Editorial

Giving Credit Where It’s Due

When Kevin Kennedy took over as Springfield’s chief development officer in late 2011, BusinessWest asked the long-time aide to Congressman Richard Neal why he wanted to take on that rugged assignment at that point in his career.

He started with an answer you might expect, something about how this was a considerable challenge and how he liked challenges, especially this one. He then gave a reply one might not expect, unless they know him well.

“I’ve proven I can get things done,” he said with a voice brimming with confidence. “And that’s what the city needs right now — someone who can get things done.”

Kennedy was referring to such projects as the new federal courthouse on State Street, a Neal-led initiative where he was essentially point person; the State Street corridor project, another Neal initiative, which enhanced a lengthy stretch of that road; and Union Station, a project that was not yet started when he moved into his city office on Tapley Street, but one that’s well on its way, largely because of his persistence and the belief he shared with Neal that the long-shuttered landmark was a key to further development in the city.

We’ve long been skeptical about what a revitalized Union Station means for Springfield, but there is no debating that, over the past two and half years, Kennedy has shown that he can get things done, and we believe he’s in large part responsible for a can-do attitude that exists now in this city.

And that’s important, because for too long, there had been a ‘can’t-do’ attitude here, one that stifled growth, especially when it involved the private sector.

Before elaborating on Kennedy’s track record to date, we have to admit that he’s benefited from being in the right place at the right time. Indeed, this a time when Baystate Health boldly went forward with its $250 million Hospital of the Future project despite a balky economy; when UMass Amherst, amid seemingly non-stop prodding to do something, anything, to help bolster Springfield’s downtown, came forward with plans to build a satellite center there (the welcome center is already open); when the state has committed to spending more than $200 million to fix the viaduct portion of I-91; when the state wanted to help the city by making it the site for a backup data center; and, last but certainly not least, when the gaming industry made Springfield the city of choice for the Western Mass. resort casino.

Those projects account for a huge chunk of the $2.5 billion in development projects recently completed or in various forms of progress in Springfield, as outlined at a recent event held at CityStage to show just how much is happening in the City of Homes beyond the casino planned for the South End. And while it’s fair to say that most of that would have happened no matter who was in the chief development officer’s chair, these projects did not happen in a vacuum.

Instead, they happened because city departments and economic-development agencies are coordinating their efforts in ways we haven’t seen in some time, and also because there seems to be an actual development plan for Springfield — again, something we haven’t seen for a while. And Kennedy deserves credit for both.

The plan involves using one project to leverage further development in a given area and create momentum. This was seen on State Street, where the courthouse, data center, and corridor enhancements have spurred new projects, such as a planned grocery store and restoration of the Gunn Block, with more in the works. On Main Street, meanwhile, the plan is to take momentum from Union Station, the UMass satellite center, and other initiatives to create a long stretch of progress from the North End, where several new medical facilities have opened, to the tornado-ravaged South End and the planned casino site.

From there … well, the plan is to generate additional momentum through more success stories and more evidence that Springfield is a place where things can happen.

There is still considerable work to be done in this city, but Kennedy has proven that he can, indeed, get things done. And as he said, that’s what Springfield needs right now.