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Page Boulevard businesses object to street renovations

The map above shows Page Boulevard as it would look in front of the former Westinghouse plant when the shopping center is built. There would be four lanes eliminating on-street parking on Page Boulevard and parking on Stevens Street would also be banned.
By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD Ilyas "Tony" Koc walked from behind the counter of Palace Pizza on Page Boulevard across the street from the former Westinghouse complex. Looking out his front window, he said succinctly, "No parking, no customers."

As part of a plan to bring a new shopping center to the site of the factory, the city would widen Page Boulevard to four lanes to accommodate left turn lanes. In addition to removing the on street parking in this segment of the street, the current on-street parking on Stevens Street would also be eliminated, another place people park when using the shops in the 600 block of Page Boulevard.

Koc has been in business for 10 years. He totally relies on the parking places in front of his shop.

The number of cars attracted by the new shopping center, the elimination of on-street parking and the addition of left turn lanes and new traffic lights were all subjects questioned by residents at a neighborhood meeting on April 1.

Paul Cincotta of Packard Development, the project's development firm told the over-flow crowd at the meeting that a shopping center would have seven building sites for "big box" stores, two sites for restaurants and two sites for "neighborhood retail." The existing buildings would all be demolished and considerable work would be done to improve the site's infrastructure.

The center is in the early stages of planning and no leases have been signed, Cincotta said. The design of the center would evolve, he added, to meet the tenants' needs.

This year would be dedicated to completing the process, he said, and construction would probably start in 2009.

Matt Chase of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. (VHB) was commissioned to conduct a traffic study and told residents the changes proposed for Page Boulevard combined with the upcoming changes for the intersection of Page and Roosevelt Avenue would create "an integrated plan that meets the needs of everyone driving in this neighborhood."

Chase said the plan takes into account the growth of traffic in the area over the next five years.

Residents and business owners didn't agree with Chase at the meeting, asking him where the people who use on-street parking would go and how the changes would help the commercial traffic on the street. More than one person brought up that vehicles cannot access northbound travel from the St. James Avenue exchange for I-291. This forces cars and trucks to travel down Page Boulevard past the proposed shopping center to enter I-291 North.

Chase and Cincotta both said the majority of the traffic generated by shoppers would be on Saturdays when commercial traffic is decreased.

A week after the meeting, John Genden, who owns Genden Auto Parts, wasn't happy with the answers he heard. He said the traffic changes would have "a negative impact on business dramatically."

He has owned the business since 1986 and it has been at its location opposite the former Westinghouse site since 1962. He employs 25 people.

Current traffic conditions are dangerous he said and noted his employees frequently use side streets in order to get to the shop.

Genden was also concerned that city officials weren't involved in the meeting that had been organized by the East Springfield Neighborhood Council. City Councilors Rosemary Mazza Moriarty and James Ferrera were in attendance as well as Brian Connors from the city's development office. None spoke, however.

"The whole story has yet to unfold," Genden said.

Mr. Gee, who described himself as the spokesman for Penny's Restaurant and Ghetto Fabulous II clothing shop, said that staying in business is already "a struggle."

"A lot of us on this side of the street are going to get hurt, " he said.

The traffic changes are "all for them [the developers]" and he wondered what the city was willing to do for the residents and existing businesses.

"It [the shopping center] will bring in more people to the area, but for who?" Gee asked.

Mark Zaide, the owner of Nuclear Crayon Tattoos, thinks he might benefit from the influx of shoppers. Zaide has a small parking area behind his business, which is located at a corner of a side street. The loss of on-street parking won't affect his businesses, he believes.

"I think it's a good thing," he said. "It will bring up the value of the commercial real estate."