Worcester Ballpark & Redev

So I went to a Woosox game today. Other than being damn hot, I felt underwhelmed by the stadium, given the cost. On a positive note, I did noticed an architecturally interesting building located toward the downtown area. Perhaps other might know what this building.

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Worcester Ballpark District, near Polar Park, to include 201,000-square-foot biotech facility with lab, offices, retail space

The newest neighbor of Polar Park in Worcester will be a 201,000 square-foot biotechnology lab and office building, a real estate and investment management firm announced on Monday.

JLL released renderings for the mixed-use facility at 10 Green Island Blvd, which it will manage.

The latest edition to the Ballpark District will include more than 170,000 square feet of lab and office space with a lab floor area of 33,525 square feet. The development, referred to as SOMA, will also include 11,000 square feet of retail space, a dedicated loading area and dock storage.

.....Madison Properties leads all work within the Ballpark District. In all, there will be seven buildings totaling more than 1 million square feet, JLL said.
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Not sure if this deserves its own thread or should be in here since it's part of the larger ballpark development.
 
Biotech lab, office space, and retail. Construction to start when tenants are signed. Could result in a nice mix with some restaurants, residential, and two(?) hotels. Definitely deserves its own thread once that area starts being built up.
 
Went by the new Worcester ballpark. It is truly ugly as many have opined. Its facade is steel beams, glass, and blue corrugated metal sheeting. It looks more like a shipping container or IKEA store than a baseball park. Very disappointing considering it is the MOST EXPENSIVE minor league park ever built to date. Worcester whiffed on this.
 
To quote

"The stadium project – led by Providence-based Gilbane Building Co. and Los Angeles-based AECOM Hunt – encountered two major delays: The slope of the property meant the ballpark had to be built into the side of a hill, which forced changes in the design and the construction." ...

Gee ... that's a surprise (D'ah). Effing Lucchino wanted the park on the North Side of Madison because of that fact. They could have built it on the South side (flat parcel which is 3x bigger) and not encounter any of these avoidable cost overruns and additional land acquisition and buildings being demolished which really bumped up the cost. You reap what you sow Larry.
 
citydweller said:
To quote

"The stadium project – led by Providence-based Gilbane Building Co. and Los Angeles-based AECOM Hunt – encountered two major delays: The slope of the property meant the ballpark had to be built into the side of a hill, which forced changes in the design and the construction." ...

Gee ... that's a surprise (D'ah). Effing Lucchino wanted the park on the North Side of Madison because of that fact. They could have built it on the South side (flat parcel which is 3x bigger) and not encounter any of these avoidable cost overruns and additional land acquisition and buildings being demolished which really bumped up the cost. You reap what you sow Larry.
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Isn't that side of Madison the former site of Wyman Gordon? I think the potential for soil contamination was far greater there.
 
They just moved one of the Worcester dining cars to the stadium. It is really interesting how much of the stadium design and work isn't actually about the stadium. It is about creating almost a "greatest hits of Worcester" area to build a tourism district in some sort of way.

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A diner can still not hide the fact that the park is very ugly on the outside.

Looks like the WooSox, as many predicted, may be adversely affecting the Bravehearts collegiate league team that plays at Hanover Field on the Holy Cross campus. The Worcester Telegram reported today that it saw its attendance drop by more than half this past season, the first of which they competed with the Woosox. I would think the Bravehearts time in Worcester may be coming to an end in another year or two.
 
The physical aesthetics of the outside is debatable but admittedly it's not the most appealing structure. What does irk me is the lack of seating.
 
citydweller said:
The physical aesthetics of the outside is debatable but admittedly it's not the most appealing structure. What does irk me is the lack of seating.
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Have you had an actual issue getting a ticket? Seating is a fixable problem if there is demand.

I havent been in the park but I like what Ive seen. I know people that have been now and say its great.
 
393b40 said:
Have you had an actual issue getting a ticket? Seating is a fixable problem if there is demand.

I havent been in the park but I like what Ive seen. I know people that have been now and say its great.
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The issue is that tickets are being sold for a ball park that has a maximum capacity of 9,508 but has thousands less fixed seats. Polar park was designed to have many standing only spots for people to congregate and be conveniently (for ownership) located near concessions. Not everyone at a sold out game can be physcially seated simultaneously.
 
393b40 said:
Have you had an actual issue getting a ticket? Seating is a fixable problem if there is demand.

I havent been in the park but I like what Ive seen. I know people that have been now and say its great.
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I went to a game about a month ago. The park is awesome and I loved it. It's a great place to watch a game.
 
I passed by the apartment, gas station and garage developments by the ballpark on my way to work. Foundations finally going in for the apartment building. Metal work going in on garage.

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cubalibre said:
Disappointing that they’re replacing a gas station right on Kelley Square with a newer shinier gas station.
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They are building a third building on the corner facing kelley square that's supposed to be a shop or restaraunt. foundation work for that is just starting
 
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