Downtown Springfield. iStock photo
A development team that includes Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Interim Executive Director John Barros has been selected to build Springfield’s new regional courthouse.
The Massachusetts Trial Court, working with the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, provisionally selected the Liberty Junction team to redevelop 125 Liberty St. into the future Springfield Regional Justice Center under a long-term lease. The project will replace the aging Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse and consolidate court operations now split between two downtown buildings into a modern facility expected to open in 2030.
The project is intended to address longstanding deficiencies at the existing courthouse, which state officials say has been linked to health issues, no longer meets operational needs and would be costly to renovate. Officials also said the lease model will allow the courthouse to be delivered years sooner than a traditional state construction project while lowering costs.
Barros, who has led the MCCA on an interim basis since January and is expected to remain in that role through at least the end of the year, is a principal of Boston-based CoJo Partners, a minority-owned real estate development and investment firm that is part of the Liberty Junction team. The Boston Business Journal first reported Barros’s connection to the project. Another partner of CoJo Partners is Conan Harris, the husband of U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley.
The MCCA oversees one of Springfield’s largest economic drivers, the MassMutual Center, along with two convention centers in Boston. Before joining the authority, Barros served as Boston’s chief of economic development and later entered private real estate development.
Team Picked After Barros Joined MCCA
The request for proposals for the courthouse was issued and bids were due in late 2025, before Barros joined the MCCA in January. The Liberty Junction proposal, however, was selected after he became the authority’s interim executive director. Barros did not return a request for comment.
The Liberty Junction team includes national developer FD Stonewater, CoJo Partners and Suffolk Construction as general contractor. The project will retain the Roderick L. Ireland name while replacing the existing courthouse and the neighboring housing court with a single regional justice center on the other side of downtown Springfield.
State officials said Liberty Junction’s proposal offered the strongest overall value. According to DCAMM, it featured “the lowest-cost proposal submitted among all respondents,” “a project delivery schedule that is among the fastest proposed,” an experienced development team, a downtown location with strong multimodal transportation access and a building design that exceeds current energy code requirements to support the state’s climate and decarbonization goals.
The proposal calls for a 6-story, L-shaped courthouse designed to maximize space efficiency while bringing natural light into every courtroom. The site at 125 Liberty St. is within walking distance of Union Station, 21 bus lines, regional highways and nearby parking.
Project Beat 10 Competitors
Liberty Junction’s selection followed an evaluation of 10 proposals by a committee of Trial Court and DCAMM staff, which reviewed each submission based on location, cost, project delivery schedule and overall value to the commonwealth.
“After a thorough and competitive procurement process with several strong proposals, the Liberty Junction Team emerged as the best value proposal in the eyes of the Trial Court,” DCAMM Commissioner Adam Baacke said. “Their experience, an efficient layout that effectively meets functional and security requirements, a downtown location that can catalyze revitalization, and the project’s comparative cost savings make this an excellent outcome for the Commonwealth and the Springfield community.”
Supporters of the replacement say a new courthouse will address longstanding health and building condition concerns at the existing Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse.
In a letter supporting the project, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno wrote, “Five people who worked in the existing courthouse have died of ALS. Additionally, 60 cases of cancer have been linked to people working in the building.” He added that the courthouse “has a long history of problems regarding dust, mold, leaky roofs, and windows as well as people experiencing fatigue and respiratory problems.”
