Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 5/2/2023
SPRINGFIELD — Out with the old and in with the new. The Eastfield Mall property on Boston Road will be redeveloped, following the special permit approval from the Springfield City Council.
A special permit hearing took place on April 24, during which several project proponents discussed plans for the space.
Seth Stratton of Fitzgerald Law, attorney for the petitioner, Onyx Springfield Crossing LLC, told the council in talking about the mall property, “There is certainly some opportunity for improvement, and I’m excited to be a part of that.”
Stratton explained, “The mall does need to come down and under the Springfield zoning ordinance, there are two items that require a special permit from this council.” One is that the development itself exceeds 150,000 square feet which requires a special permit. There is also the Regional Shopping Center Overlay District which requires a special permit for any alteration. Since the mall will be demolished, that is triggered, Stratton said.
He shared that they went before the Planning Board a week prior to the City Council hearing to remove the Regional Shopping Center Overlay District, a relic of the former mall, and that topic will come before the council at the next hearing. He noted that the Planning Board did vote in favor of the removal.
Stratton shared that they also spoke with neighborhood councils, specifically the Indian Orchard Citizens Council. “We had a very robust discussion and are pleased to report we received a favorable recommendation from the neighborhood council,” he said.
Onyx Principal Anton Melchionda shared that the Needham-based Onyx is a homegrown, local business. Over the last 30 years, Melchionda has built a business with the help of various partners.
Onyx has since worked on projects in 47 different states.
Melchionda shared that he became involved with the Eastfield Mall project after receiving a call from someone he knew. After asking only a few questions, Melchionda asked to be put in touch with the owner and said, “I want to redevelop that mall.”
After working “tirelessly” on a plan, Melchionda said they “love” what they have come up with. “We’re not 100% done with all of it but we’re 99% sure that we’re clear what we’re doing and what we’re presenting to everyone tonight,” he said.
When creating the plan, Melchionda said that the community was the focus because at the end of the day, it matters what they want. By asking people what they would like to see in the former mall, where they would like to shop and so on, the Onyx team was able to collaboratively develop a plan that they have today.
Melchionda noted that the total project will invest somewhere between $65 and $80 million to redevelop this property. “That’s very significant for the community,” he said. “The tax revenue at that point will be increased by $1.7 million. We will be creating permanently over 800 jobs, through construction and everything else, a multiple of that.”
He went on to say that they have started exploring Boston Road — with support of the community — to look for other properties along the corridor that can potentially be redeveloped for other uses.
“We think it’s very meaningful for the community and we want to continue that anywhere else that we can,” Melchionda said.
John Hession with VHB, the civil engineer and traffic engineer on the project, provided a visual overview of the plan.
Hession explained that the redevelopment of the Eastfield Mall property is more of a modern retail, restaurant and shopping experience. Over the last couple of decades, he said, the mall has changed and does not currently fit the needs of the “fast paced” life many have.
The mall today is approximately 520,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and cinema space. This redevelopment will replace that with approximately 361,000 square feet. “We’re losing about a third of the total building area that exists today,” Hession said.
When designing this project, they had to make sure it conformed to the underlying zoning requirements. By reducing the size of the building area, Hession said it allowed them to increase the open space on the site with redevelopment. About 12% of the property is green or open space today, with little to no landscaping in the parking lot.
By reducing the size of the building, it will increase the open space to about 20%, which will “soften” and provide shade to the outdoor area.
As part of the special permit application, a traffic study was submitted and reviewed by the DPW. Hession noted that even if the mall brought in new tenants, the traffic flow with the redevelopment would still be less.
The City Engineering Department has reviewed the stormwater management report. The building reduction would decrease the impervious area, which would reduce stormwater runoff to the site.
Hession added on to Melchionda’s point about the opportunities for full- and part-time employment through demolition, construction and the operation of the new service establishments.
As tenant relocation has been a big discussion around the project, the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council Chief of Staff Xiomara DeLobato shared that they were asked to help facilitate this aspect.
Over the past eight weeks, DeLobato said they made several discoveries working one on one with each of the businesses. There are currently 43 businesses at the Eastfield Mall.
The main objectives, as noted by DeLobato, were to relocate, secure funding and create retention through those aspects. She said they have worked “carefully” with the tenants to learn about their businesses and the barriers they might have when it comes to relocating. DeLobato shared that many tenants were paying rent at a low market rate.
She went on to say that they brought in Homes Logic, a commercial broker and representative, as the tenants venture and search for new sites.
Of the 43 businesses, DeLobato said 30 have looked at new locations and are involved in active searches. Five businesses have secured a new location and are in the final stages of the process. Four businesses cannot move due to certain discoveries that cannot be disclosed yet, shared DeLobato. The remaining four businesses are using their own resources for relocation.
The second part of the work has included funding, DeLobato said.
She noted that there are three ongoing funding sources including the city of Springfield, city of Holyoke and the town of Wilbraham, all of which are pending and are in the communication process.
Lastly, DeLobato said the retention piece consists of a number of stakeholders that have been a part of this from the start. This includes MassDevelopment, Common Capital, TD Bank and more.
Regarding the timeline of the development, Stratton said they are expecting two years of construction from start to finish, with the goal of all businesses opening at once.
Councilor at Large Justin Hurst asked how many storefronts or retail stores they are looking to put in. Brian Kaplan with Onyx Partners said right now there are 17 buildings on the site. With the final tenant mix still being finalized and depending on the layout, there could be 20 to 30 tenants. Kaplan said this will include restaurants, services, potential office use and more.
He said that there will be six or seven restaurants offering fast, casual and quick service. At the time of the meeting, Kaplan was not able to announce the names of the businesses going in but said they will be announced soon.
In terms of residential and other commercial uses of the property, Kaplan said those are later plans that will need to go before the City Council for approval.
Former Springfield Mayor and judge Mary Hurley said, “Eastfield Mall is a dinosaur.”
She went on to say that she is “impressed” with Melchionda. “They are stepping forward in a very difficult time and we need this project to breathe life in that part of Springfield. It’s [going to] add [an] economic development spinoff like you read about,” Hurley said. She noted that she is 100% behind this project.
Councilor at Large Tracye Whitfield said, “This project makes so much sense to me. I love this project.”
She continued, “We need to be able to compete with our surrounding communities, we need to create more jobs, we need to keep folks in our own communities so that they don’t want to go somewhere else, and I think that I have to support this project. There’s no way that I can’t.”
Ward 7 City Councilor Timothy Allen expressed that he “feels good” about the project and has not heard anything negative throughout the duration of the meeting. While there are some concerns regarding relocation, he believes those were properly addressed.
No representatives from the mall or community members attended the hearing to express opposition to the project.
City Council President Jesse Lederman noted that the Indian Orchard Citizens Council submitted a letter in support of the development, in which it was distributed to all councilors.
When it came time to vote on the special permit, the council unanimously approved it.
Following the City Council hearing, Lederman issued a written statement that said, “Redevelopment of the Eastfield Mall into a more modern retail setting is essential to the long-term economic vitality of the Boston Road corridor and the city of Springfield.”
He continued, “It is also essential that the city of Springfield support existing small businesses at that location that wish to continue to do business in Springfield by providing financial and technical relocation assistance — the council’s debate and vote tonight made both clear, and the council will closely monitor the project as it continues to move through the permitting and construction process.”