Springfield Forward Goes to State in Opposition to Longhill Gardens Proposal
by Bill Dusty
Last week, while the staff of the Springfield Intruder was on vacation (all one of us), the Springfield neighborhood group “Springfield Forward” sent out an 8-page press release detailing their opposition to a decision made earlier this year to award a redevelopment deal to the property management company WinnCompanies for their plan to redevelop a long-troubled former condominium complex, Longhill Gardens, located along Longhill Street in the city’s Forest Park section.
In the release, the group announced that they had filed an appeal with the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development regarding the decision by Mayor Domenic Sarno to support the WinnCompanies plan to redevelop the now-vacant Longhill Gardens property.
WinnCompanies won the deal this past spring with a proposal to create “quality” affordable housing. Residents opposing the deal, led by Springfield Forward, insist that the deal is merely another mechanism to bring in even more low income residents to a city already plagued by crippling levels of poverty.
From the press release:
“THE STATE OF MA IS IN A FISCAL CRISIS, YET THE STATE IS ON THE VERGE OF APPROVING SOME $15-20 MILLION IN TAX CREDITS OR SUBSIDIES TO BUILD MORE SUBSIDIZED RENTAL LOW-INCOME ONLY HOUSING IN SPRINGFIELD, A CITY WHICH ALREADY SUPPORTS MORE THAN ITS’ FAIR SHARE OF LOW-INCOME HOUSING AND SERVICES FOR THE POOR.”
Many of the Longhill Gardens units were condemned by the City in June of 2007. The WinnCompany deal was conditioned upon, among other things, the company gaining state funding assistance, with a decision on state aid due to be made this month.
The Springfield Forward press release listed twelve points of contention with the city’s proposed deal with WinnCompanies. Among their issues were:
- That the City of Springfield already had a 17% share of low income housing stock, and that the WinnDevelopment deal would be adding 111 more low income units to a neighborhood (Forest Park) already over-burdened with such housing.
- That the Forest Park Civic Association (FPCA) had conducted meetings and held votes without the participation of the general public, and that these meetings and votes were later given as evidence of “unanimous” community support.
- That at a February 24, 2008, meeting held to allow WinnDevelopment to present their proposal, the company included no plans, no actual written proposal, and “no documentation for anyone to review.”
- That WinnDevelopment had “advised” those present during the February 24 meeting that the company had cleared and boarded up buildings at Longhill Gardens at their own expense, and that they would continue to care for the property while their bid awaited approval from the city and the state. Yet on-site inspections performed this past July allegedly discovered the property to be “littered with debris, broken glass and broken windows,” with 2-foot grass and “garbage everywhere.”
- That the City of Springfield ignored over 350 signed letters opposing the WinnDevelopment plan, and that “hundreds of telephone calls” to Mayor Sarno were ignored.
- That the two neighborhood associations involved in voting on the development deal – the Forest Park Civic Association and Concerned Citizens of Springfield – have members who serve on the boards of both organizations, yet the voting results of both boards have been represented as being two separate votes.
- That the Northern Heights property along Central Street, which is managed by WinnCompanies and is being touted as a model of their success, is no oasis of calm but rather yet another hotbed of city crime.
- That the crime rate has dropped “dramatically” since Longhill Gardens was closed last December.
- That area residents have been assured that no other developers were interested in the Longhill property, yet when asked what other developers were approached, no names have ever been given.
- That no local lawmakers have responded to Springfield Forward’s concerns and inquiries, and that only Governor Deval Patrick’s office has agreed to review their position (via the Department of Housing and Community Development).
The Springfield Forward press release then listed eight position points the group is advocating:
- Springfield Forward advocates that taxpayer funds should not be used to further increase the already overburdened subsidized low income housing stock in Springfield, and in particular, Forest Park.
- Springfield Forward advocates competition from Real Estate Developers who truly have community support and not the illusion of disinterested community groups who allege to represent the community.
- Springfield Forward states with full confidence, that since the closure of Longhill Gardens, the vast majority of the residents are pleased with the decrease in crime.
- Springfield Forward counters the naysayers who tried to use scare tactics that the sky would fall if Longhill Gardens was left abandoned. Over the past six months, CRIME IS DOWN 15% in Springfield.
- Springfield Forward counters the naysayers who scared Mayor Sarno into believing this was the best deal and the ONLY deal Springfield was going to get.
- Taxpayer monies should not be used to bail out Citibank’s foreclosure mess at Longhill Gardens by supporting the Winn Plan for redevelopment.
- Springfield Forward believes that Springfield has become a regional dumping ground for the poor and disadvantaged. Our social services are overwhelmed and this City cannot sustain additional subsidized housing.
- Springfield Forward believes that the amount of money being sought by Winn can be better used to bring existing Springfield subsidized housing up to code rather than to build a new place to warehouse those among us who deserve better than being stuck in another “Murder Alley.”
More on the WinnCompanies deal to redevelop the Longhill Gardens property can read here:
- Developer Plans to Fix Troubled Condos (Republican – February, 2008)
- Springfield Forward Opposes Longhill Proposal (Urban Compass – March, 2008)
- Sarno Weighs Decision on Longhill Proposal (Urban Compass – March, 2008)
- Longhill Gardens Project Decision Due (Republican – July, 2008)
29 Responses for “Springfield Forward Goes to State in Opposition to Longhill Gardens Proposal”
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We read in Forbes and the Advocate last week about the “dying” of the city and how the lack of leadership in part led to our economic decline. Here is one sparkling example of Springfield wasting an opportunity to enhance our city. Time to contact the Mayor’s Office and ask that he withdraw support for The Winn proposal because they have not reached out to the community for input.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPOQK5bYbeI
I’m sorry, didn’t you know that WinnDevelopment is connected to the same crime family Sarno is in?
The fix was in long ago, and this is obviously the template for future corruption in city hall. It’s like the heydays of the Hurley administration again. If you got the $$, city hall has got time for you and your projects.
Of course, I can’t say that the city doesn’t deserve what it gets- they voted Sarno in and they deserve what they get. Following the analogy in the Forbes article, apparently Sprinfield has chosen assisted suicide for it’s final days.
If only the city would get over it’s death throws, it might finally have the oppurtunity to be reborn clean and competent.
Until that time, sad as it seems. Forbes got it right.
I don’t know about crime families but it sounds like Springfield’s “leaders” are not waiting for the control board to leave town to go back to their old corrupt ways. Please post contact info for Springfield Forward.
Get a grip, people. Try and summon up a tiny bit of optimism that Winn will make Longhill Gardens a neighborhood asset once more. The homeowners living nearest the complex who have had the most exposure to recent problems there approve of the Winn plan, so shouldn’t the rest of us should at least give it a chance before jumping in to criticize?
After all, does Springfield really need more beefing and whining?
Note to Bill: Are the above posts actually from different individuals or is one person posting here under different screen names?
I posted one and one post only. One can only ponder why this was stated with no reason. It surely seems like an attempt to stifle an opinion you disagree with Sheila. What are you insuating without having any evidence?
Now lets talk naivete. Winn has a track record of troubled developments, bypassed the bidding process, and clearly doesn’t pass the smell test in any possible way.
I can only wonder about the hidden agendas of those who seem to think and condone the clearly corrupt machinations of yet another greedy corporate entity to have a negative effect on the community. Taking a proactive approach to ensure the community is not defrauded and obtains the best deal possible is a postive social aspect, not a negative one as
Shiela’s post would have you belive that blind optimism alone will prevent any shady deals or corruption from entering the process. This is total bunk and is nothing more than a simplified view of a complex issue.
Failing to take action before the situation deteriorates is the hallmark of the stupidity currently infecting the city, and just one more reason why the Forbes article appears to hit home.
I live near Longhill Gardens and I DO NOT APPROVE of the current plan and neither do any of my neighbors. I understand the Mayor’s office received less than 50 letters in support and over 350 letters in opposition. This community is NOT IN FAVOR of the current plan. End of story. No propoganda is going to change that fact.
I posted the first comment under Longhill Gardens Revisited. This is my secong post on the subject. I have updated my thoughts. Thank you posters and Bill for allowing me this opportunity for a twin spin. We need to continue to speak out on this subject.
http://www.springfieldmedia.com/Longhill_Gardens.html
PS Is the definition of “asset” a place that generates hundreds of police calls, is associated with murder and murderers and lowers quality of life and property values?
Springfield Forward is on the net at http://www.springfieldforward.com
Anonymous posts carry less weight than those whose authors with the courage to identify themselves. These “posts” sound like they are by the same hyped up, over-stimulated individual.
Calm down, neighbor. It will be OK.
No Sheila, anonymous posts often carrry more weight. Either way, the words speak for themselves. It’s the content, not the conveyor that matters.
Complacency will get you nowhere, activism will stop the issue once it his the threshold for general public awareness. One can only speculate as to why some on the forum don’t think this is worth taking a stand for. Sounds like a cowardly stance to me.
Greg-
Exactly what troubled developments are you referring to that Winn owns? Have you actually taken the time to tour the properties they currently own? As far as I can see they run extremelly well managed properties, with on site property management.
In addition, besides innuendo and gossip, can you show evidence that Winn bypassed the bidding process, because I’m pretty sure you can’t?
I think you and all of the Springfield Forwarders are very confused. Longhill Gardens was not and is not owned by the City of Springfield. It is a privately owned property, therefore the owner is not subject to any bidding requirements and can sell the property to whomever they choose, without soliciting any input from the City, neighbors or elected officials.
Springfield Forward keeps yelling about how the City needs to solicit more proposals. I’ve got some news for you the City was never soliciting any proposals for the redevelopment of the property, due to the fact that they were not the owners of the property therefore they had no right to sell the property??!
I’ve got a little more news for you the Longhill Gardens project doesn’t work without public funding. Unfortunately the property needs so much work that it is not profitable for a private developer to buy it and redevelop it for “market rate housing” (which by the way is what Longhill Gardens was before this whole debacle). The only way the project can happen is with public funding to cover the amount of the re-development that exceeds the amount that could make it profitable and unfortunately the instant a developer uses public money on a project the STATE and FEDERAL government mandate that there must be a certain number of affordable housing units. Just because a property has units designated as affordable housing, doesn’t necessarily mean it will be neglected. As long as the owner/property manager is responsible affordable housing can actually be very nice. Perhaps Springfield Forward should try to organize a meeting with Winn and City officials and instead of irrationally approaching this whole situation- actually try to listen to what people who do revelopment everyday for a living are trying to explain, it might make more sense when you think it through rationally and not with a NIMBY attitude.
Interesting Sheila, why do you assume “greg” is part of Springfield Forward? Upon what factual basis do you make this assertion?
Clips4U,
Although I do “live in reality,” I post here using my own name, so I couldn’t also be the poster “Living in Reality.”
I do agree with Living in Reality’s analysis, though.
Sheila,
“live in reality”…please keep me out of that one…sorry, try someone else.
It appears some clean up was done at the site, it also appears there is more yet to be done. “In reality” these are code violations.
http://photos.masslive.com/photogallery/2008/08/17/
Sheila,
As a member of Concerned Citizens for Springfield (”CCS”), a group that lobbied our public officials in Springfield to use taxpayer money in the form of state and federal tax credits for the Winn Plan, can you inform us what steps CCS took since March 2008 to hold Winn accountable to the statements that Gilbert Winn made on Feb. 24th to keep Longhill Gardens boarded and (i.e., at Winns expense) to “protect the property” during the application process for state and federal tax credits?
Since your group owns several units at Longhill Gardens, what steps has CCS taken to clean up Longhill Gardens since March 2008?
Message received this morning at 8:01am from Winn:
“We had the grass cut last Monday but will make sure what was missed is taken care of right away.
In addition, we continue to have someone pick up the trash twice a week but people are dumping more and more at the site. I will speak with our maintenance person this morning.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”
Thank you Sheila,
Since March, however, Winn did not pick up the trash in any observable way, if at all, and did not cut the grass…in fact it was six feet in some places and to this day, has allowed smashed window boards and furniture to pile up. How do I know, I’ve made personal visits on site. Last week’s mowing was confined to Longhill Street, while the rest of the development was ignored. Winn gets a failing grade between March through July, to “board” and “protect” the property.
All of the above would not even be an issue had Winn not made statements on Feb. 24th at the Forest Park Civic Association Annual meeting to “board” and “protect” the property during the state funding application process…words, not deeds speak volumes …
It is important that everyone, proponents and opponents alike, stay on top of what the Longhill Gardens site looks like. Sadly, problems of vandalism, trespassing and illegal dumping are to be expected at any vacant property.
Illegal dumpers, vandals, and trespassers observed there should be reported to the police. And, of course, any citizen is free to report overgrowth, litter and dumping to code enforcement using the city website or telephone number.
By now the public gets the picture.
Progress is being made in cleaning up the site after many months of decay. That does not answer HOW Longhill Gardens escaped scrutiny of blatant code violations. Apparently, some local citizens have a hot line to the developer. Why has it taken so long for a clean up to occur?
http://photos.masslive.com/photogallery/2008/08/18/
Corporate Headquarters
Six Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
Telephone: 617 742 4500
Fax: 617 742 0725
E-mail: info@winnco.com
Alrighty now. To whom would you suggest code violations about this property be made? To the owner from New York who is a slumlord? Did he care when he was in charge? You all know the answer to that.
If the City had a spare 7+ million dollars they might have purchased this property and torn it down. But, they didn’t and a legitimate developer was interested in it, not a slumlord, so why not be grateful that a company with national experience is interested in investing in Springfield.
Affordable housing doesn’t mean that it is low quality housing for low quality people.
The representative from the Winn Companies told folks at one meeting that I was at that they took 3 tenants from Longhill Gardens into their properties when everyone was evicted. Of course not everyone applied for apartments in their buildings, but they say that they do careful tenant selection which is really necessary whenever one owns rental property.
At least we agree there are code violations at Longhill Gardens today! THANK YOU!! Let’s repeat that again, THERE ARE CODE VIOLATIONS TODAY IN LONGHILL GARDENS…good, I got that off my chest – thank you Bella.
Having lived in a low income income housing project, I can say with a 1000% certainty, it breeds criminals…I wish even “low quality” as you say, will live in Longhill Gardens (if it returns) but you can’t even place the word “quality” in the context of low income housing if you’ve lived in one…have you lived in a slum Bella? I have! How many people who support this Winn Project have actually “lived” in poverty, in a low income project slum? I have! Was I mugged? Yes!! Did I live in fear? You bet!!! Would I let my children live there, never! Are you willing to let your children or grandchildren live in Longhill Gardens Bella?
The horror of that life will return to Longhill Gardens….despite your glowing and uncritical endorsement of the Winn Plan…this is a train wreak that will put the final nail in Forest Park’s coffin…but not so fast…the body still kicks, its still ALIVE and its not because of the great veggie’s you’ve brought into the Farmers Market….nope, it’s because people have seen the LIGHT!
Calm down, Clips4U.
Are you actually HOPING things will turn out badly at Longhill Gardens so you can say you told us so? Why are you so intent on spreading dread and panic? And perhaps you might think twice about making assumptions about the life experience of people, such as Bell-Rita, whom you do not know well. The life experiences of many of neighbors with whom you disagree on this issue may surprise you.
Time will tell if you are right about what the future holds for Longhill Gardens. If after two or three years the Winn Corporation has blown it, you will have ample time to tell us how foolish we have been. In the meantime, it would be more constructive to find another cause.
The best way to assure that Winn will not “blow it” is by not allowing that project to be reopened. What if Winn has less than 100% occupancy, will they change the tenant selection policy . Suppose Winn sells Longhill Gardens or they go bankrupt or change hands.
The MAJORITY of the neighborhood has spoken out against this project. It is the same 12-15 people pushing for it. Springfield Forward has demanded a public meeting and Winn and its supporters keep squashing that idea and doing everything they can to make SURE no public meeting takes place. The Mayor has dropped the ball – even his conditional support letter requires a public meeting and agreement from the neighborhood BEFORE Winn gets any public funding. Even without a public meeting, the majority of the community has spoken – NO WINN REDEVELOPMENT OF LONGHILL GARDENS. However, for some reason, other than this site, no media will publish the story, no public meeting will be scheduled, and the players will be making big bucks. Same ol’ same ol’ in Springfield. 5 years from now all those who support this project will have taken their money and bailed, and the rest of the community will have a direct hotline to the police. As I heard someone say: If you keep doing the same thing, you will keep getting the same results. Get ready Springfield! A dark day is a comin.
Surprise! More on Winn and Longhill! Now, for your entertainment pleasure, may I suggest going to apartmentratings.com, and checking into the feedback from people who have rented at the lovely and peaceful Mill Valley Estates Luxury Apartments in Amherst, another Winn project – supposedly an upscale project – which just may portend what the current proposed low-income only project at Longhill may end up being like. May I suggest for your dining pleasure the posts: “Run the Other Way,” or the tasty “Horrible, Unsafe, Incompetent Mgmt, Even if You’re Broke, Go Somewhere Else”, or how about the ever delectible, “Don’t Live Here” or the effervescent “Worst Apartment Experience I Ever Had.” One of my favorites was “Unsafe”, and I got a real chuckle out of “Worst Apartment Ever – Stay Away!” Just delightful. 17 posts, the majority negative. OK, to be fair there were a few anonymous positive posts (NoPol? Sheila? Investors looking out for their investment?) And who would have thought there would be all these negative opinions for an UPSCALE, LUXURY Winn project? Simply amazing. Oh yes, get ready Forest Park, get ready Springfield.
And the Mayor and City Hall wonder why we cannot attract middle-income families to the City? Why businesses keep leaving rather than new businesses locating here? Why main street has empty store after empty store after empty store? Why Tower Square is almost vacant? I’ve got news for you lunkheads – NO WORKING, TAX PAYING, MIDDLE CLASS FAMILY IS MOVING HERE OR INVESTING IN SPRINGFIELD if you KEEP BUILDING PROJECTS LIKE LONGHILL GARDENS! As long as you keep taking care of the few (insiders?) at the expense of the many (the neighborhood and the City) then YOU are the cause of Springfield’s demise.
No public meeting yet? I am SO surprised!
I wonder how the Fed investigation is going in Boston?
It is now February 2009 and still no public meeting. Still the same 10-12 folks speaking out in favor of this project and knocking those who oppose it. Yet, there are HUNDREDS OF NO LONGHILL SIGNS up throughout the neighborhood. Still, those supporters tell us to calm down and “give it a chance.” NO. NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT – and here is why. Once this project is completed and tenanted, we are stuck with it for 30 YEARS! THAT’S RIGHT. 30 YEARS!!! So, if it turns out to be the hellish nightmare that Northern Heights or Alan Park (other Winn projects) have turned out to be, there is absolutely nothing we can do about it then. We will be stuck with it for 30 YEARS! The time to NOT be calm is NOW —- BEFORE THE THING IS BUILT. The time to speak out against it is NOW — BEFORE THE THING IS BUILT. Sheila and BellRita would have us sit back and calm down and give it a chance until it is way too late to do anything about it. Sorry gals. No dice. This neighborhood DOES NOT WANT THIS PROJECT. And this neighborhood will fight it and speak out and shout out and put signs up and write letters and write on blogs and talk to the authorities and do whatever we can to stop this BEFORE it becomes our worst nightmare. If you like this project so much, there are still a few low-income projects in Boston that you can move into. I suggest to those who think building a ghetto is a great idea that they move into one themselves, rather than forcing the rest of us to have one we don’t want.
Blabit I am totally feeling you on this one. The Mayor and other people involved are the ones benefiting no the neighborhood. If they can only imagine the days of Longhill Street, I think that is what they want so there is an excuse to increase certain departments. Sarno and the rest of them forget about the middle class people. Springfield has TOO MUCH low income housing and besides lets add another so the city can look even more unattractive. I think its time we the people tell city hall whats going to happen and not the other way around. LIke I say all the time in my comments, I cannot wait until someone new that no one ever knows steps to the plate.