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Date: 2/27/2015
WEST SPRINGFIELD – The city has taken one more step in developing the Front Street Mills property. The Town Council approved a motion that designates the Front Street property as a Priority Development Site through the Massachusetts Chapter 43D program.
The designation came before the council on Feb. 17, presented by Councilor Bridget Fiala with help from Town Attorney William Reichelt. The council approved it unanimously, which guarantees that the 150 Front Street, 101 Front Street and unaddressed Front Street, including the power canal and fish ladder property, have an expedited permitting process, according to Mayor Edward Sullivan.
This process will also make the property eligible for MassWorks grants, brownfield remediation assistance and other state grants. West Springfield will also be included on the state’s website as a “business friendly city,” according o the designation.
The main stipulation that is asked of West Springfield is making permitting decisions within 180 days, which Fiala said is already a standard practice across the board in the city.
Tara Gehring, the town’s economic development coordinator and planner, said that because West Springfield already makes its permitting decisions in 180 days, it has a leg up.
“Normal towns and cities don’t have the expedited permitting, so the towns that don’t already do that would have to put into place a process to get permits down in 180 days,” Gehring said. “Since we do this, we don’t have to change anything.”
Ultimately, this means transparency and efficiency in permitting, according to the designation. More so, it helps “market Front Street as a potential redevelopment opportunity for the state,” Gehring said.
West Springfield sent its application to the state this week, and the state has 60 days to approve it, making the move official.
The hope is that as the state’s attention is drawn towards the Front Street property, there will be more contenders in pursuing redevelopment.
“We’re optimistic. As it gets marketed a little heavier, with more prevalence, we’re also optimistic that we’ll get a lot more interest,” Sullivan said.
Though Sullivan said that there are no concrete plans for the use of the mills, when the city asked for public input, ideas varied. Residents suggested restaurants, retail, offices and manufacturing. Whatever the future is for the mills and the Front Street property, Sullivan said he is confident it will work out.
“It looks good, it’s a bright future. It’s right on the river, it’s very scenic, structurally sound old mill. The opportunity for development is pretty good, we believe,” Sullivan said.
West Springfield has taken interest in preserving this property before. Dr. John Mullin, a professor in the Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Department and associate director of the Center for Economic Development at the University of Massachusetts, got involved back in the summer of 2014. He and his students studied the property in hopes of developing a draft development plan.