Springfield Union Station gives pop-up restaurants a try as it works to fill vacant space

MASSLIVE (March 10, 2020) — Unfinished space in Springfield’s Union Station is more likely to rent if it’s further along the construction process and closer to being move-in ready, management says.

As it searches for tenants, Union Station is letting pop-up food stands try out the transit hub in hopes that one might decide to locate there permanently.

The Springfield Redevelopment Authority, which owns the 93-year-old station, is advertising for an experienced design company to provide professional design and construction administrative services for a proposed $650,000 to $1.35 million project. Work would include bathrooms on the mezzanine level of proposed office space and work on restaurant space that’s still unused on the first floor, said Christopher J. Moskal, executive director of the Springfield Redevelopment Authority.

Moskal said the authority is paying for the construction out of money it has left over from the state, local and federal money it used in the $103 million rehab of Union Station, a project driven by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield. The design fee has been set not to exceed $75,000.

Proposals are due March 17, and bidders must attend a mandatory site visit at 10 a.m. Friday, according to legal notices announcing the plan.

“We’ve noticed the need for speed among potential tenants,” said Paul M. Stelzer, president of Appleton Corp., which manages the property on behalf of the Springfield Redevelopment Authority. “They want to be in a place quickly.”

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