Join Westfield Forum Thursday About Development, Lord & Taylor

WESTFIELD, NJ — Executives from Hudson's Bay Company, which owns the Lord & Taylor property on North Avenue, along with Streetworks Development, gave a presentation at the Nov. 10 Westfield Town Council meeting about future development on their site. Now Streetworks and town officials will host a virtual Facebook Live forum this Thursday to discuss the future of the site, downtown, and "about smart development in a post-COVID environment."

The town will accept questions in advance of the noon presentation (see this link to submit).

The Facebook Live will include Town Planner Don Sammet, as well as Phil Abramson from the town's redevelopment firm, Topology, and Richard Heapes from Streetworks Development.

Hudson’s Bay Company, a firm that dates back to the 1600s, acquired Streetworks Development last year "to reimagine their real estate holdings in anticipation of the changes in the retail sector," the town has noted. "Streetworks Development is an internationally-recognized development and planning firm with a high-profile portfolio of success that includes the transformation of a variety of downtowns, both large and small, including West Hartford, CT; Bethesda, MD; San Jose, CA; and downtown Detroit. "

This Thursday's panel discussion, according to the town, "will address how other communities have handled notable inflection points and transformations, the power of community input, and the potential impact of COVID on Westfield’s future as we analyze how to best position the town for success."

You can submit questions in advance using that link, or on Facebook during the discussion.

Lord & Taylor will eventually close all 38 of its stores after its parent company Le Tote Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Aug. 2. The store in Westfield began its store closing sale in August. (Read more here.)

The town of Westfield, which has been gearing up for the possibility of store closings after the stores were sold to the parent company last year, has been in talks to redevelop the location on North Avenue and two adjacent parking lots. (READ MORE: Westfield Mayor Addresses Future Of Lord & Taylor Site.)

After the Nov. 10 Town Council presentation, Richard Heapes, the senior vice president for design and architecture at Streetworks, told Patch, “Streetworks Development looks forward to working with the community to explore opportunities to invigorate Downtown Westfield in support of the town’s long-term objectives. As a community-centric, grassroots developer, Streetworks Development is committed to a collaborative planning process.”

Westfield's Facebook page can be found here.

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