Westfield's Smart Growth Plan

An emphasis on smart growth in communities means focusing on long-term plans over short-term focus, with particular attention paid to walkability and bicycling, mixed use development, creating a sense of place, and expanding the range of transportation, employment, and housing choices. The Town of Westfield is charting a vision for its future that embraces smart growth and innovation, improves the downtown business climate, and effectively manages redevelopment.

The details about this planning effort -- including initiatives in the Master Plan, transportation, recreation, historic preservation, redevelopment, and Town ordinances to spur economic improvement -- can be found in the Building Westfield's Future content area of our site. 

The Town Vision, Guiding Principles, and Goals and Objectives document, adopted in April 2020, serves as a guide to land use policy in the Town of Westfield and replace the Goals and Objectives Section of the 2002 Master Plan as amended in 2009. 

Town Vision

The Town of Westfield, celebrating its 300th anniversary in 2020, is a vibrant community with a small-town feel, which is inclusive of all residents, supports new and established businesses, and encourages quality and sustainable development. Westfield is a place where residents of all ages, incomes, cultures and creeds are welcome in the community and have the opportunity to thrive.

Westfield will be a model of carefully managed development, providing a range of housing options for all current and prospective residents within walking distance to the downtown, maintain high-quality stable single-family neighborhoods and abundant recreational and cultural opportunities.

Downtown Westfield serves as the heartbeat of the community’s commercial and social activities. It continues to be envisioned as pedestrian-oriented and mixed-use center; it will offer a variety of housing choices, retail environments, and traditional and non-traditional office employment opportunities. New development will preserve and celebrate the Town's history and architecture and provide housing and destinations for shopping and services, all within an environment of tree-lined streets, pedestrian parks, and plazas. Westfield cherishes its heritage, while taking full advantage of new technologies and innovations. A visually enhanced streetscape with wide sidewalks, pedestrian and bike facilities will provide safe connectivity throughout downtown, on North and South Avenue, and provide linkages to its neighborhoods.

Convenient public and alternative forms of transportation will exist and the Town will strive to be a model for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in its policies. 

Guiding Principles

Master Plan Guiding Principles