Page 6 - BusinessWest July 25, 2022

Springfield would have that on their radar.”
But there are very few spots in the city that can
accommodate a new courthouse. Picknelly says he has one — or can assemble one.
The land in question has been considered for everything from a casino to a site for a UMass Springfield campus to the possible home for a minor-league baseball stadium. But it remains undeveloped and needs a spark to become a real asset for the city.
The proposed courthouse, a true public-pri- vate endeavor, could become that spark, he said,
“I don’t think people realize how much activity a courthouse brings to a community. It’s an economic- development driver.”
adding that this project, if it comes to fruition — and there are many hurdles to clear, as we’ll see — could lead to additional development along the riverfront and in the North End.
“I think this is an exciting opportunity for our city to expand its downtown area and open up the river, finally, for all sorts of activities,” said Picknelly, who called the Court Square initiative a ‘legacy project,’ and believes the same term could be applied to the courthouse endeavor. “We’ve always thought that our land on the riverfront was underutilized, and that, at some point, it should be developed, and this seemed like a great opportunity, so we’re running with it, and we
think it has some legs.” For this issue, Busi- nessWest looks at Pick-
nelly’s impressive devel- opment track record and how this latest project would become an intrigu- ing next chapter.
Right Place, Right Time
Picknelly said OPAL is an acronym, with those letters starting the names of his four children — Olivia, Peter, Alyssa, and Lauryn.
Over the years, it has
become synonymous
with large-scale, often
difficult projects that
often involve public-
private partnerships. The
Picknelly Adult and Fam-
ily Education Center on
Maple Street in Holyoke,
which houses bus ser-
vices on the ground floor
and Holyoke Community College’s Adult Learning Center on the upper floors, is one example, while the Court Square project, which boasts an array of partners, including the state, MGM Springfield, Winn Development, and OPAL itself, is another.
Picknelly said that he and his team at OPAL look for development opportunities across the region, often responding to requests for proposals
OPAL Real Estate has become part of a number of ambitious public-private development initiatives, including the ongoing work to transform the former Court Square Hotel into market-rate housing.
Photo by Joe Santa Maria, Kill the Ball Media
for specific buildings and properties, as in Holy- oke and Court Square, but often by being proac- tive, sometimes with property owned by Picknelly or Peter Pan.
Such is the case with the existing Hampden County courthouse and the need to find a solu- tion to the ongoing health problems there.
Picknelly and his team at OPAL first became involved with the goal of perhaps finding a tem-
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6 JULY 25, 2022
FEATURE
BusinessWest