Tesla has gained a key approval as it looks to open its first store in Western Massachusetts, adding on to a recent authorization it gained to construct a service center.
After Tesla was approved to build a service center at 365 Caldwell Drive in East Springfield late last year, the company has now returned to City Council to request the project add a store to the approved service location, gaining unanimous approval, according to local outlet Mass Live.
Credit: officespace.com
The project will be built into a roughly 35,700-square-foot building at the site, which is zoned for business use. The parking lot has enough space for roughly 360 cars to park, considered more than what the service and sales center would require.
Along with gaining approval from the City Council, Tesla was endorsed for the project by the East Springfield Neighborhood Council after it presented five conditions under which the project could be pursued. These were primarily focused on safeguarding homeowner quality of life near the property, according to the neighborhood council’s President, Kathy Brown.
“We appreciate the attention to detail and neighborhood council is in full support,” Brown said.
The conditions include a need to shield light from surrounding neighborhoods, and that the six on-site charging stations for the project only be used for the business and its customers. In addition, the conditions require Tesla to keep an existing fence and remains of mature trees at the site.
Grey Hannah, Development Officer for 6S Development, says that, while there will be some of Tesla’s vehicles available for demo drives, the company’s online ordering system means that most cars on-site will be for customers who have already ordered them. He also notes that the site is expected to generate around 30 jobs for Springfield.
Prior to being developed for Tesla, the Caldwell Drive location was home to The American Career Institute, which closed in 2013 and faces an investigation from the Attorney General. Since then, the site has been empty and its condition has not been kept up, according to officials.
Until the upcoming Springfield location is completed, the nearest Tesla stores and service centers to those in Western Massachusetts include those in and around Boston, on the Eastern side of the state, as well as others outside in Latham, New York, in Uncasville and Milford, Connecticut, and in Providence, Rhode Island.
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