The City of Springfield announced today that it will be releasing a pair of Request for Proposals (RFP) on Wednesday, November 7, 2012, for two tornado damaged properties in the South End. Both the historic Armory Building at 29 Howard Street and the Howard Street School Building (aka former Zanetti School) at 59 Howard Street will be made available through the public proposal process.
“These are two properties ravaged by the tornado that are part of the heart of the South End,” said Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. “As we continue to rebuild our city it is crucial that we move forward these two prominent properties back into productive use.”
Interested proposers will have until December 7, 2012, to submit proposals. There will be a pair of walkthrough dates for both buildings on November 15th (10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.) and again on November 27th (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.). Under the RFP process price is not the only factor in selection, consideration is also given for developer history, capacity, readiness to proceed, and other benefits such as job creation.
“These properties have terrific access not only to the South End and downtown but also direct access to the I-91 corridor and Hall of Fame area,” said Kevin Kennedy, Chief Development Officer. “We think there is a good amount of positive momentum in Springfield and expect there will be strong interest in these properties.”
Built in 1895, the Springfield State Armory – also known as the Howard Street Armory, was designed by Robert Wait, Amos Porter Cutting and Gardner, Pyne & Gardner. The building, which is 53,134 square feet, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Most recently it served as the home of the South End Community Center. The RFP will also include the land known as NS Union Street, the former location of the Drill Shed of the Armory Building which was lost in the tornado.
The Howard Street School building was built in 1905 and has 70,440 square feet of building space. The property most recently housed the Alfred G. Zanetti Montessori School, which has since relocated to 474 Armory Street. The building was severely damaged by the tornado with a partial exterior wall collapse as well as damage to the parapet and interior water damage.
Both properties are being sold in as-is condition.
Interested parties should visit the City of Springfield Office of Procurement website at www.springfieldcityhall.com or by phone at 413-787-6284.
ON THE WEB:
City of Springfield: http://www.springfieldcityhall.com
South End Neighborhood Revitalization: http://www.springfieldcityhall.com/southendproject