Council approves Court Square rezoning for housing

Select Board · Meeting of March 23, 2026

Springfield City Council approved a downtown rezoning and continued a contested Indian Orchard zone change. Councilors voted 9-0 to rezone Court Square Urban Renewal properties from Industrial A to Business B. Tim Sheehan, executive director of the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, called the district "ripe for mixed income multifamily residential development." A Hampshire Street change from Residence B to Residence C, which would open the way for an eight-unit development near wetlands, was continued 9-0 to April 27 after neighbors objected and a first continuance motion failed. Because a zone change needs nine votes, councilors debated a possible two-year wait after a denial.

Councilors also approved eight special permits, including a 37-unit amendment at 824 Berkshire Avenue, up from 21 approved units. That item passed 10-0 after Councilor Brown arrived.

In the full story:

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• Springfield's community access TV: Select Board meeting, March 23, 2026
• The complete report: 975 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of March 23, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.