Latest news with #SpringfieldRedevelopmentAuthority
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Target of Springfield eminent domain, ‘Chicken Building' owners cry foul in court
SPRINGFIELD — Owners of 1208-1220 Main St. — the decrepit, vacant 'Chicken Building' — are fighting the Springfield Redevelopment Authority's eminent domain efforts in court, saying the $475,000 that the authority paid for it last year is too low. Owners Maple Investments Inc. sued this week in Hampden Superior Court, asking for compensation for damages. Maple Investments Inc. has owned the building since 1979, according to city records. The company's owners, according to state records, are Myron Katz and Karen Schmidt, both of Worcester. Maple Investments Inc. accepted the payment under protest, reserving the right to file this suit, called a compensation claim. The $475,000 amount was derived from an appraisal. The Chicken Building owes its name to the Crown Chicken restaurant that occupied the corner for many years, its tables and counters still visible through windows clouded with dirt, now an example of downtown blight. The other storefronts most recently had a small convenience store, a pawn shop, jewelry store and nail salon. In the lawsuit, Maple Investments says it was planning to redevelop the property on its own. The Springfield Redevelopment Authority began the eminent domain proceedings in June, filing papers with the Hampden County Registry of Deeds, which disclosed the $475,000 in compensation. The Chicken Building at the corner of State and Main streets now sits with its facade deteriorating in the heart of a neighborhood that Springfield wants to redevelop. At other corners of the four-way intersection are key Springfield properties: the MassMutual Center, MGM Springfield and the Clock Tower Building at 113 State St. The Clock Tower Building is a centerpiece of the city's $70 million South Main Street Development Project, where work already has begun. To the north is 31 Elm, a $63 million Court Square redevelopment project. West Springfield gun buyback nets 34 guns Phone workers worried about lead on old lines wonder: Who will answer their call? 'This place is going to come alive': Pride stores founder unveils Hope Center for the Arts Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Springfield provides update to South Main Street development plan
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The city of Springfield is preparing for another massive downtown redevelopment project. Inspiring stories of life-changing care featured during 94.7 WMAS Radiothon for Baystate Children's Hospital Mayor Domenic Sarno was joined by developers on Monday to announce plans for the South Main Street project. The plan involves the re-development of three prominent buildings near MGM Springfield that will include up to 30 housing units and ground-floor retail space. The Willow Street Central Garage will also have 350 parking spots to accommodate residents and visitors. The properties were acquired by the Springfield Redevelopment Authority (SRA) after years of real estate speculation and disinvestment that ended in bank foreclosure. The project is an effort to increase visitors and foot traffic to the downtown area, as well as encourage living in the area by providing housing and amenities. 'Our real goal here is to not only knit these individual buildings back together but to also knit this complex into the rest of the city,' said Edward Woodbury from McCaffery Development. 'We won't be successful unless we turn these buildings inside out and have the ground floor retail that addresses and celebrates the casino across the street.' The redevelopment project will be partly funded by a series of federal and state tax credits. Developers hope to break ground on the project in spring 2026. Information about the project can be found on the city of Springfield website. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
