Redevelopment is the Key to Our Future

Breaking ground on the West End: $30 million commercial and residential development project, "The Muse," under way.

Flanked by developers J.G. Petrucci and TD+ Partners.

Everywhere you look around Plainfield, signs of revitalization and redevelopment are evident. They are signs of a city that is evolving, changing, and growing with the potential to become something greater than it was before.

It is easy to take this redevelopment for granted, to dismiss it as something less significant than what it represents. A new structure appears on the city's horizon, and we are told that it represents change and progress, but it doesn't directly affect our lives...or so we think. But...it absolutely does, Plainfield! A new structure impacts every single family and person.

Architectural rendering of The Muse.

Redevelopment means jobs; every project brings employment to our local workforce, and it means that someone sees something positive about Plainfield and is willing to invest in what he or she sees. It means a better place to live for those taking advantage of the housing developments. It means stability, because it brings people to Plainfield, as opposed to having them leave. It means more places of business offering more choices to our local consumers. It means building something of substance that will help to shape the future of our city.

As Plainfield grows, our ability to attract new residents, potential developers, investors, and new business owners also grows. Our tax base expands, our property values rise, and we have more businesses offering more goods and services. All these things have a direct correlation to our quality of life and to the survival and success of Plainfield.

Just as the pioneers' survival in the early republic depended on their ability to quickly build and establish shared places for commerce and social activity, Plainfield, too, as an evolving city, faces a changing landscape of needs to we which must adapt, through  our diverse offerings of living spaces and business accommodations. We need to utilize our assets as far as possible to aid in this growth, hence my administration's vision and pursuit of mixed use and transit-oriented development, which will entice more urban working-  and suburban living-type residents into our community.

My administration continues to hold redevelopment high on our list as one of the most important tasks that we tackle on behalf of the Plainfield community. We continue to seek out new opportunities. We continue to find ways to woo investors. We continue to provide avenues for new businesses to open and for existing businesses to improve. At the end of the day, success is measured only by the collective quality of life of our entire community.

Make no mistake, Plainfield: we are on the move, and every investment into our city, every successful redevelopment project, every new business opened, every new resident who puts down roots, is helping to build our success and craft the future of our city.

At the end of the day, revitalizing Plainfield is not just about surviving--it is about overcoming, succeeding, and building a sustainable legacy for the future of our children, and our children's children. This is the vision we see: a revitalized Plainfield, inclusive of all.

It is crucial to keep this in our minds as we continue to unite and rise as a community, and as a family.  

Mayor Adrian O. Mapp

City of Plainfield