WESTFIELD —A new early-childhood- education center is slated for construction in connection with the Westfield Crossing redevelopment project, a mixed-use residential complex which currently is nearing completion on South Avenue.
The project, once complete, will consist of 156 residential units and 17,000 square feet of street-level commercial space. On Monday, during a regular meeting of the Westfield Planning Board, Apple Montessori Schools, LLC., presented an application to build a 12,000-square-foot daycare and early childhood- education center on the premises. The center, representatives for the applicant said, will operate out of both sides of the redevelopment complex and will occupy approximately 8,500 square feet of space in the eastern- most building and 3,500 square feet in the other. The project also will include an outdoor play area with a small, seasonally-operational pool and splash-pad area that will be used as part of the center’s summer-enrichment programs.
The Westfield Crossing Redevelopment Agreement, reached on March 9, 2021, already includes childcare centers as an acceptable usage for the commercial space, the applicant’s legal counsel, John Wyciskala, said, adding that the proposed daycare would be able to accommodate up to 167 children and 28 staff members during normal operating hours.
According to information provided by representatives from Apple Montessori, the center will host educational and recreational opportunities for children ranging from 6 weeks old to 12 years, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Parents will be able to utilize a large circular driveway that has already been installed between the two buildings to drop off and pick up their children, Mr. Wyciskala said, adding that the space will be able to accommodate up to eight vehicles at a time.
“There is enough space in the driveway that people will be able to pull out of the queue without having to wait for the cars in front of them to finish loading or unloading,” he said. “It should help to minimize congestion at the site.”
Several residents and members of the planning board expressed concerns related to traffic buildup along South Avenue, especially during peak commuting hours.
“We’ve had problems with this type of thing before,” resident Jennifer Jaruzelski said, referencing a preschool entrance on South Euclid Avenue that tends to generate heavy traffic during pick-up and drop-off times. “You end up with cars stacked up in both directions waiting to get in and people end up double parking all over the place.”
Board member Anastasia Harrison questioned the outdoor play space, adding that while the center will “certainly address an area of need” within the community, the board had initially hoped for something more akin to an “open public green space” for the building’s tenants and visitors.
“I know that we listed this as a permissible use back in 2021, but this isn’t really what we were envisioning,” she said. “Still, I know childcare is a major problem around here and this is a good application.”
The board ultimately voted to approve the project on the condition that Apple Montessori agree to a post occupancy review after about six months of operation to ensure that parking challenges and traffic issues are not causing problems at the site.
