Worcester Infill and Developments

I wonder if the Revs stadium somewhere within walking distance of Union station that way you get commuters easily from Boston/Framingham could work? Obviously Boston is muuuch more ideal but idk, if theyre just not gonna let it happen then I guess screw em n move on then? Maybe a proposal for Worcester will get their ass in gear if theyre in danger of losing their Monopoly...
 
^ Perhaps east of I-290 next to the CSX rail yards or on the Mount Carmel parcel.

There's definitely enough underutilized real estate around Wyman Gordon. Perhaps they could build a new passenger stop there and the commuter rail goes there for game night, though right now those tracks are freight only so I assume the state does not own them.

Some update on the proposed Kelley Square redesign


source:MassLive

Current configuration:

source: Google maps
 
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“Worcester could see millions of square feet of new development if it takes better advantage of Union Station's ties by commuter rail to Boston, according to a new report by think tank MassINC.
The area within roughly a 10-minute walk to the station could see a surge in development in the coming years, including a tenfold growth in the number of residents within an easy walk of the station.”

“In total, the development could add to nearly 10 million square feet in what MassINC calls optimal buildout.”

“Compared to three other cities that MassINC studied — Fitchburg, Lynn and Springfield — Worcester development would need virtually no subsidies in order to make projects economically viable, MassINC determined by looking at building costs and rent prices.”

http://m.wbjournal.com/article/20180430/NEWS01/180439995/report-boston-rail-ties-could-lead-to-major-development-near-union-station

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I still don't get the practicality of deliberately moving near the Station to work in Boston. I'm sure rents are a lot cheaper in Worcester but then again a commuter rail pass is (for now) $363, not to mention you are talking about an hour+ commute on a good day. And you still need a car I imagine.
 
jklo said:
I still don't get the practicality of deliberately moving near the Station to work in Boston. I'm sure rents are a lot cheaper in Worcester but then again a commuter rail pass is (for now) $363, not to mention you are talking about an hour+ commute on a good day. And you still need a car I imagine.
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Seriously. Look at the MBTA's Worcester timetable:

https://www.mbta.com/schedules/CR-Worcester/timetable

Although it looks like decent-enough rush-hour frequency, it's still 85 minutes from Worcester to South Station. So, if you live at Union Station, and your job is inside South Station, and on average over the year the train runs 5 minutes late, you have a 90-minute commute.

But of course you don't live inside Union Station. You live a 10-15 minute walk away.

And of course you don't work at South Station. Your job is a 5-10 minute walk away.

So realistically, if you're trying to make a go of living in Worcester and commuting to Boston via train and excluding cars from either end, you're looking at a 2-hr. commute. Not competitive.
 
It will work in reverse too where more dev downtown can bring people from the outlying towns to union. Also for Framingham as well which has a bus route from the train station you can either live there and work in Worcester or live in Worcester and work in Framingham which I know lots of people who live in Boston and work in framingham.
 
DBM said:
Seriously. Look at the MBTA's Worcester timetable:

https://www.mbta.com/schedules/CR-Worcester/timetable

Although it looks like decent-enough rush-hour frequency, it's still 85 minutes from Worcester to South Station. So, if you live at Union Station, and your job is inside South Station, and on average over the year the train runs 5 minutes late, you have a 90-minute commute.

But of course you don't live inside Union Station. You live a 10-15 minute walk away.

And of course you don't work at South Station. Your job is a 5-10 minute walk away.

So realistically, if you're trying to make a go of living in Worcester and commuting to Boston via train and excluding cars from either end, you're looking at a 2-hr. commute. Not competitive.
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Worcester Line is still speed-limited to 59 MPH inside of Framingham because of the ancient signal system, and I'm not sure if Framingham-Worcester has been increased to 79 MPH yet after the rail destressing job was completed. Infrastructure still doesn't allow native line speeds, and the schedule is way overpadded for the Newton toilet clog.


Things *should* improve as the PTC mandate requires replacement of the inner-half signal system with cab signals, so the line should have a uniform 79 MPH limit. There's also one badly-needed set of crossovers being added to make Newton less brittle. I don't know what that translates to on travel time, but things should improve somewhat.
 
Rents are at least $1,415/month in the new apartment building near the train station and that's for a bottom-of-the-line studio. Other buildings nearby are at least $1,100/month. With the rent not much lower than in Boston, I can't imagine Worcester is a terribly competitive place to live for Boston commuters. Plus the city is pretty dead (though improving sloooooowly). If I felt like living way far out to save on rent, Fitchburg is a cheaper option in a similarly dead and non-urban city, and Lawrence is much closer.
 
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https://www.apartments.com/145-front-at-city-square-worcester-ma/g28ng1w/

Very aspirational pricing for Worcester. I would be surprised to see this filled with Boston commuters. More likely rich students (international and otherwise) will live there if anything. Otherwise I can't see the value proposition of paying that much to live in a forlorn, dead, decaying downtown 60 miles from where one needs to be. The other downtown development (The Grid) has more appropriate pricing in its renovated historic buildings (still a bit aspirational, but it seems like they are getting filled much better). Also The Grid is actually on the common and makes a legitimate effort to nurture interesting retail (a lot have failed though obviously with how dead Worcester is).
 
wow..... i just saw this thread.

the name: a fine oxymoron.
 
BarbaricManchurian said:
Rents are at least $1,415/month in the new apartment building near the train station and that's for a bottom-of-the-line studio. Other buildings nearby are at least $1,100/month. With the rent not much lower than in Boston, I can't imagine Worcester is a terribly competitive place to live for Boston commuters.
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Where in Boston can you find anything livable for under $2000/month without it being subsidized/income restricted?
 
Those are also the newest condos in downtown Worcester. You can still get 1 bedrooms for 850 in other places. You cant even come close to that in Framingham, Worcester is still very competitive. Plus 1100 is like 900 cheaper than youll find in Boston.
 
kmp1284 said:
Where in Boston can you find anything livable for under $2000/month without it being subsidized/income restricted?
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I’m finding a good amount of studios available for around 1500, and the commute will be closer to 30 minutes than 2 hours. This includes newer buildings in places like Chelsea.
 
stick n move said:
Those are also the newest condos in downtown Worcester. You can still get 1 bedrooms for 850 in other places. You cant even come close to that in Framingham, Worcester is still very competitive. Plus 1100 is like 900 cheaper than youll find in Boston.
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I agree, average rents are very competitive for the region and that’s why many people brave the long commute. Most people use the pike though. The Grid is competitively priced and that’s why it’s getting filled. I have the feeling 145 Front is filling up slower than they’d like but I have no stats.
 
I was appointed to the Grand Jury in Worcester for 3 months just before Christmas which brought me in every day. I was very surprised how much better downtown Worcester is looking these days. Parking was actually at capacity in almost every lot/garage at certain times. (which was about twice a week) I can't say what the nighttime activity is like, because I was out of there by mid-afternoon each day, but the city is really starting to look dramatically better than years ago.(Downtown/plus new restaurants on Shrewsbury St.) UMass Medical Center is starting to look like Longwood Med. area in Boston, I can't believe how it is growing so much. When the new baseball stadium goes up, I can imagine that entire area will really come to life as well. The airport is in a lousy location on the outskirts/up on that hill, But with Massport in charge and expanding service taking place, maybe it will succeed this time. New equipment has been installed (not too long ago) by Massport to allow more landings in rain/fog, the airport had a terrible landing rate previously-I think it was only somewhere around a 73% landing rate, which means flights were routinely diverted due to weather. (I apologize if some of this was mentioned in previous posts)
 
BarbaricManchurian said:
I have the feeling 145 Front is filling up slower than they’d like but I have no stats.
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There is some evidence of that, though I don’t have any current data. When construction finished in 2018, the WBJ reported that 26% of the 368 apartments have been leased.

At night it seems many of the windows are dark, but this is just my personal observation. Also, there is a Protein House health restaurant slated to open, which has been delayed since last year.

On the other hand, Lakeway Commons in Shrewsbury has a similar price point, but is close to UMass medical and has its own Whole Foods, yoga studios, restaurants and has much lower vacancy.

I think 145 Front Street is in it for the long game, but they may have to bring on some promotional rates soon to be more competitive.
 
Are people really using Worcester to commute to Boston though? Id think the point would be to find a place with cheaper rent and a job out there, they still have companies like raytheon, wyman gordon, the colleges, and hospitals. Everyone I know out there works out there.
 
I know quite a few people that work at Wayfair and other companies at Prudential Center or downtown who commute via train. Especially for the Pru you can get on the express train, get out at Back Bay and be at your desk in a little more than an hour without having to step outside. Companies like Wayfair or Fidelity also sometimes pay for the commuter rail pass as a perk instead of parking discounts.
However, none of the people I know live at 145 Front, they all bought houses out here.
 
cubalibre said:
I know quite a few people that work at Wayfair and other companies at Prudential Center or downtown who commute via train.
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In theory H2H is an hour to BB. Semi-Express is 1:21. Plus driving, need to be there early, etc.. Have to think most of the ridership is people who had a Burb Job and lost it... and are essentially stuck there.
 
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