5 Salem Square | Worcester

[ctsketch]

Finally something happened at the former cathedral site! been wondering how long it would take. 163 units, 28k SF commercial and 107 parking spaces

https://www.worcesterma.gov/applications/boards-commissions/planning-board/PB-2023-006%20-%205%20Salem%20Square%20(aka%20109%20Franklin%20Street)%20Preliminary%20Site%20Plan/PB-2023-006%20-%205%20Salem%20Square%20(Prelim%20Site)%20-%20Architecture.pdf

 

[cubalibre]

underground parking
According to the wbj there is designated space for a restaurant and for a supermarket.

 

[ctsketch]

underground parking
According to the wbj there is designated space for a restaurant and for a supermarket.

def need another grocery store downtown and canal

 

[SlothofDespond]

Absolutely hideous but whatever, build it. Especially with the market. That's a game changer for downtown.

 

[stick n move]

Apparently it looks like this now:

https://www.telegram.com/story/news...s-planned-for-downtown-worcester/71288151007/

 

[ctsketch]

Apparently it looks like this now:

https://www.telegram.com/story/news...s-planned-for-downtown-worcester/71288151007/

They are trying to sell the lot

 

[SlothofDespond]

Apparently it looks like this now:

https://www.telegram.com/story/news...s-planned-for-downtown-worcester/71288151007/

Er, that picture is actually the City Square parcel on the corner of Front and Mercantile (across the street from Ruth's Chris). I believe 5 Salem Sq. is actually the corner of Franklin and Church (across from the WPL).

 

[cubalibre]

Looks like this project is not completely dead, just on life support. I wouldn’t hold my breath though. The proposal is also being reworked which rarely means an improvement:

Downtown housing projects on Notre Dame site, Eaton Place given one-year extensions

Foresight Capital, which received approval for its plans at 5 Salem Square and 3 Eaton Place, are revising blueprints for the two buildings.

www.telegram.com

 

[ctsketch]

There is an excavator digging there, anyone know whats up?

 

[themissinglink]

A developer promised to transform a vacant lot in Worcester — 3 years later, it’s still vacant​

Across from the Worcester Public Library, in the heart of downtown, there sits an empty, gated lot that has nothing but gravel, sparse grass and a hole in the pavement. In 2023, plans were approved by the city to build 163 apartments and retail space on this lot, known as 5 Salem Square. Three years later, the site has remained vacant.
[...]
A year after purchasing the property, Foresight Capital brought forward the 163-apartment proposal to the Worcester Planning Board. The plan called for the construction of 163 one- and two-bedroom apartments, including 14 accessible units, above a ground-floor grocery store and restaurant with a patio.
The planning board approved the definitive site plan for the apartments but one year later, Foresight Capital requested a one year extension of the approval. According to the city’s guidebook for developers, if work on an approved site plan is not done within one year, the plan’s approval will expire. The board ultimately granted the extension to the developers.
Though the developers asked for a one year-extension, the approval doesn’t expire until November 2027, according to Thomas Matthews, a spokesperson for City Manager Eric D. Batista.
The reason for the 2027 expiration date is due to the permit extension act, a provision of the Mass Leads Act signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey in 2024. The provision automatically gives a two-year extension to real estate, land use and environmental permits. It applies to approvals in effect between January 1, 2023, and January 1, 2025, according to the law.
Despite the additional time the project has, no building permits have been filed for 5 Salem Square, according to the city’s permit database.