Commission approves conversion of detached garage at 843 Central Street for baseball academy use

The Springfield Historic Commission approved an application from residents at 843 Central Street to enclose a detached rear garage and convert it for use by a youth baseball academy as game room, weight room, study space and equipment storage. The commission voted yes on the motion to approve the exterior renovations as presented, subject to standard building-code requirements.

Applicants said the house hosts up to 25 boys during much of the year as part of a baseball academy program and that enclosing the garage would secure equipment and provide indoor space for training and study. The proposed garage door will be a white wood-grain door and the enclosure siding will be fiber cement (Hardie board) in a color to blend with the existing house; applicants said they planned beige to match what is already present.

Commissioners reviewed visibility from public ways and requested that the enclosure match house colors and minimize visibility from Central Street; they noted that the garage sits at the rear of the property and is largely not visible from the public way. The motion to approve included a clarification that all work remains subject to building code and any permit requirements from the Building Department.