Worcester Infill and Developments

WormtownNative said:
Renovation project underway over on Green Street.

The Hibernian Cultural Center over on Green Street is removing their infamous cladding on the front of the building.

Image from their Facebook page, and more can be found in the post HERE.

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For those unfamiliar, here's the streetview of what it used to look like.
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I just came across an old photo identified as being in the Canal District that I think may be this building some 100+ years ago:

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A Boston developer purchased a factory building from 1866 on 300 Southbridge Street with plans to convert it into 21 apartments. It’s on the register of historical buildings so a waiver by the historical commission was required to start construction.
It was mostly abandoned with some part being used as a community center until recently.
This is right next to the CSX elevated rail and neighbors with Miss Worcester Diner and Hurricane Betty.

I took a few screen grabs from the meeting, I’ll update it with higher quality photos once they are published.

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Historical photo:
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Clark details plans for new media arts building

By Katherine Hamilton

Clark University submitted detailed plans to the City of Worcester for the college's four-story media arts, computing, and design academic building to be located on Woodland Street.

The building will be 70,280 square feet located at 151 Woodland St., which is currently a parking lot next to Clark’s Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Woodland Administration Building.

The building, which will be known as the Center for Media Arts, Computing, and Design, will contain a lecture hall, classrooms, virtual reality labs, incubator space, a robotics lab, and a video game library.

The center will bring together the Department of Computer Science, some programs within the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, and the Becker School of Design & Technology, which Clark absorbed after Becker announced its closure in 2021.


“These three departments sharing space is ideal,” Paul Cotnoir, dean of the Becker School of Design & Technology at Clark, said in a statement. “Many of the students in computer science are interested in gaming, and many of our gaming students are interested in computer science.”

The construction would remove 59 of the existing 78 parking spaces, leaving 19 remaining once the building is complete, according to the plans. The campus will still have a surplus of 104 parking spaces for the number of classrooms and dormitories once the project is finished.

There will also be an added 2,730 square feet of green space on the lot.
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Full Article

Application before the Planning Board (113 page PDF warning, site plans begin on page 42. Have not found any additional renders as of yet)

Screen capture of part of the Site Plan for for location reference:

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Three bridge underpasses in Worcester to have 'art' lighting installed
By Spectrum News Staff Worcester
PUBLISHED 2:30 PM ET Feb. 28, 2022

WORCESTER, Mass. - Three bridge underpasses in downtown Worcester and the Canal District are getting specialty accent “art” lighting installed.
The LED up-lights are being installed in three bridge underpasses on Green Street, Franklin Street, and Madison Street. The lights will have a full range of colors and the ability to control every individual light element.
Installation of the LED up-lights at the underpass on Green Street has already started and will be completed in mid-March.
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Three bridge underpasses in Worcester to have 'art' lighting installed
 
cubalibre said:
Love that. Some of them are crumbling pretty badly, hope they patch them and put some paint while they’re at it
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I've been waiting for CSX, MassDOT, and/or the P&W to finally bite the bullet and start replacing the bridges all the way from St. V's to the P&W yard. They're all in rough shape and could use refurbishing and/or replacement (some barely have a strip of concrete on the side to masquerade as a sidewalk).
 
cubalibre said:
A Boston developer purchased a factory building from 1866 on 300 Southbridge Street with plans to convert it into 21 apartments. It’s on the register of historical buildings so a waiver by the historical commission was required to start construction.
It was mostly abandoned with some part being used as a community center until recently.
This is right next to the CSX elevated rail and neighbors with Miss Worcester Diner and Hurricane Betty.

I took a few screen grabs from the meeting, I’ll update it with higher quality photos once they are published.

View attachment 21848View attachment 21849View attachment 21850View attachment 21851

Historical photo:
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Full plans online. I like Miss Worcster getting a patio and the art studios remaining

 
The Miss Worcester apartments are going to be incredibly noisy with the train tracks right there, no?
 
WormtownNative said:
In other news, the long vacant, "General Screw Machine Products" building over on Shrewsbury Street is being proposed for mixed-use redevelopment:

FULL ARTICLE
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Took a little under three years, but 383 Shrewsbury Street has been approved by the Planning Board. Can't say it's particularly inspiring from the renders (really wish they kept the "General Machine Screw Products" painted signage on it), but the project is officially named "The Railroad Lofts." Floor plans at the link above start on page 26.

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I was worried about the “ General Screw Machine” building. Every time I pass by there seem to be another smashed window pane. Plans look good to me!
 
Not sure what I hate more malls or amazon. Both are causing decay of mom n pop stores in urban downtown cores across the country, both are absolute trash uses of real estate within cities. I guess whichever one has more jobs probably gets the edge, no idea how many ppl work at these amazon warehouses but Im sure automation can replace them much easier than malls.

An amazon warehouse is better than an abandoned mall, but dense housing on a partially rebuilt street grid and ground floor retail would have been better. Ideally amazon warehouses should be located just outside cities with direct highway access on real estate that is industrial and otherwise crappy for urban housing. This isnt an ideal site, but it had more potential, oh well it is what it is.
 
Proposal before the Planning Board & the Conservation Commission to tear down the Piccadilly Plaza at 490 Shrewsbury Street and replace with a bank, Starbucks, and a retail building.

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Full Plans are up on the City Website.

Google Maps

I can't say I'm a fan of this one. It is a very auto centric area, but this proposal seems like a downgrade. Could be a great spot for a mixed use building with a small garage, but it seems like most of these plaza plans have been meh. Another example of a recent one was the Trolley Yards over at the old WRTA facility between Grove St & Park Ave. Mixed use would be so much better IMO, but I guess there isn't much appetite for it in the real estate sphere out here.
 
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