WESTFIELD — Eight months after its first public hearing, the Westfield Planning Board voted unanimously last week to approve a special permit for the proposed 70 Court St. apartment complex.
“Thank you very much. I appreciate it,” said Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Associates, representing applicant Forrest Devine, after the board’s Oct. 1 vote.
Devine’s proposal to convert the former Westfield Professional Center first came in front of the board in February, prompting concerns from board members and abutters about traffic and changes to the neighborhood character. Particularly controversial was the prospect of Westfield State University students living there. Abutters worried college students would make a mess of the building and the neighborhood.
