A developer's plan to build 32 townhouse-style homes on a sliver of land behind the Boston Road Target has cleared its first major hurdle, with the Springfield Planning Board signing off on a zone change needed to make the project possible. The four-building complex, proposed by Onyx Springfield Crossing LLC, would rise on Fernbank Road as part of the second phase of the sprawling Springfield Crossing redevelopment.
The Planning Board approved the zone change on October 19 without raising concerns, according to MassLive. The proposed housing site covers three acres and sits partly in Residence B zoning, which allows single apartment buildings, and partly in Business A zoning, which allows multi-unit development — hence the need for the zone change to unify the parcel under a single designation that accommodates the full project.
Onyx is the same company that transformed the long-struggling former Eastfield Mall on Boston Road into Springfield Crossing, a $77 million redevelopment that landed Target, PetSmart, BJ's and several other retailers. The new housing would sit on a strip of that same property, between the Target parking lot and Fernbank Road, extending the site's transformation from dead mall to mixed-use destination.
What the Buildings Would Look Like
Each of the four buildings would stand three stories tall, townhouse-style, facing Fernbank Road. Every unit is designed with two bedrooms and a garage, and the complex would include 68 parking spaces — more than what's required under the zoning rules, per the same MassLive report. Driveways would run off Fernbank Road, and a barrier is planned to block cut-through traffic from the adjoining shopping center into the residential section.
The homes are planned to be sold as market-rate condominiums, though that could change. Rachel Fancy, who represents Onyx Partners, has said the housing may be rented instead if demand for apartments outpaces demand for ownership. Earlier in the process, Onyx indicated there was no plan at that time for subsidized, low-income or workforce units — the project has been framed from the start as market-rate housing.
Neighbors Weigh In, Traffic Remains a Concern
Onyx developers met with the Indian Orchard Citizens Council and the Sixteen Acres Civic Association as part of community outreach for the project. Neither group expressed objection to the proposal. The Boston Road neighborhood itself has no dedicated neighborhood council, so the city has worked with those two neighboring councils to gather resident input instead.
Philip Dromey said the housing proposal fits with the surrounding neighborhood because the property abuts Residence C zoning and sits across the street from a large existing apartment complex. During earlier community discussions, some residents raised concerns about added traffic at the intersection of Fernbank and Boston roads — a crossing near Warner School that currently has no traffic signal, the outlet's reporting noted. Most attendees at those meetings said they saw few other downsides to the project, with at least one resident, Don Roberts, suggesting it could help address broader housing problems in the area. Some framed the project as a response to a lack of housing inventory that has been driving up prices and making it harder for buyers to find homes.
What Comes Next
The zone change alone isn't enough to break ground. Onyx officials are expected to appear before the Springfield City Council in November for final zone-change approval and a required special permit, which state law allows for multifamily residential use in commercially zoned areas when the public good would be served, per Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 40A, Section 9. A special permit is required for any building with more than 10 units, which applies to all four proposed structures here.
The site also contains wetlands, meaning the project will need to clear full review from Springfield's Conservation Commission before construction could begin. As recently as October 5, a separate MassLive report on a related Springfield Crossing property sale noted that the housing applications were still pending — a reminder that the zone change is one step in a longer approval process, not a finish line.
Springfield Crossing's housing push arrives as the city has separately celebrated other new construction aimed at the region's housing crunch. Two affordable developments elsewhere in Springfield recently added a combined 122 homes, backed by more than $16 million in federal low-income housing tax credits, according to WWLP. The Springfield Crossing units, by contrast, are planned as market-rate housing, leaving the city's deeper affordability needs to be addressed elsewhere even as the Fernbank Road project edges toward City Council review next month.
