The site, located at 1200 Hall of Fame Ave., also known as West Columbus Ave., has been fenced in for security.
SPRINGFIELD — Following a prolonged delay, a developer recently began a major renovation project at the former Visitor Information Center off Interstate 91, which will become a Luxe Burger Bar.
“We are extremely excited and eagerly looking forward to the opening,” said Raipher D. Pellegrino, a local developer with Lustra LLC, the development group that purchased the site from the Springfield Redevelopment Authority last June. “We are hopeful it will prove to be another step forward for the city.”
The renovations should be completed by late July, and there could be a “soft” opening of the Luxe Burger Bar restaurant in August followed by a full opening sometime after Labor Day, Pellegrino said. The site on Hall of Fame Avenue abuts Interstate 91 and the Connecticut River.
The site, located at 1200 Hall of Fame Ave., also known as West Columbus Ave., has been fenced in for security, and there has been some exterior and interior work taking place, Pellegrino said.
The project represents an investment of more than $2 million including the purchase price and renovations, Pellegrino said.
Lustra LLC was selected as the preferred developer of the vacant building in December 2011 and was the high bidder, purchasing the site for $450,001, which was finalized last June.
Construction was scheduled to begin last summer, but was delayed by many complications and hurdles, Pellegrino said.
While the project’s start “obviously took much longer than many envisioned,” it was due to unforeseen complications, legal issues, different ownerships involved in the riverfront area and zoning issues, Pellegrino said.
“Renovations are extensive,” Pellegrino said. “It was never used as a restaurant before”
A kitchen must be added among the extensive renovations, and a small addition is needed to help provide adequate space, Pellegrino said.
The former Visitor Information Center has been vacant since the center moved to the nearby Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Local developer Peter Pappas, who had submitted a competing bid of $223,024 for the property in 2011, also proposing a restaurant use, has been critical of the delayed Lustra LLC project. Pappas asked the Springfield Redevelopment Authority to “disqualify” Lustra LLC a year ago, and again recently for failing to move the project forward, asking that the site be re-advertised for bids.
Officials from the redevelopment authority and city recently declined comment on Pappas’ request for disqualification.
Pellegrino praised the Springfield Redevelopment Authority and city departments for their cooperation.
“The collective vision is coming to fruition,” Pellegrino said. “Through the cooperation of everyone, we are now moving forward.”