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Springfield to open new garage in March; Bruce Landon Way redesigned as pedestrian-first event street
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Summary
City economic development staff told the subcommittee the new parking garage is near completion, a former surface lot will become programmed green space by summer, and the Convention Center Authority will have an easement allowing temporary closures of Bruce Landon Way with short notice.
Springfield City economic development staff updated the Economic Development Subcommittee on progress to convert Bruce Landon Way into a pedestrian-first street and to activate an adjacent former surface parking lot as programmed green space.
Tim Sheehan, director of economic development, said the garage serving the area is nearing completion. “The punch list work is being done on the garage. We expect the garage to open in March,” Sheehan said. He added most street infrastructure is in place and the green space created from the surface parking lot is expected to be finished by summer.
The city has negotiated a draft easement agreement with the Convention Center Authority that would allow the authority to close Bruce Landon Way for events without filing a separate street-closure permit. Under the easement, the authority would give the city advance notice (described in the meeting as 28 or 48 hours) before a scheduled closure and would be required to maintain the infrastructure inside the easement area. The city would retain reserved programming days for municipal or nonprofit events.
Sheehan described the street redesign as deliberately pedestrian-focused: sidewalks and the roadway are now at a single grade so the area reads as an activated public realm rather than a conventional curb-and-street configuration. Different surface materials will mark the boundary between the pedestrian zone and areas intended for vehicle use.
Committee members asked about public-safety review. Sheehan said affected departments — including police, fire and the Department of Public Works — reviewed the plans and raised no objections to the closure mechanism.
The Convention Center Authority intends the adjacent redevelopment to support pre- and post-event programming for MassMutual Center events. Sheehan said the authority is seeking a restaurant operator — likely a sports-bar concept — to locate with its primary access facing Bruce Landon Way and the new green space; the retail won’t have direct access from Dwight Street. He also said some handicap parking spaces will be retained to serve the convention center.
Council members and staff emphasized the project’s potential to increase downtown activation. Vice President of the City Council Tracy Whitfield praised the city’s response time on other initiatives and said the improved lighting and new public spaces have already drawn visible nighttime activity.
The subcommittee did not take any formal votes on the Bruce Landon Way items during the hearing. Staff said they will circulate supporting documents and return to the committee with additional materials as work proceeds.
