Councilors hear proposal for agricultural overlay, tax relief for Wellspring Harvest greenhouse

At a joint meeting of the Sustainability and Environmental Committee and the ACHO DEV Committee, Attorney Sean Curran, chair, introduced a presentation from Fred Rose of Wellspring Harvest asking city officials to consider creating an agriculture overlay district and a tax-rate equivalent to Massachusetts Chapter 61A for the urban greenhouse in Indian Orchard.

Rose said Wellspring Harvest operates a 15,000-square-foot hydroponic greenhouse that opened in February 2018 on a former brownfield parcel purchased from the Springfield Redevelopment Authority. "We wanna bring a proposal to you for consideration, for a revised tax rate," Rose said, arguing the current tax burden makes the site financially unsustainable as an urban farm.

Wellspring Harvest has converted a blighted lot into an urban farm, Rose said, investing roughly $1.5 million in the site and installing sewer, water, electric and heat infrastructure. The greenhouse grows hydroponic lettuce and basil; Rose told the committees the operation had about $387,000 in sales in 2024, employs seven people — four of whom are worker-owners — and sells to regional stores, food hubs…