Editor,
Pulte, the country’s largest home builder known in Westfield for backing homes with lookalike ordinary faces to the street, has proposed a 731-acre project surrounding Wood Wind golf course and running south to 146th Street.
The plan proposes over 1,000 single family homes, nearly 500 apartments and a small retail district. The Comprehensive Plan for that area include “The key for this (Southwest New Suburban) area will be land use transitions and buffers that accommodate suburban development in such a way that negative land use impacts on existing and stable rural uses are mitigated so as not to negatively affect the quality of life of long term rural residents” (page 39 Comp Plan). The Pulte proposal claims to provide buffers and transitions, but it is mighty scant. The only “open space” is the altered existing golf course.
The following is my statement to our Advisory Plan Commission Sept. 6. Some 50 citizens spoke for two hours with six favoring the project. I was one of three that summarized:
“Pulte does not have respect for our Comprehensive Plan – but you must. They obviously do not care about the vision that so many of us worked on. This project is not remotely related to the Comp Plan as conceived.
There is a major movement (in Westfield), including our leadership, to limit population in a measured way. I was insulted by this proposal after spending many, many hours along with hundreds of voting citizens to establish our Comprehensive Plan that you (the APC), the council and the Council Ordinance Committee have kept up to date in full view.
To me this Comp Plan is a lot like the U.S. Constitution – there are ways to work around it but bear in mind that it was and has been taken as a commitment by and for our present and future citizens and by our leaders. If this change is to be as radical as this proposal, it must go to the entire community as it was when created.
I conferred with Joe Plankis for an hour on (Sept. 3). Joe was chair of the entire Comp Plan organization for two years. He led long meetings for hours, often twice or more a week to assure that every one of us had our ideas heard. Joe is convinced that our Comp Plan expresses the vision – heart if you will – of the people. He confirmed that my memory and reading of the plan allows almost none of this proposal for it must be consistent with the existing (custom) residential already in the area and included only one small commercial corner — such is already approved elsewhere on 146th. It allows no apartments.
You and the city should know by now that Pulte presenters are trained and practiced persuaders. Their heart is not in Westfield. But Westfield/Washington’s heart is for a vision that you are responsible for. If you betray by recommending approval to save this golf course that should save itself like any business, you are throwing away a most valuable part of the citizens’ vision for Westfield.”
Response to the public hearing and voting will be at a later meeting.
Mic Mead
Westfield