SPRINGFIELD — The finish line is in sight for the new Springfield parking garage near the MassMutual Center.
Mark O’Leary, the communication and external relations manager for the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, said in a statement to Reminder Publishing that the Springfield Carpark will be fully operational by the end of this month.
“The MCCA is excited to be nearing completion of the Springfield Carpark and will continue testing of the facility’s equipment and systems over the next two weeks prior to becoming fully operational at the end of the month,” O’Leary said.
The announcement of the garage’s completion comes over four years after the MCCA purchased the Civic Center Garage from the city of Springfield in December 2020. The former structure, which was built in 1971 and featured over 1,200 parking spaces, was well beyond its useful life, according to independent engineering and feasibility studies that the city completed just prior to MCCA’s purchase of the garage.
According to the MCCA website, the new carpark will accommodate cars and sustainability initiatives, such as EV parking, while also featuring restaurant and retail space on the first floor.
The garage will also be accompanied by an adjacent multi-use plaza known as Bruce’s Landing, named after Bruce Landon, the former Canadian professional ice hockey executive and goaltender who was the longtime part-owner, president and general manager of the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League.
O’Leary said in his statement that the plaza portion of the project should be completed by late spring.
“The plaza and street scape portions of the project are moving forward, and we are targeting completion by the end of May,” O’Leary said. “Details around a ribbon cutting ceremony and celebration of the project will be shared with media, key stakeholders and the community as soon as they are finalized.”
The garage itself, located at 41 Harrison Ave., will have an hourly park rate of $2 and a monthly rate of $100, according to O’Leary. Additionally, MassMutual Center event parking rates will be set at $10.
As of press time, O’Leary said that additional information around rates for the new 817-space garage, which cost around $80 million to build, will be available within the week.
Aside from the carpark and plaza, MCCA also oversees other facilities across the state, like the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the Lawn on D, the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, the Boston Common Garage and the MassMutual Center in Springfield.
