first amendment to the redevelopment agreement with SWD Westfield 1, Urban
Renewal LLC. SWD Westfield 2, Urban Renewal LLC. SWD Westfield 3, Urban Renewal LLC. SWD Westfield 4, Urban Renewal LLC. S SWD Renewal 5 Urban
Renewal LLC, SWD Westfield 6 Renewal Urban Renewal LLC and S SWD Westfield 7 Urban Renewal LLC and a first amendment to the public improvements construction agreement with SW Westfield LLC. May I have a second?
Second. Second by Councilman. Who is that? Dardia. Oh, Dardia. Um, and just a reminder, so because there's a bunch of these things that we're doing tonight. So this is the amended RDA and the amendas amendment to the public improvement construction agreement and this is what kind of um really it
provides oversight of the entire project and our um agreement with um uh Street Works Sachs Global. Um any discussion commentary wants to go first? Sure. Go first. Okay. Uh yeah, I would just say
that uh I'm against the amended project for reasons I stated when the matter came up for us to approve it to refer to the planning board. Nothing's really changed in my mind since then. Um again, I'd like to remind everybody that the reason the original project is not going
forward is because Street Works uh did not want and could not do the deal as originally planned. They came to us for the amendment. I transparently would have pushed harder for more concessions in particular to the now the north and south um zones of the project. U I'm
fine with really what's going on Lord and Taylor lot. That's their business. Um but I'm under no illusion as to what's going to happen here at the vote. I mean I I'm going to vote no on this and I'm going to lose and it's going to get approved. And so when that happens, I think we need to shift our focus to
the other provisions here and ordinances that protect the town's interests, including reducing the amount that we need to borrow. So, um, I am a no on this particular resolution. And moving forward, I'd like to say two things that I think the town should be cognizant of.
Um, the first is whether whether it matters whe whether Sax Global's financials matter or not, I'm not sure honestly. I Matt, I take at your word and I I trust you, but I also share Todd's concerns that Triple C sounds
really bad. Um, and so I would just say it's not misinformation that Sax Global is having issues. When when their representative, their executive spoke to the finance committee, I asked him if he was having trouble paying vendors uh as reported and he confirmed they were and
that they're still not caught up. So, I don't know if it matters or not, but it's it's it's a fact. And the second thing I'll say is I'm not particularly excited about the way the amended project looks. Uh, you know, it's it's a good thing that they reduced the office space. I I I like that. That's one of
the best things about it. But they're bringing the parking space above ground now. Parking is not attractive. Okay. And it's necessary, but it's not not very nice. So the the southside is going to have a very big parking garage above ground. and the Lord and Taylor site's going to have a parking garage above
ground, albeit seems like it'll be concealed. I just point that out. So, as we move forward, Town Input hopefully can have something to say about that for the aesthetics of the project. So, um that's enough out of me. Um I just wanted my views to be known. Thanks.
Yeah. Um if you're okay. No, absolutely. C. Uh thank you. Um so, I do appreciate the fact that there were changes to the project. I think the scope and size was obviously decreased. Depends on how you look at the project in some ways. Um,
but my role here is to try and be kind of the best steward I can for both our finances and the projects that we take on. Um, trying to separate those two actually becomes easier when you can go ahead and see each piece of the ordinances and resolutions that we have.
Um, in doing so, I found a ton of information on the web. I'm sure plenty of people have scoured. There are things that I disliked. I'm in finance. We've discussed the triple C rating currently versus our AAA rating. I do question if
there's an effect or not. Um I'm being assured for the most part that there is not an effect on that. Um that because we have certain investment groups coming in to go ahead and finance this project that they're kind of like the matchmaker and everything. And that's I think
perfectly fine. Um, I do solidly believe that the Lord and Taylor site should be whatever they like to do with it. They own that site. I do think that there are benefits that the town will go ahead and get. So, I feel like I'm on a bit of a highwire that just was lowered and
certain portions of the ordinances that we'll be looking at today uh give me the net underneath. So, I do feel comfortable with the finance portions and we can go ahead and discuss that, but I will as well be a no on the current amendment to this. Thank you.
I I have similar opinion to councilman Damagallo and Kefir. One of the reasons why I was elected was uh in large part due to the resident's disdain for one Westfield Place, the lack of transparency and the poor process that occurred. Also along the way, I felt
that I've been at best had misinformation provided to me. At worst, I was lied to. First, the project cannot be changed. Well, obviously it was changed in the fall. The changes were due to the residents uh concerns and the council's concerns rather than results
of economic times. I mentioned that in November. I thought that was very misleading and disingenuous and it left me with a bad taste that I our partners were not truly honest. Uh we needed to pass the resolution in November because there was immediately because there was a t a prospective tenant that they
needed to get on board. What happened to that? There was no tenant. We didn't the financials didn't come out. The financials were going to come out right away. They just came out 10 days ago. Little disconcerning. It was the traffic study. There was supposed to be an updated 2024, end of 24 traffic study. I
was assured, not just a reassessment and looking at the previous data and extrapolating that never occurred. I did not get an answer ever to the the what was brought up previously that well the re the office space or the retail was down. This the whole project was bigger
by 16%. I don't know if that's a true statement or false statement that was never clarified. I do have concerns with the other councilmen that Sax Global continues to be in the news for their finan financial issues and uh I didn't support this project in the beginning. I
can't support this project presently. Uh a bad project a less bad project is still a bad project in my mind. However, I have a fiduciary duty to this town to make sure that uh we're responsible and take care of Westfield. So therefore, my votes for the oranges may be yes,
whereas these may be no, and these need to be passed by a simple majority. So I know they're going to pass, but I cannot sit here and say yes to something I was vehemently against. Thank you. Anybody else?
Okay. Could you I'd just like to say a couple of things. Um I I respect all of my colleagues um comments on the project, but I just wanted to um say how much I support the project. Um, and I wanted to particularly
um, you know, thank the uh, professionals working on behalf of the town for all of the efforts that they um, undertook um, to um, put additional protections in place um, for the town as we move forward with
this project. Um, it's very difficult to come up with new revenue streams. Um, I've been working on this for eight years now. um coming into town and the the best way for um our town to be able
to take on big things is to engage in the redevelopment um laws that um we can that we have here in New Jersey and the despite the fact that um Hudson's based street works now Sax Global may not be
the best um credit from a balance sheet perspective they've developed a very loudable project um that is attractive to a lot of people. And so what they're going to do now is go out and capitalize on the fact that they have a great
project and um you know take it forward with uh partners that know how to build residential development and know how to build office development. And in the meantime, we will get $4.7 million in our pockets the day that the first
shovel goes into the ground. And then we will proceed over time um you know to not only get the revenue stream that was um talked about tonight estimated now you can take a look at Nassau Capital's um report estimated to be $165 million
over 32 years and $42 million in public improvements. Um and that all happens with no risk to the residential taxpayer. So, I wholeheartedly support this project um in its current form. I think
that the things that um Councilman Kefir mentions about above ground parking are very valid and I've expressed my own concerns about that when we approve the redevelopment plan in the fall. Those things um can be addressed over time. We
will not build in this town um above ground parking that looks like above ground parking. We will wrap it in retail or other things to make sure that everything about this project is beautiful and because of the redevelopment agreement, we have all
ability and the controls in place to be able to do that. So, thank you. Yeah, Councilman, briefly, just a couple remarks. Mayor. Um, so this project has significantly changed for the better.
Um, it's a smaller scale. Um, we have heard that, uh, we have more financial protections. Thank you very much to Matt Steven. Um, the data tell a great story that ends with us fulfilling a good
chunk of our affordable housing uh, obligation. Um, it meaningfully revitalizes our downtown and the public improvements for traffic, pedestrians, and bicyclists are wonderful. So, that's why I'm supporting
this and I'm looking forward to it. While I do respect the concerns of my fellow council members, um, as I said, I'll be supporting this. Thank you. Just quick question. Yeah. was were the units that were in one
Westfield Place as a whole counted towards affordable housing? They we have that flexibility. I'll let Do you want to address that, Jim? I just want if you could that'd be great. I didn't know if you could ask Jim directly from here. I'll let Jim address if you could if you could go through that for everybody. Um yeah, the
affordable housing committee with our affordable housing council. The there are a couple projects right now that um they yet to be determined where the units will count. So there's a one must feel place project, there's the American Legion project where uh we will get credit for it, but because they have not been built yet, the question is going to
be are we going to get credit for third round unmet need, which is still important, or are we going to be able to apply them to fourth round unmet need or depending on what happens, do we actually save them for the fifth round? Uh and that's something that our affordable housing council is um uh is
aware of as well as our town planner and and we'll actually make that decision, but we're not going to lose the credit. We'll get it in some of the some some phase of one of our rounds. That's a great position to be in. It was a good segue to get. Yes. Yes, it was. Thank you very much. Uh, anybody else, Councilman? Yeah. Yep. Thank you. Um,
go ahead. Go ahead. Cal David Contract, why don't you go since I'm It is 4:48 a.m. in Tel Aviv, so I'm not going to talk very long because it's really late or really early depending on how you look at things from my perspective. But I want to just echo
Councilwoman Hadwood's support for this project. I think as Councilman Dario talked about, we have to remind ourselves why we are even on this journey to begin with. The loss of several thousand jobs downtown, a struggling downtown that didn't have solid economic footing. There's a reason
why the downtown looks different today than it did eight to 10 years ago. This project has a lot to do with it, right? You know, it fundamentally addresses the problems or the struggles of the downtown and it really demonstrative, powerful way. And it brings a lot of other benefits to the town. Uh, and as
I've talked about publicly many times, there's no perfect there's no perfect project. We have to find projects that are more good than bad. And I agree with Councilman Kefir and and Councilwoman Half Good. I'm not a huge fan of above ground parking garages, but I know we all know why there are above ground
parking garages. There's no point litigating things that can't happen. They made it really clear why underground parking garages are not feasible today. It's not financial. It's what people prefer. They like the safety of above ground than below ground. So
again, I think we we we often times bring up the same issues, but we know the answers to them and we know the reasons for them yet, but they're still they're still brought up again. And that just frustrates me because and the public does it, too. Um it's just it's it's unfortunate because we don't ever
move forward on things. So, I think this project, as I've always say, has a lot more positive than negative. We can mitigate a lot of the negative, not all of it. Uh, but I think we can do a really good job mitigating it, the the public, but I I also want to just remind everyone because we just or we are going
to vote on on uh some other capital ordinances, million dollars or so. You know, typically the town invests three million a year, which we're able to do and keep taxes in check. You can't lose sight of the incremental
excess revenues uh oh sorry the the total revenues that this project is spitting off and the incremental portion on top of that's part of that. So I don't remember the exact numbers 140 $150 million including the 42 million in public improvements. We cannot afford
that as a council. It's not going to happen. It hasn't happened in eight years and it's not going to happen in the next eight or 10 unless you want to see residents your taxes go way up. It's just it's the the the nature of municipal finance doesn't allow for it
when your biggest fixed costs go up every year because of contracts, salary, and wages. So, when you are staring at the possibility of 40 some odd million dollars of risk, basically risk-free investment in this town to achieve some
very important public improvements that we need. all of the the the traffic improvements, the North Green or Plaza, the South Green or Plaza, you know, improvements to to pathways and pedestrian, you know, sort of uh uh
walkways around town. That's not going to happen unless you have a project like this. I mean, Linda and I have, she's been on led the finance committee for eight years. I've been on it for seven. I think Councilman Kefir and Domaggala would agree that would be really challenging to do with the with the
current budget, you know, uh, you know, that we look at every year. Um, so th those are a lot of the reasons to support this and not walk away from, right? And I would just remind everybody to not support this project means the previous projects moving forward. I
think a smaller project with the extra security that has been built in the $4.7 million upfront, the the extra I think Matt called it the service charge. Um guys, that those those things go away if
this doesn't pass. I just want to remind everybody of that. This project doesn't go away, but those extra elements go away. And I think that actually puts the town in a worse position, not a better one. So, I'm fully supporting it. I wish some of the our counterparts did. I
understand why they're not. I I think it's a bummer, but uh but I understand it. Um but I I just want the public to understand and remind them of some of the the positives. Councel Saunders. Yeah. Thanks. Um um I don't want to uh duplicate a lot of
the comments that everyone else made on the day up here, but I will be voting no on this resolution. Um, and there's really two things that stick out to me personally. Um, one, we keep saying like 109 109 million is a good revenue number. And the truth is, forget if
we're comparing it to a baseline of tax or not. We got one proposal from one developer. If we had simply gotten a few different proposals from a few different developers like we do RFPs like we do for Quimby and uh the pool snack stand,
we could actually know if 109 is good. Maybe 150 would have been good. Maybe 175 would have been good. So I don't we keep saying up here that 109 is a good amount of money, but we actually no one can look me in the face and say we actually know 109 is good because we
compared it to other offers we got. we instead decided to just get no other offers and decide that 109 million is good. And I just cannot get over that fact. That's that's the first thing. Um the the second part, we keep like saying that this deal is better than the deal
before. And that just makes me uh even more worrisome about the deal in the first place. The same people that keep saying, "Well, this deal is so much better were the same ones that were voting for the previous deal." And just because the previous deal was bad and this one is slightly better doesn't mean
we have to take it. So like I I just can't look at it. Councilman Contract, I I respect your opinion. I just I disagree that the right way to look at it is we had a really bad offer and this offer is still really bad but a little bit better so we have to take it. Like that's just not how I personally look at
it. Again, I gave the example before if I offered you $100 for your house, you would probably say no. But now I heard you were talking and the residents were listening and um I'm going to offer you $150 and I'm going to pay for your property insurance. It's a better offer.
What do you think? That's how I feel like the position we're in. Unfortunately, we know how this is vote is going to go down. I echo a lot of other sentiment. I will be voting no for this resolution, but I do have a finan a fiduciary duty to vote yes to lower the
debt service. So, thank you very much. Thank anybody else. I will um I'll I just wanted to say briefly a couple things. Um obviously I'm a huge proponent of this project and have always been for
the same reasons that um I think that's a little extreme what Councilman Saunders has said about a bad project. It was never a bad project. Um I do want to remind everybody though uh I I know some folks up here said they don't really care what happens on the Lord and Taylor. I care a lot about what happens
on the Lord and Taylor lot. Um, a lot. It is a seven acres adjacent to our downtown and it's currently a white elephant sitting there with a closed Lord and Taylor. The fact that we are in a position where we can dictate what
happens on private property both in terms of what we get, what it looks like, how it's built, is incredible. And that is not something that existed six years ago. And it very well could have turned into a Dick Sporting Goods or a
Target or a Walmart. People think tra people are worried about traffic in this scenario. Just imagine. And there would have been no permission required for that. We had no say in what that could look like, what it could be. There's no opportunity to use that property to drive economic development for our
downtown. So, the notion that we could have bid or put out to RFP on anything is a little bit not quite true because you can't bid on someone else's property. And the notion that we could have bid on the South Avenue lot, which
is just a reminder, we're not giving away or selling the whole lot. We're selling 2.3 acres on the south lot and the north lot in a very defined footprint. Nobody is paying you $11 million for
that. And so the notion that we are going to get a bid on that that was they would want the whole lot. They would want a small portion of it. And the only reason we were able to do that is because of what we able to do in combining it with the Lord and Taylor
lot. I just remind everybody that. So I do think it's really important and going back to what Councilman Contract said and why we did this in the beginning and why quite frankly we began this journey eight years ago when we ran for office. I specifically was worried about all the
vacancies in our downtown major vacancies like double digit vacancies because we don't have the economic underpinning to support these businesses when times are not great. And we have been in too many boom and bust economic cycles in our downtown that you all have
seen. And I have to tell you, while our downtown is thriving right now, we are one recession away from that not being the case. But if you have people working in your downtown, living in your
downtown, and you have a diversity of an economy, you are more able to support and sustain those small business owners for the long term. And that is exactly what this is intended to do. It's why it's so important to leverage that Lord and Taylor property to help drive our
entirety of our downtown. And that and that is really why we're here. And yes, I think we all can agree are above ground garages great. No. But we are committed and I think this is where the planning board's going to be super super important. There's very prescriptive
criteria of what they're allowed to do within the RDP. And this is when our I think our fabulous planning board is going to have to weigh in and make sure it delivers on that. Um, so I appreciate I but I absolutely appreciate the concerns. I appreciate the
acknowledgement of the fiduciary responsibility. Um, and I am really grateful for our unbelievable and I think these guys can agree even if they're not supporting the project overall that we have a first class professional team working on this. Um,
I'd like to think that that's something that we can all agree on. Yes, sure. So, sorry. I agree with pretty much everything you said as far as the diversity of businesses being able to go ahead and in some cases dictate in some
cases guide what we'd like within the Lord and Taylor site. For me, it was the sheer size of what's happening. So the relationship between the two groups giving ideas, taking ideas, doing something slightly different, I think is great. I also think the team that we
have has been spot on in all of the work they've done. They've answered every question that I've had, every concern that I've had. Um, for me, I think David Contract said as well, uh, essentially the streets, the way they're taken care of, the way you work with pedestrians,
the way the traffic flow is, that can't be afforded on the budget we have. I've spent plenty of time with Linda, gone through all of this information. There's very little means to go ahead and do a big bang sort of project to take care of all those trouble spots. taking a look
at the North AB train station site, making sure that the road is directly parallel going in. I mean, these things cost a lot of money to go ahead and make the businesses work well. Uh, for me, it's the sheer size and also a statement that I didn't like the original size. I
still think it's a little bit too big, but the necessity for something like this to happen, I think is there. I can't see us going the next 15 years without significantly raising taxes to take care of some of the infrastructure items that we would have. I think it's just impossible. So
to get to that middle ground or to go ahead and figure out where we want to be, this is why we're doing this. This is why we go back and forth and have this conversation. The financial aspects I think we're going to be pretty much covered on. Um but this for us as a statement, we would honestly still just
like a little bit smaller. So thank you for that. Mayor, can I say one other? Yes. Um, listen, I I appreciate everyone's opinion. I hope everyone here like this is a good conversation happening up here. So, um, I appreciate the back and forth. Um, listen, I don't think the RFP
uh claim is extreme, but I understand your your point of view. I will say that saying that nobody is willing to spend more than $12 million on the parking lot, that is a bit on 2.3 defined area of a parking lot. Just so if if um can
if I had a developer that was willing to offer 15 or $20 million, would we be willing to entertain that? If they would not do you think they're going to come through with millions of dollars of public improvements, too? Sure. So, well, you know, I guess that's we'll agree to
Well, you said nobody. Do we How do we know? It does. It We hear your point. I think it's not really a question. It's just But you're saying definitively that nobody would get that lot for $12,000. Nobody. Maybe there'd be somebody crazy out there that would do it, but it's highly unlikely. I think I could raise
$15 million in this room like after this meeting. Oh. Oh, okay. If you're open to it, I'm glad to No, I'm actually not open to it. I'm ready to move to a vote. So, with that, um, okay, uh, please call the role. Council members,
yes. Dardio, yes. Dom, no. Keeper. No. Saunders. No. Armentoto. No. Contract. Contract. Yes. Healey. Yes. Mayor Bindle. Yes. Yes. This motion is
carried. Yes. Thumbs up. You only get one. Okay. Next. I'd like to move a resolution approving application by SWD Westfield 1, Urban Renewal LLC, SWD Westfield 2, Urban
Renewal LLC, SWD Westfield 3, Urban Renewal LLC, SWD Westfield 4, Urban Renewal LLC, SWD Westfield 5, Urban Renewal LLC, SWD Westfield 6, Urban
Renewal LLC, and SWD Westfield 7, Urban and renewal LLC submitted in connection with the project undertaken pursuant to the Lord and Taylor/train station redevelopment plan. May I have a second? Second. Second by Councilman Dardia. Any discussion?
Please call the role. Council members Hav, yes. Dardia, yes. Domcala, yes. Kefir, yes. Saunders, yes. Armentoto, yes. Contract. David, yes. Keely, yes. Mayor Brittle,
yes. Yes. This motion is carried. Getting a little punchy over there. I also have five ordinances I'd like to move for. Is there a delay? Little bit. Yes, I think so.
And a parrot. I think uh I have five ordinances I'd like to move for introduction. Starting with general ordinance number 2025-10, ordinance of the town of Westfield and the county of Union, state of New Jersey, authorizing the execution of amended and restated financial
agreements with each of SWD Westfield 1, Urban Renewal LLC, SWD Westfield 2, Urban Rene Renewal LLC, SWD Westfield 3, Urban Renewal LLC, SWD Westfield 4, Urban Renewal LLC, SWD Westfield 5,
Urban Renewal LLC, SW WD Westfield 6 ren urban renewal LLC and SW D Westfield 7 urban renewal LLC pursuant to the long-term tax exemption law and the redevelopment area bond financing law.
May I have a second? Second by Councilman Daggala. Any discussion? Please call the role. Council members, yes. Dardia, yes. Dagala, yes. Kefir, yes. Saunders, yes.
Yes. Contract. David, yes. Keely, yes. Mayor Brzle, yes. This motion is carried. Yes. I'd also like to move general ordinance number 2025-11, ordinance of the town of Westfield in the county of Union, state
of New Jersey, providing for the special assessment of the cost of certain public improvements within the Lord Taylor/ train station redevelopment area and authorizing the execution of amended and restated special assessment agreements with each of SWD Westfield 1
urban renewal LLC, SWD Westfield 2 urban renewal LLC, LC SWD Westfield 3 Urban Renewal LLC SWD Westfield 4 Urban Renewal LLC SWD Westfield 5 Urban Renewal LLC SWD Westfield 6 Urban
Renewal LLC and SWD Westfield 7 Urban Renewal LLC and further authorizing certain other actions in connection therewith. May I have a second? Second by Councilman Dardia. Any discussion? It's called Oh, that's right. Yeah,
sure. No. Um, I think the team did a great job with the, uh, special assessment agreements and the additional information that was going to be required from them. Uh, as well as the all of the protections that we have. So, just want to go ahead and put that out there. Thank you. Um, uh, please call
the role. Council members have good. Yes. Dardia, yes. Tom, yes. Kefir, yes. Saunders, yes. Armentoto, yes. contract. Yes. Keely, yes. Mayor Ble, yes. This motion
is is carried. Next is special ordinance number 2025-02, bond ordinance cancelling $12 million of an appropriation and bond and bond anticipation note authorization originally made to provide for aid to
the Lord and Taylor train station redevelopment project located in the Lord and Taylor train station redevelopment area in and by the town of Westfield in the county of Union, New Jersey. May I have a second? Second by Councilman Dmagdala. Any discussion?
Please call the role. Council member, yes. Yes. Domin, yes. Kefir, yes. Saunders, yes. Yes. Contract, yes. Yes. Mayor Riddle, yes. This motion is
carried. Next is special ordinance number 2025-03 bond ordinance to authorize the replacement of the vehicle fuel system at the department of public works yard in by and for the town of Westfield in the county of Union New Jersey to
appropriate the sum of 990 thou $990,000 to pay the cost thereof to make a down payment to authorize the issuance of bonds to finance such appropriation and to provide for the issuance of bond anticipation notes in anticipation of the issuance of such bonds. May I have a
second? Second. Seconded by Councilman Saunders. Any discussion? Please call the role. Council members Hodgen. Yes. Dardia. Yes. Dalo. Yes. Kefir. Yes. Saunders. Yes. Armentoto. Yes.
Armentoto. Yes. Yes. Contract. Yes. Healey. Yes. Mayor Bindle. Yes. This motion is carried. Last is special ordinance number 2025-04, capital ordinance of the town
of Westfield and the county of Union, New Jersey, authorizing the making of various public improvements and acquisitions in, by, and for the town, appropriating therefore the sum of $520,000, and providing that such sum um so appropriated shall be raised from
the capital improvement fund of the town. May I have a second? Second. Second by Councilman Armento. Any discussion? Please call the role. Council members Hav, yes. Dardia, yes. Dagalo, yes. Kefir, yes. Saunders, yes.
Armentoto, yes. Contract, yes. Key, yes. Mayor Ble, yes. This motion is carried. Next up, public safety transportation parking committee. Councilman Dardia. Thank you, mayor. I have two resolutions I would like to move as a package. Number one,
resolution authorizing extension of contract for crossing guard management services. Resolution number two, authorizing an award of contract for mobile light towers. May I have a second? Second by Councilman Saunders. Any
discussion? All in favor? Yes. Opposed? This motion is carried. Next up, code of view and town property. Councilman Healey. Uh, I have a total of three, but I'm going to move the first two is a package
resolution approving an amusement device license and a peddler's license and and a series of peddler's licenses. May I have a second? Second. Second by Councilman Armento. Any discussion? All in favor? Yes. Opposed? This motion is carried. And then I move a resolution to
endorse the fourth round housing element and fair share plan. Yeah, I have a second. Second. Second by Councilman Saunders. Any discussion? Mike, go ahead. I will be abstaining from this vote as
there is a location on the list for which I work for. Oh, got it. Okay. Um uh Okay. discussion. Any discussion? Here we go. Uh, I served 12 years on the town
council in the 1980s and 90s. I'm back again. I I follow the town activities pretty carefully. Tonight's meeting is the most significant town council meeting that I'm ever aware of because we're taking
on some really serious matters. Uh, and the one I'm dealing with right now is our plan to uh project for the town a zoning ordinance which
will protect every single single family zone in town. It will already which and it's already started that we we now prohibit builder remedy lawsuits in this town for the next 10 years. That means
somebody can't knock down three houses and build 25 town houses anywhere they want because we have through this plan and it's already been submitted to the state eliminated the ability of a builder's remedy uh lawsuit such as
that. Um you know why can't I take my single family home and build three families, three apartments? Why does the town have a right to take my private property and tell me what to do? The United States
Supreme Court said that was okay uh back in 1928 that a town can have a zoning ordinance that is uh effective as long as it's reasonable, as long as it's reasonable. It can't be ownorous.
In 1975, the New Jersey Supreme Court said, "Yes, zoning must be reasonable, but your zoning ordinance cannot be reasonable, enforcable, or constitutional if it excludes all forms of housing, including multifamily housing,
housing for some provisions for low and moderate income. Westfield and I was there. Uh I like to quote my colleague from the 1980s who told me that the Williams Nursery will never be sold.
Well, the Williams Nursery became the subject of a builder's remedy lawsuit. And we have intensity as a result of that. Uh that in my view, and I'm sure most people's view, it's way too intense for
that location. But it happened in the context of Mayor Scabitzky who and and uh Councilman Jim first who realized we were dead ducks in the water. We're going to have to start
our own declarator declaratory judgment action in court, try to get everybody together. And that's when a settlement was reached which included the Williams Nursery and some of the other properties and that uh Mayor Brindle
concluded that and her administration concluded that effort to uh uh resolve those Mount Laurel issues. And then the apartment buildings started going up on North Avenue and
South Avenue on the traffic circle. And this is what generated, let's call it, uh, fear. This is what generated litigation against the town of Westfield that
somehow we had mis misconstrued our zoning obligations. And they're still in litigation against us. and they're still wrong because they don't understand and they never wanted to understand our zoning obligation under the Mount Laurel
Supreme Court decision. I am very happy to say that I was given the chairpersonship to come up with a housing plan that meets our affordable housing obligations. And I commend the members of that
committee, Mike Damagala, Todd Saunders, and of course, Linda Hapkut, for digging into this and trying to understand how can we protect the the essential essence of the town, which is largely single family zones. And we are
doing that. And the affordable housing, our multif family housing will be built virtually exclusively along the railroad corridor. And of course, it includes uh the uh store which is used to be called food food town. I haven't gone there. I
don't like what's it now? Stop and shop. Yeah, stop and shop. Uh, and actually, you know, I I would have been okay with three floors on that and just all residential, but the committee massaged that and thought I think uh, Councilman
Saunders and Councilwoman Hapgood thought it would be good to have retail on the first floor and that's probably a good idea. Certainly go along with it. So, I'm very proud to say we had unanimous support for the zoning plan
and obviously the planning board has gone along with it. How rude can you be? How rude can you be, Carla? Well, let's let's stop that. Let's stop. It's all good. Okay. I I move uh I move this forward. Thank
you. Okay. Please call the role. Council member Hopkins, yes. Dardia, yes. Tom. Yes. Oh, no. Sorry. Steve, I was thrown off by the whole interaction over there.
Can you Did you get your vote at all? I abstain. I'm going to vote. I'm gonna vote yes. Thank you. Thank you, Saunders. Yes. Armentoto. Yes. Contra. Yes. Healey. Yes. Mayor B. Yes. This
motion is carried. Next is the um public works committee. Councilman Healey. It's a lot of heavy lifting you're giving me. Uh I know. I I move a resolution for a change order for a uh some construction was done on Clover
Street and France Francis Terrace. Yeah. I have a second. Second by Councilman Dardia Kefir. Oh yeah. Sorry. Little discussion. Jim. Oh, I'm sorry. Jim. Jim. Yeah. Sorry. Councilman Healey, can you just tell us how much the change order is for? I feel
like I should know that before I say yes. How much is the change order? Do we know Jim? This is Central 147,000. The project about 125. So
cost entire The entire um project uh is offset by state aid. So we don't get all the state aid originally promised, but we didn't spend it either. So great. Rock on. Go. Okay. Yes. Well, do the vote. Do the vote. Oh, okay. All in
favor? Yes. Yes. Opposed? This motion is May I May I have a motion to adjurnn? So moved. So moved. Moved by Councilman Nortez. Second by Council Kefir. Pound favor.