| The goal of the City of Springfield's $171,000 TCSP grant is to create a model for an urban brownfield development that recaptures the convenience and livability of the 19th century mill town providing the historic precedent for this area. The TCSP project will result in plans for a pedestrian scale environment and a transportation network that enhances the marketability of the area. The project will also undertake the development of models that reflect community input and add to community character. Springfield is an older industrial city covering 33 square miles set in 17 neighborhoods, two of which will be impacted by the grant. These two neighborhoods, Indian Orchard and East Springfield, developed as mill towns and include a polluted 53-acre former mill site, now vacant, in a residential zone of Springfield. This site, the Crane/Chapman Valve brownfield site, is the second largest piece of developable land in the city and has retained its historical architectural components. The problems that plague the former mill site include congestion on the access roads to the site and the non-pedestrian friendly orientation of the city's Main Street. The vision for this transitioning neighborhood includes the creation of a transportation network that enhances the marketability of the area; a model for brownfield development that relies on community input and long-range planning; a development design for urban brownfields that adds to the character of the surrounding neighborhood; and a pedestrian environment that reflects the traditional mill town development patterns. The TCSP work products will include a transportation network assessment, zoning to encourage pedestrian-scale development, brownfield site design, and economic development incentives to encourage a live/work environment.
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