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Proposal to replace Springfield courthouse via public/private partnership gets approval, scrutiny

FILE - The Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse at 50 State Street, Springfield, Massachusetts.
James Paleologopoulos
/
WAMC
FILE - The Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse at 50 State Street, Springfield, Massachusetts.

A small state board in Massachusetts has greenlit a project proposal involving the busiest courthouse in the Pioneer Valley – a plan the state’s inspector general is voicing concern about.

A number of state and local officials agree – the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse in Springfield needs to come down.

Considered a “sick” building that’s been the source of mold, illness and lawsuits, discussions over how to replace the structure off of State Street and East Columbus Avenue have been going on for years. 

But with demolition, relocation and rebuilding costs adding to up at least $640 million, according to a 2023 assessment, it’s a pricey proposition.

Enter a proposal to instead have the state pursue a partnership with a private developer – and effectively become a tenant at a future site, potentially saving money.

Amortizing the anticipated cost of improvements over the 40-year term would save the Commonwealth an estimated $153,835,383.64 in rent over the first ten years of the lease,” said Peter Woodford a project manager with the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, or DCAMM. "An estimated value of a leasehold to be acquired would be $30.5 million to $33 8 million per year in rent, based on the assumption of a $30-$40 per square-foot rent, plus estimated annual improvements, including operating expenses, depending upon base rent charged, size of leasehold and cost of improvements.”

Woodford outlined various potential saving scenarios as he presented the project proposal before the state’s Asset Management Board on Jan. 21.

Supported by the Massachusetts Trial Court, the plan would have DCAMM work with a selected developer to secure a leased space, resulting in a site that would be the home of the future “Springfield Regional Justice Center,” which the state would rent for at least 40 years, with two 10-year extensions.

According to project documents, the plan could lead to work on the new site getting underway as early as 2026 to replace the building, which houses a number of offices and the Hampden County Superior Court, the Springfield District Court, and the Hampden Probate & Family Court.

Also being rolled into the new center – the nearby court building at 80 State Street, home of the Springfield Juvenile Court and the Western Housing Court.

The AMB ultimately approved the plan by a 3-1 vote, with the lone “no” and a number of concerns being raised by state Inspector General Jeffery Shapiro - many of which, he indicated, revolved around comments made by a local official in the Springfield area.

“I think I have at least eight examples of a particular public official talking about a specific site with a particular developer and I think a developer can say whatever they want - that's the world that they live in and that's what they want to advocate for. I am not convinced that, based on all of this, that there can be a fair process through this,” he said. “I think about these statements, and I do believe that there's a chilling effect on other property owners and other developers that do business in that community that might not want to go up against that dynamic.”

Shapiro did not appear to name either party, though Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno has, on multiple occasions, voiced support for an idea to put a courthouse and more on a North End riverfront site – an initially $500 million project pitched by Peter Picknelly in 2022 that would involve about 14.5 acres of riverfront property that his company OPAL Real Estate currently owns or controls.

DCAMM Commissioner Adam Baacke said he agreed with Shapiro's "chilling" characterization, adding that DCAMM shared his concerns.

He also noted steps were being taken to broaden outreach for a potential partner. That includes the procurement for a “transaction advisor” to solicit a greater amount of proposals to increase competition, according to DCAMM’s Debbie Russell.

Shapiro indicated it was a step in the right direction, though he said it wouldn’t be enough to get him past the obstacle he was encountering.

Acknowledging he’d be unlikely to satisfy the IG’s concerns, Trial Court Administrator Thomas Ambrosino said the Massachusetts Trial Court has “no dog in this fight,” emphasizing that their preference is for the new center to stay downtown and remain accessible.

“That's our only desire: stay in downtown, stay in Springfield, because of the public transportation,” he said. “As close to the downtown as possible is helpful to us, but where in that area we go is no concern of ours. There is some time pressure on us, however. As the inspector general alluded to, these buildings have been problematic for the trial court, to say the least. We've been sued by our own employees because of the condition in that Roderick Ireland building, and so it is important that we move forward as quickly as possible.”

The final project proposal was later approved, with the requirement of there being a future developer conference, which could lead to more developers pursuing the proposal.

A DCAMM official tells WAMC that a revised RFP will likely be issued “during the second quarter of 2025,” and that the state hopes to “solicit robust interest from the development community regionally and nationally.”

“To that end DCAMM anticipates hiring a real estate brokerage firm to assist with promoting the opportunity in conjunction with issuing the formal RFP,” a statement from the official read.

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