SPRINGFIELD — City Councilor Sean Curran, the chair of the council’s Working Group on Creative Economy and Tourism, is hoping Chief Development Officer Tim Sheehan will address the suggestions the group has made.
The group was one of several formed last year by then-City Council President Jesse Lederman to bring citizen participation in the identification of challenges the city is facing and possible solutions.
Curran said to Reminder Publishing that all of the ideas are possible and several have been shown to increase economic development activities in other communities.
One of those ideas is a food hall for the city, similar to the one on the Parkville section of Hartford. Curran said such an establishment would be a “destination.”
“It’s been proven to work in Hartford and Worcester,” he said.
He sees a food hall as offering “high end gourmet food” and would be a place for chefs to operate without the high costs of a standalone restaurant.
The group’s report noted, “It is the consensus of the committee that if we were to have a food hall, walking distance from the train station, there would be a positive buzz all over New England, people might say, ‘Springfield made a really clever move with that food hall.’”
Curran said the Worcester Public Market also has a housing component and Curran believes that would work in Springfield. He is hoping that former Worcester City Manager Ed Augustus, who helped develop the food hall in that city, could help Springfield. Augustus is now the secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities under Gov. Maura Healey and Curran thinks he could be of assistance as the food hall could have additional housing, something the city needs.
Curran said the vacant property on Worthington Street could be redeveloped into a location for the food hall and housing.
Another project is the Hoop City Basketball Complex. The report said, “Mega basketball complexes, as large as 20 courts are being built around the country. These facilities are thriving, as large corporations such as Nike and Adidas have sponsored basketball leagues around the country and have made this a multi-million-dollar revenue producer. These complexes are around $15 million dollars to build. The committee believes that Springfield, with its basketball history, will be the ideal place to site one of these facilities. The committee believes the city should meet with developers as well as individuals associated with the NBA as well as the Basketball Hall of Fame to get this off the ground. These complexes are being built all across the country, many with state and municipal assistance.”
Curran said, “This would complement the Basketball Hall of Fame and make it into a living museum.”
Another project Curran said would be “a very doable one,” is a proposed Cat in the Hat 5K race.
According to the report, “The committee believes it would be great to bring back the Cat in the Hat 5K. Cities across the country have Dr. Seuss inspired 5Ks in their downtowns, which support literacy programs. It would make sense that the city of Springfield, Dr. Seuss’ hometown, emulate the success of these road races, and have a Dr. Seuss themed 5K. This will bring a little bit of enthusiasm to downtown Springfield, as well as market the fact that we are Cat in the Hat’s hometown. The city could partner up with RUN413 — they organize many road races for charity in the area. Proceeds from the event could go help fund literacy programs or the Springfield Museums.”
Finally, the working group believes it is time for the city to have a municipal staff to coordinate such efforts. According to the report, “The city of Boston has created an Office of Tourism, Sports and Entertainment. They have done so based on numerous studies that state that tourism is the fourth largest industry in Massachusetts. Secondly, economic development dollars from professional and amateur sports are something that is making an impact locally … The committee hopes this office would work under the umbrella of the Economic Development Office. The city could employ a marketing expert with experience in tourism, economic development, and hospitality to take charge and create an agenda which will bring some excitement and tangible results to Springfield.”
Curran said Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and president of MGM Resorts International, has said Springfield needs to have a greater number of attractions and events to bring people to the city and an Office of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment could help accomplish that goal.
Curran added Sheehan “could run with any of these ideas.”
Reminder Publishing contacted Sheehan’s office for comment but as of press time did not receive a comment.
