Monday, July 2, 2018
The City of Springfield announced this week the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the property known as the former Indian Orchard Fire Station in the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield. The developer chosen will have access to up to a $50,000 incentive to make exterior improvements to help preserve the historic station.
“We are making great progress in Indian Orchard with both infrastructure improvements and in development projects,” said Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. “We are optimistic this opportunity including this new incentive will help assist the private market to invest in this great neighborhood.”
Proposals for the station are due on Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. Interested parties should contact the City of Springfield Procurement Office at (413) 787-6284 for complete details.
The station was built in 1897 at the corner of Oak Street and Berkshire Street. The property contains a two story brick building including a basement. The historic building has a great deal of appeal with over 11,000 square feet of space. The City recently sold three other former Fire Stations over the past few years which were redeveloped into residential and commercial space.
“We did some reuse analysis work at each of the four decommissioned stations and provided that information to prospective developers,” said Chief Development Officer Kevin Kennedy. “We’ve been happy to see three of the four stations have been put back into productive, tax-paying use and are confident the Indian Orchard station will be next.”
The city is offering a development incentive of up to $50,000 for historic preservation via the Community Development Block Grant program, to be used for exterior repairs.
Interested parties should also review the Fire Station reuse report commissioned by the City of Springfield. That report can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/y8osbbt4