Tamaques Park Redesign: Highlights From the Newly Released Concept Plan

WESTFIELD, NJ — Tamaques Park redesign concept plans are out and Westfield’s town council got a front row view of the proposed changes during Tuesday’s council meeting. Presenters Mallory Clark and Mark Robison from Dresdner Robin, the firm the town has been working with on the redesign, spoke to the council and presented the concept. Here are the highlights:Who was consulted?Clark identified several stakeholders who were consulted during the initial phase of the design. These include athletic groups who use the park, immediate neighbors of the park, the operator of the Gumbert Park Ice Rink, the Westfield Department of Public Works and members of the Tamaques Park Redesign Steering Committee, which is governed under the town’s Recreation Commission. Clark also noted the considerable effort that went into conducting a town-wide survey regarding the park and their efforts to ensure participation. The Tamaques Park Steering Committee then worked with Dresdner Robin to distill the feedback into the framework for the concept, she said.“We looked at all this feedback, collated everything and dove into how we start to make decisions on how we determine what makes the cut,” Clark said. What are the major proposals?The concept for the park, which is available on the town’s website, outlines a series of proposed improvements, including: Protection for pedestriansMost visibly, the concept includes plans to establish physical divisions between motor traffic and bicyclists/pedestrians. Robison, who walked the council through the interactive design, described the problem being addressed.“The adjacency of folks right next to the travel lane with the vehicles, with strollers or joggers, does become a pedestrian concern,” he said, noting that a 5-foot bioswale (a channel filled with plants) would cordon off vehicular traffic. A new entry for carsRobinson also highlighted a new vehicle ingress point on Lamberts Mill Road near the exit from the Conservation Center to address complaints about difficulty accessing the park at peak use hours. “This would prevent people from having to complete the entire circuit to when they’re just dropping off their child,” he said. Other improvements Additional proposed improvements include a community garden surrounded by a deer exclusion fence, a permanent home for the Westfield skating rink, redesign of sports fields and improvements to the nature trails, which Robison said were under-utilized.“Some residents are a little hesitant to go back there,” he said, noting that residents complained of dogs being off-leash. Council FeedbackTraffic was top of mind for Councilwoman Reshma Adwar, who questioned the Dresdner Robin representatives about potential traffic issues arising from the addition of a new entry. Robinson said the traffic considerations would be addressed with a multi-pronged approach. “Speed tables, rumble strips, signage, colored crosswalks; all a number of traffic-calming measures,” were among the items up for consideration. When Councilman Todd Saunders pressed Robinson on the issue with unleashed dogs and whether any detergents had been addressed in the plan, Robinson noted a similar multi-part approach.“What we’re talking about is improve signage there, coupled with enforcement by the town,” Robison said. Saunders also asked Robison about the possibility of adding lighting to the sports fields.Robinson responded that overuse of fields was a consideration that caused the committee to steer away from anything that would exacerbate the usage. Share your thoughtsThe park’s redesign process was initiated in the second half of 2024. Analysis, stakeholder meetings and the town-wide survey occurred in 2025 and the concept has been developed in 2026. The town is now looking for feedback from residents, which can be given directly through the concept design link on the town’s website. TAPinto tested the interactive map and feedback feature. Though it requires a little dexterity with your mouse, visitors can click on various circled areas of improvement. Within each drill down is an option to “Provide Feedback” that leads to a comment submission page. Feedback will be accepted through the site until May 26, according to Clark. Before the meeting concluded, Councilman Drew Pecker sought to ensure residents that the council was taking great pains to make sure Tamaques Park served the public. “I’m a Ward 4 resident. I grew up near Tamaques. It’s near and dear to me,” he said, adding "Our goal here is to make the best park we possibly can."