State Rep. Angelo Puppolo stands in front of the former Sears on Boston Road in Springfield.
Reminder publishing submitted photo
SPRINGFIELD — City leaders and state Rep. Angelo Puppolo are taking steps to address blight along the Boston Road-State Street corridor posed by large commercial properties whose owners have allowed them to deteriorate.
One of those sites is the former Sears department store and free-standing Sears Auto Center. Sears opened as an anchor store at the Eastfield Mall in 1970. After nearly 50 years in business, the store closed its doors in 2018, five years before the rest of the mall shuttered. The mall was torn down in 2023, and the site was redeveloped into the Springfield Crossing shopping plaza. However, the Sears building and Auto Center — now owned by Springfield Boston Road Real Estate Trust and managed by Eastern Retail Properties — remained standing, conspicuous empty shells next to the new retail development.
Earlier this month, after the property managers were contacted by Puppolo, trash and refuse were cleaned from the site and the building was secured. According to Puppolo’s office, he had reached out to the property’s owners several times, asking the company to address conditions at the site, which had accumulated debris, brush, tree limbs, garbage, old carriages and used needles. The legislator said he visited the site in person and saw the progress being made.
“By contacting the property owner and speaking up, I was able to raise awareness to this blight, and they have listened and taken action. The cleanup is very noticeable from the street and the neighborhood’s quality of life has improved,” Puppolo said. “I am very happy so far. but without my intervention nothing would have been done.”
Addressing the property clean-up in an email, Mayor Domenic Sarno said, “I commend state Rep. Angelo Puppolo’s steadfast efforts on this issue and on these ‘zombie’ properties. Chief Development Officer Tim Sheehan and I will continue to monitor and push for proper, responsible and conducive neighborhood developments for these sites, and continue to work with Rep. Puppolo.
Sears is not the only site posing an issue, however. Vibra Hospital at 1400-1414 State St. also shut down in 2018. While the city had announced its intention to purchase the property in October 2023, the 12.96-acre site’s condition rapidly deteriorated shortly thereafter. Since then, the city has had difficulty bringing the owners, Vibra Healthcare Real Estate Company II LLC, to the table to discuss remedies.
In a press release about the hospital property, Sarno said, “I am totally frustrated and aggravated with this property — shame on them! My administration will continue to press them in court for follow-up maintenance on their property.” He added, “And to think this once was a place of healing, now it’s turned into a jungle!”
The city has issued fines and code violations and, in 2024, sought redress in court. “We have tried to work with them, but they have been atrocious caretakers of their property and nonresponsive to our requests and fines, which is why we must continue to pursue in court,” Sarno said.
Aside from attracting illegal dumping and vandalism, the site has become a public safety issue. In May, there was a fire at the property resulting from trespasser activity, the second such fire at the site. The Springfield Fire Department fought a blaze there in October 2024. In July of that year, then-Fire Commissioner B.J. Calvi described the building as “a firefighter killer” because there are doors that lock and only open from one direction, potentially trapping firefighters inside.
Earlier this year, Puppolo filed legislation to provide more options to municipalities dealing with large, blighted properties. Under “An Act Providing Municipalities with Tools to Address Large Vacant Commercial Properties,” if a vacant property is allowed to negatively impact the surrounding neighborhood or community, a city or town is allowed by would allow cities and towns to seek a temporary restraining order, a fine of not more than $100,000 and compel the sale of the property. The legislation would apply to sites that are 5 acres or more in size.
