Springfield City Council approves Boston Road dispensary special permit

June 14, 2022 | Matt Conway
mconway@thereminder.com

Sabino J. Caracciolo presents a special permit request for a dispensary a Boston Road.
Photo Credit: Focus Springfield

SPRINGFIELD – A dispensary moving into a dormant Boston Road location received special permit approval from the City Council during their June 6 meeting.

The project from KUR Retailers intends to open a recreational dispensary in the former Russell’s Restaurant location on 461 Boston Rd. Since Russell’s closing, the area remained without a use over the last decade.

President of KUR Retailers Sabino J. Caracciolo showcased a presentation with his team during the council’s May 23 public hearings meeting. Caracciolo explained that the development of the space will include a 3,000 square ft. retail location and one acre committed to community development, which includes one-third acre dedicated to a pocket park space. The total area is formed by two separate land parcels.

The $1.2 million project expects to endure a nine-month construction timeline. Caracciolo said his team hired a local construction company, architect, engineering and vendors for the project. Before meeting with the council, the dispensary received support from abutting landowners and the Pine Point Community Council.

Local community and entrepreneurial leader Ryan McCollum shared details about the dispensary’s social equity efforts. Along with ensuring diverse employment, the entity will also develop an entrepreneur incubation hub to aid people who have been disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs, according to McCollum.

McCollum said the dispensary’s development could bring activity to a once-prosperous area.

“There was stuff to do right there. Right now…it seems like a place where people are driving through, and it doesn’t have that vitality that it should. We want to help revitalize the neighborhood as well,” said McCollum. The community leader also said the pocket park proposal is “unique” and he envisions it as a space where food trucks and concerts could potentially be featured.

During the June 6 meeting, the council voted in unanimous support for the special permit request.

Update on Kavanagh

The City Council also continued discussion on a mixed-use building space intending to open in the former Kavanagh Furniture space on 443 State St. Previously, Kavanagh inhabited the space for 135 years as one of the city’s oldest retail locations. The space remains vacant since Kavanagh’s shuttered their services in 2009.

Donald Mitchell of Renaissance Development LLC presented the project initially during the May 23 meeting. He said the project features a partnership between he and the local nonprofit Mental Health Associates. The partnership allows Mental Health Associates to lease 25 of the space’s 31 one-bedroom apartment spaces, as well as half of the area’s commercial space.

City Councilors At-Large Kateri Walsh and Justin Hurst expressed support for the project during the initial presentation. However, Ward 5 City Councilor Malo Brown aired some concerns during the June 6 meeting.

Brown said constituents expressed worries about the project’s proximity to a high school.

“As far as the neighborhood councils and people in my area, they are really terrified…You’re talking about putting right next to the high school an at-risk population that we do want to mentor and love, but I don’t want to place them right near the kids entering and leaving the school,” said Brown.

Brown motioned for the item to be continued for a future meeting. The item was ultimately continued in a 7-5 vote.

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