Worcester Infill and Developments

^^ I always thought that would make a great space for a restaurant/ bar with those huge glass windows. Not sure if that level now will be residential.


google street view
 
Along the same line, the Walker Shoe Factory building on Water Street is converted into "Loft-Style" apartments. The $7M project has unique challenges because the building is very narrow.

wbjournal
 
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Redevelopment of Federal Square downtown in front of the Hanover theater. Trees, amphitheater, and fountain are gone.





 
cubalibre said:
Redevelopment of Federal Square downtown in front of the Hanover theater. Trees, amphitheater, and fountain are gone.





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If I can read the render images correctly, it looks like they are going to close down the very end of Southbridge St. Is that correct?

Edit - I didn’t realize this had already been discussed, I guess I missed some entries on this thread. Pedestrianization here is great - that little square always looked very inviting, but it was surrounded by very fast moving auto traffic (like most things in Worcester). I lived there for four years… I have never dealt with more aggressive drivers than Worcester. I never felt safe on a bike even on small residential streets, and was jeered at not infrequently simply for riding a bike. Hopefully, projects like these will bring about a culture shift.
 
Every time I bike in Worcester I break out in cold sweats, and it’s not from exertion.
One of the renders of Federal Square shows a dedicated bike lane. This is part of an ongoing reconfiguration of Main Street through the whole downtown area.

The street will be narrowed to single lane in both directions, there will be bike lanes on both sides. The sidewalks are widened and fixed, trees will be planted. They also change the lighting fixtures and will install public art.


MassDOT

Article:
https://expo.masslive.com/news/erry-2018/08/62b279195f5864/heres-what-worcesters-main-str.html
 
That single lane traffic is going to be a dumpster fire in the morning. People are constantly stopping to drop off for the courthouse, and the courthouse parking lot which is right there is a disaster in terms of getting cars off the street and into the lot during rush hour.
 
Worcester getting a Ruth's Chris is... interesting. 111 Chophouse a mile down the road is going to need to step up their game.
 
That retail space in the Union Station parking garage rotunda that Beeline posted is rumored to be getting an arcade themed restaurant or “Greater Good” brewery is moving there from their Millbrook street location, not sure which is going where. It’s a bit off the beaten track.
 
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145 Front apartments nearly full, developer says

"The parent company of the developer of 145 Front Street said the 365-unit apartment building is now 99.5% leased, according to a second quarter earnings report.
(...)
The stabilization of the apartment project comes after the company had run promotions on social media to encourage new leasing, including two months of rent-free living."

https://www.wbjournal.com/article/145-front-apartments-nearly-full-developer-says
 
cubalibre said:
145 Front apartments nearly full, developer says

"The parent company of the developer of 145 Front Street said the 365-unit apartment building is now 99.5% leased, according to a second quarter earnings report.
(...)
The stabilization of the apartment project comes after the company had run promotions on social media to encourage new leasing, including two months of rent-free living."

https://www.wbjournal.com/article/145-front-apartments-nearly-full-developer-says
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Happy to see these fill up, but the fact that the building has zero street activation on the Foster and Franklin intersection is a huge miss, imo. It just kills any chance of making that intersection more vibrant, and still makes it feel like Canal District and downtown are two separate neighborhoods, when ideally they should be a conjoined pedestrian experience.
 
204 Main Street, which has been bought for $860K by the Menkiti Group, has lost its hideous corrugated iron facade. Windows and arches are revealed behind it. Even in this unrestored state it’s a massive improvement to the streetscape.

xj1mI2d.jpg


Before:
MxdcRaG.jpg
 
Don't have a photo handy and been awhile since I swung by downtown due to my commuting routes taking me into Metro West, but have also heard that the Shacks's building on the corner of Main & Mechanic has also lost it's "beautiful" facade. Now if only Fiddler's Green would join them.

Anyways, a few more articles of note:

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Menkiti Group seeks tax relief for $9M renovation of Performing Arts School

The Menkiti Group is hoping for a tax-increment exemption plan for a $9-million, 24-unit market rate apartment project at the former Performing Arts School of Worcester.

The company, based in Washington, D.C. with Worcester connections, is proposing 18 one-bedroom apartments and 6 two-bedroom apartments for the new project, dubbed Chatham Street Lofts.

The 40,000-square-foot, six-floor building facing the street and a four-story brick portion in the rear of the property has been nearly vacant or underutilized for two decades.

The Menkiti Group is marketing the 6 Chatham St. property to young professionals, students and empty nesters who want to enjoy the Theatre District in downtown.

A proposed tax plan calls for a 60% exemption for 12 years and allows the Menkiti Group to apply for investment tax credits from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.

Four one-bedroom units will be constructed in the six-story portion of the building, and 15 studio and one-bedroom units will be built in the four-story portion, including five two-story townhouse-style apartments.
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Full Article

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Some details about the Aud redevelopment:

...The project, in its infantile planning stage, is the most ambitious, as it calls for a 300-seat IMAX-style theater, a 2,000-seat performance space in the main auditorium, restaurants, and space for e-sports events and digital arts entrepreneurs.

Becker College, previously rumored as a possible tenant due to its growing e-sports progam, reached out to AHF to look at the building as an e-sports venue. After some research, McDonnell and his firm agreed.

“They impressed upon us that there was an incredible opportunity happening in that market that we didn’t see,” he said.

However, AHF is at least two years away from doing any work, as partners and funding must be obtained, according to a deal between the firm and the city.
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Full Article

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Last but not least, the Mission Chapel developer is seeking a TIF.

Mission Chapel developer seeks 40% tax exemption
By Zachary Comeau

The developer proposing a market-rate housing redevelopment of the former Mission Chapel in Worcester is slated to receive a 40% tax exemption over eight years.

According to documents from City Manager Edward Augustus’ office, Traggorth Cos. will pay $124,876 over the eight-year agreement with $83,250 in savings, per an agreement designating the project as Housing Development Certified Project.

The deal will go before the City Council on Tuesday night for approval.

The calculation is based on a projected assessment after the project of about $1.3 million.

The Boston firm purchased the site in May for $338,000 and plans to invest $4.1 million into the site.

Of the seven apartment units, four will be one bedroom, two will be two bedrooms and one large three-bedroom apartment will be constructed in the main chapel area.

Construction will not begin until fall 2020 as the developer is seeking historic tax credits. Anticipated completion is summer 2021.
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Full Article
 
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