A major housing project that will also preserve a piece of American automotive history has been approved by the City Council in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The City Council voted Monday night to approve special permits to redevelop a sprawling complex of brick industrial buildings that was once home to the Knox Automobile Company into apartments.
First Resource Development Company plans to create 114 apartments in a $57 million redevelopment of the property that has been vacant for about 70 years.
Councilors voted 10-2 to approve the special permits after rejecting requests from representatives of the Old Hill and Upper Hill neighborhood councils to delay the vote until after the developer met with the neighborhood groups.
Developer Gordon Pulsifer told Councilors he had already filed applications for state funding and a delay in approval of the special permits could jeopardize the project’s financing.
"If we do not have zoning and permitting, you can't ask the state to fund it," said Pulsifer. "I ask for your support," he said to Councilors.
Pulsifer promised to have more dialogue with the project’s neighbors.
"It is no ones fault," Pulsifer said. He said he was unaware of the existance of the neighborhood councils.
Adrienne Osborne, president of the Upper Hill Neighborhood Council, said it is important for the neighborhood to have input on a project of this magnitude.
"The way this was handled was very improper," said Osborne.
Neighborhood Councils, while often influential in city decision making, are not part of the official process to obtain a special permit.
The city’s Planning Department recommended approval of the permits and in a report noted Pulsifer has a successful track record of redevelopment projects in Springfield with the most recent example being the old Indian Motocycle Factory just a few blocks from the Knox buildings.
The Knox factory operated in the first two decades of the 1900s. The company built cars, trucks, firetrucks and farm tractors.
During debate over whether to delay a vote on the special permits, City Councilor Sean Curran said the Council should not risk putting funding for the project in jeopardy.
" The council is at risk for having a chilling effect for investment in Springfield and not being a city where we can get projects of this magnitude off the ground," said Curran.
Councilor Trayce Whitfield urged Pulsifer to make peace with the neighborhood groups.
"The community wants to be heard. They deserve it," said Whitfield.
Voting against the permits were Councilors Victor Davila and Justin Hurst. Davila said he was concerned about what would become of the tenants in nearby houses that are to be razed to become parking for the new development. Hurst said he thought opponents of the project had not been given an opportunity to be heard.
