The City of Springfield (City) is requesting proposals for the redevelopment of 471 Plainfield Street, Springfield, MA, formerly Brightwood Elementary School. The City's goal for this property is adaptive reuse of the existing building into affordable housing for seniors. The existing brick building has three levels (basement and two floors). The parcel # is 097750199 and it is a 76,429 square foot lot with a building that has a total of 54,198 square feet. The assessed property value is $7,003,500.00.

Brightwood Elementary School moved to a new site in August 2021, and this site has been vacant since that time. The local community has identified a neighborhood need for affordable housing for seniors and supports redevelopment of the site for that purpose. 

The City seeks proposals for development of a multi-family affordable housing project that responds to community need on the site. The City anticipates that this development project will need multiple funding sources, including Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and historic tax equity, and therefore seeks a project proposal that will be competitive in an application for state and federal funds and tax credit allocations, and will be able to attract a tax credit equity investor. The project will require an experienced development team and sufficient access to pre-development funds and on-going capital to support all phases of the project.

The City's seeks a project that will maintain the historic structure of the former school, enhance the surrounding community, and provide quality, energy-efficient affordable housing.

Access to the Building

The City will host a site tour of the property on June 8, 2022 at 10:00 A.M.

Additional access to building can be obtained by appointment. Please contact Mike Cass at 413-313-2117 or mcass@springfieldcityhall.com.

How to Apply

RFP Packages (for Bid #22-180) can be obtained by any of the following methods:

• Online at the Office of Procurement
• Picked up at the City of Springfield, Office of Procurement, City Hall, 36 Court Street, Room 307, Springfield (413) 787-6291

All proposals are due by 2:00 P.M. August 31, 2022 to the City of Springfield, Office of Procurement.