Development Services DivisionOffice of Planning & Economic DevelopmentCommitted to Building a Strong Springfield  The City of Springfield is working to Make it Happen! From newly renovated boulevards to historic downtown buildings, from new applications in technology to an emerging creative economy, from thousands of acres of green space to world class museums, from the National Basketball Hall of Fame to the halls of our excellent colleges and universities - there is much to celebrate in the diversity of our city. Scroll down for the latest department news. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:Mayor Domenic J. Sarno of the City of Springfield is pleased to announce the month of October 2010 as Springfield's Innovation Month!Check out the list of upcoming events below:October 20, 2010 - Clean Energy Connections 3rd Annual Conference and Opportunity FairLocation: MassMutual CenterEvent WebsiteOctober 27, 2010 - 2010 Springfield Developers Conference: Innovate, Grow, Create... Make it Happen!Location: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of FameEvent WebsiteDEPARTMENT HEADLINES$400,000 grant awarded to 1592 Main Street projectSecretary Greg Bialecki of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts announced a $400,000 Growth District Initiative grant towards the redevelopment of 1592 Main Street, the former Asylum nightclub. The grant was applied for by the city's economic development office and will go towards asbestos remediation and partial demolition. The announcement was made with Mayor Domenic Sarno at the corner of Fort Street and Main Street, adjacent to The Fort restaurant. For more information on the project please visit: 1592 Main Street Redevelopment Indian Motocycle and Mason Square Fire Station Press AnnouncementMayor Domenic J. Sarno today announced the preferred developer designation of American International College for the redevelopment of Indian Motocycle A, Indian Motocycle B, and Mason Square Fire Station properties. The AIC proposal outlines over $13 million in investment in rehabilitating the vacant historic properties and upgrading the existing occupied property. Read Press Announcement - Photo Gallery 1592 Main Street Redevelopment remeditionBid specs for Asbestos removal at 1592 Main Street were released on May 12, 2010 and are due back on June 10, 2010. Remediation work will proceed in mid July and be completed within 45 days. An information repository on environmental information has been established and is available for review at both the City of Springfield, Office of Planning & Economic Development and at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. For more information please visit the 1592 Main Street website. Over 100 attend ULI Riverfront Panel Discussion
Over 100 attendees from Springfield and throughout New England joined Mayor Domenic Sarno and Chief Development Officer John Judge to discuss best practices in Riverfront redevelopment at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Urban Land Institute event - sponsored by UMASS Amherst - featured guests from Lowell, MA; Manchester, NH; Providence, RI; and MassDevelopment all discussing ways in which riverfront areas have been revitalized and how those may translate to improvements in Springfield. See the coverage from WWLP Channel 22 here. This Old House magazine names Springfield "Best Old House Neighborhood"This Old House named the Forest Park Heights Historic District its 2010 Northeast Best Old House Neighborhood. The magazine noted that "Many who live here have come from pricier markets, including Northampton and Boston, seeking less costly old homes." Read all about it here. Advocate Magazine names Springfield #13 best cityThe Advocate magazine (Feb. 2010) has named Springfield the #13 best city in America for gays and lesbians. Springfield was joined on the list by other cities such as Austin, TX, Atlanta, Seattle, New Orleans, and San Diego. The entire story can be found here. Springfield featured in USA Today as Housing Market on the "Upswing"
The City of Springfield was featured in USA Today on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 as a housing market on the "Upswing". The feature article can be found here: USA Today on Springfield Springfield showcased in Best Cities list as "Biggest Gainer"The City of Springfield made the 2009 Milken Institute Best Performing Cities list, a list that measures job growth/retention and sustainability. The city was listed as the 19th biggest gainer in the entire country from 2008 to 2009. View the entire report here. Springfield on Forbes Magazine list for best cheap places to liveSpringfield was highlighted by Forbes magazine as one of just 3 New England cities to make the list of best values in living in America. The list first established the 100 cheapest metros in the country and then rated them across four quality-of-life measures: violent crime rate, unemployment rate, average salary for college grads, and cultural opportunity, based on the leisure index from Sperling's Best Places. Springfield was ranked 46th in the country, and was joined by Manchester, NH and Worcester, MA as the only cities in New England to crack the top-100. Read more here. 121 Pinevale Street Demolition Update
December 2009Demolition and cleaning up at 121 Pinevale Street is getting closer to completion. The building is down and the brick walls and floor slabs are being cleaned. Metal pipe and truck tires are cleaned and recycled and most have been shipped out. Trucking out debris from the north end continues with washing down of all the trucks, and air monitoring stations continue to operate around the entire site. Revitalization of 60 Congress Street Result of Economic Development EffortR.J. Greeley Co., LLC spearheads re-use of vacant foreclosed property and secures Pioneer Valley Planning Commission new home. A large empty building stood vacant for more than 3 years in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. In 2008, local businessmen, Jerome Gagliarducci and Zane Mirkin purchased the property and invested just under $4 million in the renovation of the structures. Full scale gutting and restoration turned the building into Class A office space. Patrick-Murray Administration Announces Start of Demolition for Brownfields SiteSPRINGFIELD – Thursday, August 27, 2009 “The commencement of demolition at 121 Pinevale Street represents a significant milestone for the Indian Orchard Business Park Project,” said Lieutenant Governor Murray. “It’s a great example of how the new Brownfields Support Team Initiative has successfully collaborated as a team of state and federal agencies to get the job done for a very complex brownfield site.”
The Indian Orchard Brownfield Support Team is working with Springfield to help transform this and surrounding municipally-owned properties into a state-of-the-art light industrial complex that will help generate local jobs and tax revenue. Up to $900,000 in funding from a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Revolving Loan Fund, through the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, will be used to perform demolition and remediation at this site. York Street Site and Visitors Information Center properties available for developmentThe Springfield Redevelopment Authority in coordination with the City of Springfield has made available a 4 acre development site - formerly the home of the York Street Jail - and a 4,100 square foot building on the Springfield Riverfront. The building is being used through July, 2009 for the Visitors Information Center. The current VIC will be relocated within the Hall of Fame, leaving the 4,100 square foot building available later this summer. The 4 acre site is cleared and both sites sit just steps from the Basketball Hall of Fame, adjacent to I-91 - with visibility to over 100,000 cars per day. For more information on either, visit: www.springfieldplanning.org/riverfront Springfield earns Platinum Rating from Mass Biotech CouncilBiotechnology companies looking to set up laboratories and factories will find everything they need right here in Springfield, according to a set of community ratings released Thursday by the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.
Hot Table opens new Downtown Springfield locationMayor Domenic J. Sarno joined Hot Table founders John DeVoie, Chris DeVoie, and Don Watroba, as they opened the 2nd Hot Table location in Downtown Springfield at a prime storefront in Tower Square on the corner of Main Street and Boland Way. Hot Table serves up specialty Panini sandwiches and wraps, coffee and desserts and was founded in 2007 with its first store in the Breckwood Shops at Western New England College. The new downtown location is open Monday-Saturday. Learn more about Hot Table here. Zoning Ordinance Modernization ProjectThe City of Springfield is in the process of completing the first rewriting of the zoning code since 1971. A Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) has helped guide the process and the development of the documents. The proposed revisions were presented to the Planning Board and City Council in June, however, no action was taken by the Council. The city staff and CAC are currently working on further revisions and hope to present the document back to the Planning Board and City Council in November 2009. Click here to review full ordinance, proposed zoning map, revision packets and supporting materials. State Street Corridor Report OnlineThe 3.2 mile State Street Corridor is currently in the midst of a $17 million restoration, including full depth reconstruction of the roadway, new sidewalks, intersection improvements, new median strips, and many new pedestrian and vehicle amenities. The reconstruction is a key factor in the State Street Redevelopment Program - a 68 page report outlining the development opportunities on this central corridor. Click here to view the report, and click here for the State Street project update page. Grow Springfield Fund available nowThe City of Springfield introduced a new loan program targeted to existing small businesses seeking capital to expand. The program is administered with the City's community and economic development partners, the National Development Council. Click here for more information. Additional news: __________________________________________________ Office of Planning & Economic Development Misson Statement The Office of Planning and Economic Development's mission is to provide community planning services and to manage programs that fulfill on the immediate physical, economic and environmental needs of the city, and to assist in the development of the City's long-term vision for physical, environmental, economic and community development. John Judge, Chief Development Officer Brian M. Connors, Deputy Director of Economic Development Phillip Dromey, Deputy Director of Planning |
ULI Boston conducts Springfield Riverfront Panel
The Urban Land Institute completed a daylong examination of the Riverfront in downtown Springfield on May 4th, looking at how to best capitalize on its assets, connect it to the neighborhoods, and best develop remaining developable parcels. There event was held at the former Visitors Information Center (1200 Hall of Fame Avenue). The panel gave a presentation and presented design sketches, all of which can be found here. A news article detailing the event and initial findings from The Republican can be found here. The ULI Panel will now spend additional time on the recommendations and formalize a document summarizing the findings. That document will be available in approximately four weeks, and will be published on this website. Members of the public who wish to submit additional feedback to the ULI Panel should do so here. City helps save 100 manufacturing jobs at Titeflex
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, city officials and Titeflex Corporation management announced a Special Tax Agreement (STA) has been approved that will retain over 100 manufacturing jobs at the Titeflex Corporation. The agreement received unanimous approval from the Springfield City Council. Titeflex has been located in Springfield since 1956, and is a world leader in the production of stainless steel braided hose for use in aerospace, automotive, and general industrial applications. The company employs 101 employees at its nearly 300,000 square feet facility in the City’s East Springfield neighborhood. Over the past two years, Titeflex’s corporate headquarters had advanced plans to close the Springfield facility and relocate it to South Carolina, taking advantage of generous incentives and reduced expenses. Working with Mayor Sarno, City Councilors Timothy Rooke and Michael Fenton, the Company’s local management team reached an agreement with the City that will keep the company in Springfield for the next 12 years. Mayor Domenic J. Sarno stated “I am very pleased that the City was able to work with Titeflex Corporation to reach this agreement that keeps over 100 jobs here in the City of Springfield.” “The City of Springfield not only has an obligation to create new jobs for our residents but we have an ongoing commitment to job retention and we will continue to work with businesses throughout the City,” said Sarno. Chief Development Officer John Judge stated “We are delighted that the 100 plus employees of the Titeflex Corporation will be staying here, in the City of Springfield.” “The 12 year Special Tax Assessment will help to ensure that a great company - with a global brand and good paying jobs - will continue to grow and prosper in our City,” said Judge. “We are grateful to the employees for their efforts to keep their company here and to the Titeflex Corporation for their investment of more than $3 million in facility renovation and new equipment purchases,” added Judge. For more information and photos from the press event with Titeflex, visit here. Western Massachusetts “It’s Your Move”
The Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts has produced a promotional video entitled “It’s Your Move” featuring the City of Springfield. The video features several thoughts from young professionals in the Springfield area, as well as a view of the businesses, monuments and events that help to make our City great. Click the picture of Springfield to view the video and let our office know your thoughts. |
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Page last updated: Thursday, August 19, 2010 03:16 pm