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Proposed Boston Road rental units yet to be built

Date: 11/19/2015

SPRINGFIELD – A proposed housing development for Boston Road has been put on hold until next year.

In April 2015, Nick Graham told the Pine Point Community Council a development of new two-story townhouse-style apartments would be standing on the site of the former Russell’s Restaurant by now. Instead, there is just a giant dirt pile.

Graham, who owns the property, said he intended to build 14 rental-housing units aimed at attracting young professionals at a monthly rate of $1,300 to $1,400, including utilities, and the construction would be complete by September. However, with 2015 waning and September becoming a distant memory, there is little evidence of activity on the property since the summer when excavation work was conducted.

Reminder Publications recently learned no building permits have been issued to him for that property. In fact, the most recent permit issued regarding that land was for the demolition of the closed restaurant more than four years before Graham purchased the land.

“[A] variety of factors led to pushing it back to 2016. Hope to break ground when weather allows in March. Hoping to have a very active 2016 in the area,” Graham said in an email response to requests for comment.

Graham had said he planned to use 2,200-square-foot modular units built by Avalon Building Solutions of Stoughton that would be easily erected when site work was complete. Heavy equipment was on site and the area was fenced off for a period of time during the summer, but both have since disappeared with only a pile of earthen material standing approximately 30 feet high serving as the only evidence of any work being done.

Until Graham’s recent contact with Reminder Publications, residents have been left in the dark with regards to the project.

The website for Graham’s domestic limited liability corporation (LLC), Innovative Housing Group, contains only a video and still images of computer-generated renderings of the units, along with text fields in which interested tenants can submit their contact information. A Facebook page for the development was also established, but has not been updated since photos of exterior renderings were added in May.

Graham had originally planned to pursue a zoning change from Business A to Residential C in order to build two additional units, but withdrew that request after the Pine Point Community Council said it would not support it.

Under the current zoning regulations, Graham would be permitted to build 14 units.

Graham presented his proposal to the Planning Board on May 6, 2014 and the city approved the plan on June 17, 2014, according to the Department of Planning and Economic Development. The approval is good for two years, a representative from that office said.

Outgoing Ward 5 City Councilor Clodo Concepcion did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the issue, but City Councilor-elect Marcus Williams called the issue “a concern I am sure many of us in the district share,” adding he would welcome the opportunity to speak with Graham about the project’s status.

“The concept of turning the old Russell’s restaurant into a complex for young professionals was an innovative idea but it certainly seems like the project has come to a halt for reasons unbeknown to the general public,” Williams said. “Plans were established and seemingly well thought out to build the 14-unit housing complex. I would extend an invitation to Mr. Graham to discuss the progress of the project and logistics, now, before the opportunity is lost for this development.”

The Russell family operated Russell’s Restaurant on the site until 2005. Wilbraham Selectman Robert Russell took out a $220,000 mortgage on the property in 2008 as his other business, 60 Minute Photo, fell victim to the digital age.

Russell’s proposed sale of the property to Cumberland Farms was blocked by the City Council and Russell, who filed for bankruptcy in 2011, saw the People’s United Bank repossess the land in July 2012. Graham purchased the property in November 2014 from the bank for $100,000. When he purchased the parcel, it was assessed at approximately $144,000. Its current assessed value is $123,020, according to city records.

Property taxes equaling nearly $4,770 were paid in full during fiscal year 2015 (FY15); however, FY16 first quarter and second quarter taxes due Aug. 1 and Nov. 1, respectively, for a combined $2,384 are still outstanding.

Graham filed paperwork with the Secretary of State’s Corporations Division for Innovative Housing Group in January, naming the location of its principal office as 595 Frank Smith Road in Longmeadow. Graham’s address on the Certificate of Organization is in Houston, TX, however, the resident agent is listed as Donald Graham of the Frank Smith Road address.

Nicholas Graham is also co-manager with Kent Graham of The Student Rental, a real estate and property management company previously known as 151 Breckwood LLC until 2008 and LAG Capital LLC until May.

The Student Rental’s principal office is located in Boston, but according to filings with the state’s Corporations Division, records are also maintained at the same Frank Smith Road address.

Earlier company reports also listed 595 Frank Smith Road as Kent Graham’s address and the company’s principal address. The company moved to 281 State St. in Springfield in 2012, but was back at the Longmeadow address before it relocated to Boston in June 2013.

Neither The Student Rental’s website or Facebook page specifically list the properties it manages; however, the city of Springfield’s Assessor’s Office’s website lists 151 Breckwood LLC, care of Nicholas Graham, as the owner of 151 Breckwood Blvd. He purchased that four-bedroom Cape in 2006 for $75,000, and then sold it to Kent Graham in May 2007 for $125,000.

In August 2007, the property was transferred to 151 Breckwood LLC. All real estate taxes on that property are up to date.