Getting Answers: plans for former Saga nightclub in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Plans to do a full transformation on a Springfield nightclub are in full swing after a deadly shooting forced the business to close down in March 2022.

The new owner and manager of the former Saga Nightclub on Worthington Street in Springfield have a vision for the new property. In a virtual meeting this week with the city’s Board of License Commissioners, their lawyer, Dan Kelley, described their plan in three words.

“Not a nightclub,” Kelley explained.

Inside the building, the new owners have already started construction to transform the former nightclub into a family friendly restaurant. Kelley said they’ve already taken out part of the bar area and made it into a small kitchen, so they can focus on food.

“They’ve taken out all the DJ booths and the lights, they’ve taken. They’ve done some nice remodeling. For the certain area there that was part of the sit-down area, they’ve converted that into a small little kitchen,” Kelley added.

Kelley added that the owners of the property are familiar faces in the community. One owner is a softball coach at Putnam High School in Springfield, while the other is a pastry chef, who was head baker at UMass Amherst.

“One of the things they promote to you, when you’re looking to go to UMass, is ‘Here, we have one of the best food services around.’ I need all the things; the kids rate UMass one of the highest rated food programs in the country,” Kelley said.

He said that his clients hope to create an area where teens can congregate after sports and other extracurriculars in the afternoon and where adults can spend a night out.

“…And listen to some music, quiet, not crazy music, not loud, no nightclub dancing type of atmosphere, and this is something that they’re hoping this will be…kind of a place for the community goes for live comedy and come after a sporting event,” Kelley noted.

The petition to transfer the liquor license to the new owners has been approved. However, there is no news on when this new business will open. Meanwhile, the top two floors of the Worthington Street property are being folded into The Zone Nightclub.

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