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State agency outlines lease-build plan and timeline for Springfield Regional Justice Center
Summary
On April 30, 2025, the Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance told the Springfield City Council Finance Committee it will seek a private partner to site, construct and lease a new regional justice center; DCAM outlined a procurement timeline and said prevailing wage and diversity expectations will apply.
The Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAM) told the Springfield City Council Finance Committee on April 30, 2025, that it plans to use a private partner to identify a site, permit and construct the Springfield Regional Justice Center and then lease the completed facility to the Commonwealth.
DCAM Commissioner Adam Bakke told the committee the project, roughly 300,000 square feet, would house the Hampshire County Superior Court, Springfield District Court, Hampden Probate and Family Court, Springfield Juvenile Court and the Western Massachusetts Housing Court. He said DCAM anticipates a 40‑year lease with two 10‑year extension options and outlined an RFP-driven procurement intended to accelerate delivery.
The process matters because the existing Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse has been declared unsafe by some court users and the trial court and local officials say a replacement is needed. At a public meeting, Bakke said the asset management board approved DCAM’s delivery approach on Jan. 21, 2025, and that DCAM is finalizing an RFP that will seek proposals that include both a site and a developer/operator team.
DCAM gave a provisional timeline: issue the RFP in the second quarter of 2025, hold a bidders conference and question-and-answer period in the third quarter of 2025, receive proposals in the third quarter of 2025, select a proposal in the first quarter of 2026 and execute a lease in the second quarter of 2026. Bakke said DCAM expects to hire a transaction advisor in May 2025 to help market the opportunity and support evaluation and negotiation.
DCAM said it is required to advertise the procurement in accordance with Chapter 7C, Section 36 (the procurement citation cited in the presentation) and that the asset management board vote authorized the procurement approach but did not select any site.
On workforce and contracting standards, Bakke said the Commonwealth will require prevailing wage on the construction work despite the use of a private construction contract and that DCAM intends to carry forward diversity requirements for subcontracting and the project workforce, though specific goals were not finalized. Tom Ambrosino, court administrator for the Massachusetts Trial Court, said the trial court supports the lease-back public‑private approach because it is the most expeditious way to obtain a new regional justice center in downtown Springfield.
Discussion at the meeting focused on ensuring the RFP reflects community priorities such as proximity to public transportation, accessibility for jurors, downtown location, contemporary security standards, rapid delivery and support for local economic development. DCAM invited written input and said it will consider geographic priorities and other community goals while finalizing comparative criteria in the RFP.
No site was selected at the meeting and the asset management board authorization was described as authorizing the procurement method only.
