Community concerned after Springfield city council voted to approve pick n’ pull
By Kaylee Pugliese, Olivia Hickey
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SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts (WGGB, WSHM-LD) — Springfield city council unanimously voted and approved a proposal for a pick n’ pull to occupy a former towing site on Liberty Street back in April. Now there’s pushback from the community.
“I have another fear that do we wanna become the junkyard of western New England,” said Rod Sitterly, owner of Sitterly Movers, located across the street from the lot.
Sitterly said the damaged cars won’t be visually friendly. Something city leaders like Tracye Whitfield are wary about.
“We didn’t want it to be an eyesore for the neighborhood or for folks driving across the highway so we asked questions, what is it going to look like a junkyard, if it’s gonna function like a junkyard and absolutely said no it would not,” said Whitfield.
She said she wanted people to refrain from using the term “junkyard,” and also wants to remind residents is a recycled auto parts store.
“They will sell some used parts, it’s a retail center, so I don’t like it to be termed or coined a junkyard, that’s not the label that they use for themselves,” said Whitfield.
“Cars are going to come in in various states and people are going to come and take parts off of those cars to fix their own cars,” said Sitterly.
Sitterly said he was told thousands of customers are expected to travel up Liberty Street per month for a pick n’ pull.
“That is going to be a disaster especially for the intersection of Chesnut Street, which is a one-way and Liberty Street which is fairly narrow,” said Sitterly.
This comes after the city received a lawsuit from Davenport Companies; a developer who proposed a multi-million dollar plan for a nearby housing complex asking for a new hearing to be held and a new notice to be sent to abutters, or those who own nearby property, as well as for a re-do of the vote.
Now city leaders will meet to discuss the lawsuit.
“I don’t know if a reconsider will come up because we haven’t had the meeting yet, but just to give us some background and see what our options are as far as the lawsuit goes,” said Whitfield.
Springfield city councilors will meet in an executive session Monday, meaning it won’t be open to the public, about the plan and to discuss litigations.
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