Worcester Infill and Developments

[WormtownNative]

I apparently missed this last month, but I'm just going to leave this here:

Out of Boston's shadow? Worcester charting own economic course

BY: LIVIA GERSHON
SPECIAL TO THE WORCESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL

When it comes to the kind of big, splashy headlines that city leaders like to cut out and frame, the last few months have been a bit of a bust for Worcester.

But that doesn't seem to bother Tim Murray, president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. The former lieutenant governor said the big picture is that Worcester's image is on an upward trajectory throughout the state and beyond.

The authors of Boston's controversial bid to host the Olympics have remained cool to the idea of including Worcester in their plans. A possible play to bring the Pawtucket Red Sox to town has gone nowhere. A March report by Boston-based consulting group MassInsight that offers suggestions for the state's innovation economy didn't bother mentioning Worcester, and a round of grants from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center announced in May didn't include any companies located in the city.

"I think Worcester's image is changing for the positive," he said. "I think there was oftentimes a stereotype or media-driven narrative, from Boston media and to a lesser extent the national media, that Worcester was this gritty old industrial town. I think what was really lacking in that type of stereotype was that our economy has become incredibly diverse."

Murray, who helped boost the city's visibility when, as mayor, he campaigned for lieutenant governor in 2006 and served until 2013, said the city's colleges and hospitals complement its manufacturing economy, encouraging the development of new high-tech products.

While Boston grew

Worcester has long had a bit of a chip on its shoulder compared with its much-larger near-neighbor to the east. Starting in the 1970s, Boston grew into a thriving financial center and, later, a technology hub, while Worcester continued to decline from its 19th- and early 20th-century heyday as a manufacturing center.

The 1994 reestablishment of commuter rail service from Worcester to Boston after a two-decade gap was widely seen as a positive step for the city's economy. Yet at the same time, it promoted an image of Worcester as essentially a big suburb — or, at most, a supporting player — for the growing Boston colossus.

Worcester has fought back by consciously trying to develop its own economic engines. One of the most visible of these is the Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives, which provides space and resources for life sciences companies. Jon Weaver, MBI's chief operating officer, said Worcester's highly educated population and prominent institutions make the city into the anchor of a high-tech corridor that extends to Boston and Cambridge.

FULL ARTICLE

 

[WormtownNative]

A couple articles from the T & G:

First off, a former manufacturing facility in the Canal District has been OK'd to be razed. This is prime space for redevelopment in the district.

Worcester Historical Commission OK's demolition of Canal District building

By Nick Kotsopoulos
Telegram & Gazette Staff

Posted Jul. 27, 2015 at 6:16 PM
Updated at 6:16 PM

WORCESTER — The door has been opened for redevelopment of a large vacant and blighted property in the Canal District.
The Historical Commission has voted to waive the city's demolition delay ordinance for a former manufacturing building at 104-106 Harding St.

The four-story, 16,000-square-foot brick building was once part of a metal manufacturing complex between Green and Harding streets. It is the only building of historic note within the complex that is listed on the Massachusetts Cultural Resources Information System.

Because it is on the MACRIS list, the property is subject to the city's demolition delay ordinance, which puts a one-year hold on demolition requests so alternative uses can be explored.

But the Historical Commission can waive the one-year delay if it feels demolition would not be detrimental to the historical and architectural resources of the city.

The commission was told that Worcester Business Development Corp. is interested in acquiring the entire complex of buildings owned by GKN Sinter Metals LLC. The plan is to raze the buildings, address environmental issues associated with the properties and make them “pad ready” for development.

"Theoretically this is for proposed future redevelopment," said Mary Lou Armstrong of Nover-Armstrong Associates Inc., which is working for the WBDC on environmental issues associated with the property.

But the first order of business was to make sure that the demolition of the building at 104-106 Harding St. was not going to be held up for a year.
Having obtained a waiver, the WBDC can now move forward in working with prospective funding sources for the project.

Ms. Armstrong said the WBDC is excited to be able to clean up a large, blighted property. She said the WBDC wants to see the property become productive again, contribute to the community and generate taxes.
She said she is not privy to details regarding what the WBDC’s long-term development plans might be for the property.

“One thing I know is that when the funding sources are secured for the (environmental) cleanup, they’re going to purchase the property,” Ms. Armstrong told the Historical Commission. “They’re going to clean it up and get it pad ready. I’m not sure from that point if they would continue to remain the owner and be involved in the redevelopment or sell it to another entity.”

GKN Sinter has been looking to sell the manufacturing complex, which is about 90,000 square feet in all, for years, but has had difficulty moving it largely because of the environmental issues.

The building at 104-106 Harding St. was built between 1900 and 1910. It was originally known as the Worcester Muslin Underwear Co. building and later became the David Pobolinski & Sons Underwear Manufacturing Co.
The building eventually become part of a larger metal factory in the 1940s and 1950s and it shares walls with some of the other buildings in the complex.

The Historical Commission was told that the building would not likely be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places because of alterations that have been made over the years, including changes to its facade. Many of the window openings have been bricked in, and the building has been connected to other buildings.

In addition, the masonry is deteriorating.

Ms. Armstrong said the WBDC had a feasibility analysis done that showed it would cost about $174,000 to raze the building, compared to $4.5 million for a historical restoration.

Because the property has a long industrial history related to metal manufacturing, she said, there are environmental issues inside the building and beneath its footprint.

Large quantities of oil and hazardous materials were stored and generated in the building over the years.

Ms. Armstrong said PCBs have been found within the concrete component of the building, and there is soil and groundwater contamination within the building’s footprint.

“That’s why this building is vacant,” she said. “It can’t be occupied until a significant cleanup is done.”

FULL ARTICLE

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Secondly, news about the airport:

Worcester airport 'on track' as an 'economic engine' for Central Mass.

By Susan Gonsalves
Correspondent

Posted Jul. 26, 2015 at 6:00 AM
Updated Jul 27, 2015 at 5:56 PM

If you ask officials at Massachusetts Port Authority how things are going at Worcester Regional Airport, the most frequent answer is “on track.”
Five years after Massport took ownership of the airport from the city of Worcester, and 18 months after an economic impact study on the airport, Massport officials are pleased with the airport's performance.

With JetBlue service, the Frasca & Associates study paid for by Massport projected that by 2023, the city would see a direct and induced economic impact of $368.6 million. Visitors using hotels and restaurants, renting cars and the like would generate approximately $94 million, while an additional $78 million would come from the spending of commercial service visitors.
Construction projects, airport tenants and staff, and concessions are also expected to positively impact the economy, according to the report.
Having Massport assume ownership in 2010 was a plus for the city in a number of ways, said Timothy P. Murray, president and chief executive officer of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.

“First, it took the operation's financial liability off the city’s books, which was millions of dollars, but more importantly, it put the airport in the hands of an organization that is recognized as the best in terms of aviation operations,” Mr. Murray said. “With JetBlue coming in, Massport investing in the terminal and facility and construction projects underway, it’s paying dividends.”
In October 2013, JetBlue’s daily nonstop service began to Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, using 100-seat Embraer aircraft. In November 2014, Massport and JetBlue announced, to much fanfare, that 100,000 passengers had used the service.

In the first six months of 2015, a JetBlue spokesman said, about 60,000 passengers used the JetBlue service at Worcester Regional Airport.
Frasca & Associates projects a decade later up to seven flights daily from Worcester Regional Airport, serving 500,000 passengers.

The study predicted a 72 percent load factor (number of passengers on board) in the first year and 80 percent thereafter, numbers that are being met and exceeded, according to Massport officials.

“Our passenger values have exceeded expectations with loads in the mid 80s (percent full). It’s better than we thought it would be at this point,” said John Pranckevicius, Massport’s chief financial officer. “People are using this airport, and that’s a great thing for Central Massachusetts.”

JetBlue operates two flights daily, seven days a week to the Florida destinations. Airport Director Andrew Davis said the number of flights ideally would triple, either to the same market, or to new ones, but he acknowledged that building new routes will take time.

He would like to someday capture the business travel market, with flights to New York City, for example. But first, Massport has to convince both passengers and airlines that expansion would be a win-win situation.

Mr. Davis said he is heartened that the loads sometimes reach the “high 80s” percentage even during the summer months and remain around the same level year-round.

Morgan Johnston, JetBlue’s manager of corporate communications, concurred, noting that the 60,000-passenger count during the first six months of 2015 is very close to last year’s figures during that time period.

The study also projected that Massport’s investment of $86 million in net operating and capital expenditures over 10 years would result in a total economic output of $167.4 million. Of that amount, payroll would be about $70 million, supporting 125 annual employees.

Massport’s capital spending also impacts the region through construction and contractor jobs, and new state and local tax revenues.

FULL ARTICLE

The airport still needs an access road though, IMO.

 

[WormtownNative]

Some more news:

First off, the Hanover Theatre, which purchased the building next door last fall, is looking to connect the two buildings.

Hanover to connect theater, next-door building

By Nick Kotsopoulos
Telegram & Gazette Staff

Posted Jul. 28, 2015 at 1:51 PM
Updated Jul 28, 2015 at 4:33 PM

WORCESTER —The holding company that owns The Hanover Theatre has received permission to connect that building with an adjacent building it also owns on Main Street through the construction of a footbridge.

The Zoning Board of Appeals Monday night unanimously approved a dimensional variance needed to facilitate the project.

Paul J. Demoga, a lawyer representing 551 Main Street Holding Corp., said the purpose of the expansion project is to accommodate foot traffic from the mezzanine level of The Hanover Theater, at 2 Southbridge St., to the second floor of the two-story building at 551 Main St.

He said the expansion essentially involves the construction of a footbridge between the two buildings.

Mr. Demoga said The Hanover Theatre is looking to create interconnectivity between the two buildings so additional function space can be provided in the adjacent building for groups that want to socialize before and after theater events.

He said the theater also wants to relocate its offices, which are now in the basement of the theater, into the adjacent building.

"The most practical way to connect the two buildings is to build in the alley-way behind 551 Main St.,” Mr. Demoga told the zoning board. “It will essentially be a footbridge between the two buildings.”

He said it would be impractical to try and connect the two buildings any other way.

On the theater building side, Mr. Demoga said there are many historic features of the building, including a 1904 VIP room that has many accoutrements, including an archway window and fireplace.

Meanwhile, the side of the 551 Main St. building adjacent to the theater has a stairwell there, making it very difficult to connect the two buildings there, he said.

In addition, the 551 Main St. building does not have the depth needed to directly connect it elsewhere with the theater, thus necessitating the need for the new construction.

To facilitate the project, Mr. Demoga said several existing easements in the alleyway, some of which go back to the 1870s, will have to be abandoned. He said there will be new easements for fire egress.

FULL ARTICLE

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The city now seeks to put solar panels atop a capped landfill, which sits right next to Rt. 20, the sewage treatment plant, and Rt. 146.

Worcester seeking to build large-scale solar project atop landfill

By Nick Kotsopoulos
Telegram & Gazette Staff

Posted Jul. 30, 2015 at 8:36 AM
Updated at 3:59 PM

WORCESTER – The city is looking to build what would be the largest landfill solar project in the state – an 8.16-megawatt solar photovoltaic array on the 26-acre top plateau of the former Greenwood Street municipal landfill.

According to a filing with the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the system being planned calls for the installation of 29,128 solar panels, each one measuring 5.5 feet by 3.3 feet.

The panels would be mounted at a fixed 25-degree angle facing south, and the rows of racks that the panels would be mounted on would be spaced about 14 feet apart, to reduce shadow impacts and allow for maintenance of the system.

The system is being designed, permitted and constructed by Borrego Solar Systems Inc., which is headquartered in San Diego and also has an office in Boston.

In Massachusetts, Borrego Solar has done solar installations for the University of Massachusetts, Harvard University, Assumption College and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.

It has also done landfill solar projects in Ludlow, Easthampton, Methuen and Dartmouth.

The City Council authorized construction of the solar facility last year when it approved a $38.7 million loan order to fund the implementation of several citywide energy efficiency improvements.

The Greenwood Street landfill solar project is the biggest project among those improvements, with an estimated price tag of nearly $27 million.

City officials have said the project has an estimated 10-year solar renewable energy credit value of $16 million and, as a result, the payback on it has been projected at a little more than nine years.

Renewable energy generated by the project would be used by the city to offset its electricity use. The city would also have the ability to sell back to the power grid electricity generated from the landfill project.

The city will own, operate and maintain the solar facility.

The Greenwood Street landfill, which was in use from 1973 through 1985, occupies about 52 acres of the approximately 100 acres of city-owned land in the southeastern portion of the city, between the Blackstone River and Greenwood Street, and north of the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District wastewater treatment plant.

The 26-acre portion of the landfill where the solar facility would be built is in the process of being repaired, recapped and re-vegetated by the city, with oversight from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

But now that the city wants to put a solar farm on the landfill site, it had to file a "Notice of Project Change" with the state secretary of energy and environmental affairs regarding the work it is doing there.

The Planning Board was also recently notified of the project change.

"The Greenwood Street Landfill Solar Project is an important project that will allow the city to offset a sizable amount of the municipal electric load and repurpose the landfill for (photovoltaic) solar," Tighe & Bond, the city’s consultant, wrote in the filing with the state.

"The selected location for the solar facility is ideal for this purpose," it added. "The proposed solar project will be the largest landfill solar project in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. To secure net metering approvals for the solar project, it needs to be constructed in 2016 following the completion of the capping."

The solar project is currently at the 75 percent design stage. City officials are hoping construction work can begin this winter, after work on recapping the landfill is done, and completed in the spring.

FULL ARTICLE

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Lastly, but arguably most importantly out of the three articles for today - a complete revamp for Main Street between School St. (near the end of the tunnel) and Myrtle St. (next to the RMV)

Worcester plans a major overhaul of Main Street starting in 2016

By Michael D. Kane | mkane@masslive.com
on July 29, 2015 at 1:10 PM, updated July 29, 2015 at 3:15 PM

WORCESTER -- Double travel lanes are out, turn lanes and bicycles are in, possibly starting in 2016, under a new layout proposed for Worcester's Main Street.

The plan, revealed to business owners at the Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, is being reviewed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation now. It is expected a public hearing on the plan will be held in fall.

The plan calls for repaving the street, along with updating the streetscape, sidewalks and traffic lights from Myrtle Street to School Street, or, from "(federal) court to (district) court," according to the city's Director of Engineering for Streets and Parks, Joseph Borbone, who said one of the goals is to "brighten the downtown."

"The old streetscape elements are pretty tired looking," Borbone said. "They don't show off Worcester like we want to show off Worcester."

The new Main Street, if the plan remains as proposed, will look like Franklin Street, next to City Hall, and Green Street. It will have new ornamental lights, benches and bike racks. Trees will be planted, but the city has pledged to work with business and property owners about where they would be placed, since some businesses want them, others do not. There is also the need for other street elements that might prohibit trees in some spots.

The project is expected to begin in 2016 and take around two years, or two construction cycles.

The major changes will be to sidewalks and traffic patterns, as well as to on-street parking.

About $4.5 million of the estimated $7.5 million project is coming from a federal grant, secured by Congressman James McGovern, ostensibly for a traffic issues related to the City Square project. The money is overseen by the state, which means the project must follow MassDOT requirements. Therefore, a bicycle lane must be included, Borbone said.

Original designs called for four lanes of traffic, but the project had to be redesigned for bicycles. As a result, traffic will be reduced to one travel lane in both directions, with dedicated turn lanes at intersections.

In addition, nine of the 11 traffic lights along the strip will be replaced; two will be updated. The new lights will be able to communicate with each other, thus making traffic flow better, according to engineer William McGrath, of the firm Beta Group, which designed the plan.

The project must automatically meet the standards of both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Massachusetts accessibility laws. To accomplish that, in some places the sidewalks will be two-tiered, as they are in the new portion of Franklin Street, near City Hall.

McGrath said on-street parking would be preserved, but, by design, some spots would be lost.

About seven spots, one per intersection, would be reduced to accommodate the curb bump-outs on the west side of the street. The largest reduction would be 14 off-peak spaces between Front and Foster streets on the east side of the street. Those spaces are now a travel lane during the day, but become parking spots after 6 p.m.

Ultimately, the design is also meant to improve safety along Main Street by reducing crashes. Over a three-year period between 2010 and 2012, there were 259 crashes in the area, McGrath said.

FULL ARTICLE

A few renders:

 

[WormtownNative]

Climbing up that hill: Worcester’s Union Hill undergoing makeover
Written by Jessica Picard 08/17/2015 6:24 pm

Looking up and down the street from the corner of Providence and Harrison, it is clear changes are being made. The Union Hill Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative has a plan to make the area an exemplary place to live and work in Worcester - and it has already started taking shape.

Community members had the chance to walk the neighborhood Monday afternoon, Aug. 17 and see up close the changes that have been made and to talk about those being planned.

For Mayor Joe Petty, one of the most impressive parts of the project has been the creation of partnerships.

“Cities and schools must be in partner with their neighborhoods," he said. "We have moved block by block, and so much progress has been made.”

However, as District 3 City Councilor George Russell pointed out, it is smart to, “hold the applause, hold the accolades, because this is a work in progress.”

The project is consists of four parts: streets and sidewalks, public health and safety, housing and code enforcement and the Union Hill School.

The entire project is a collaboration between the city, the Oak Hill Community Development Corporation, Habitat for Humanity, Worcester Academy, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department and area residents.

The streets and sidewalks phase, which is actually split into two phases, includes repaving, creating new sidewalks, planting street trees, enhancing crosswalks and adding curb extensions. It will cost about $2 million. Phase 1 is expected to be completed this year, with Phase 2 finished next spring.

About $900,000 will be used to increase the public health and safety, in the form of school health partnerships such as community gardens, playground joint use agreements, providing safe routes to school and initiatives for increasing education through access to healthy foods.

The housing and code enforcement will cost about $1.3 million, and includes the rehab of nine owner-occupied homes on Providence and Harrison streets, five new units of housing on Arlington and Aetna streets, 13 housing units receiving Worcester Energy Retrofit Rebates, lead paint abatement programs and code inspections.

The Union Hill School’s $3-million project is through the state School Building Authority. The building will receive new windows, exterior doors, a chairlift, renovated bathrooms and classrooms, as well as a new playground area.

The majority of the investments are being made through the Housing and Urban Development Department’s Community Development Block Grants

FULL ARTICLE

 

[WormtownNative]

An Op-Ed from the Worcester Business Journal about the proposed Main St. streetscape improvements:

Downtown streetscape plan needs a creative touch

Anyone who has not driven or walked around downtown Worcester within the last decade may well be left stunned by the changes that have taken place.

After years of talk, but not a lot of action, efforts to make the downtown a more walkable center with a mix of business, satellite college campuses, entertainment and housing are well underway.
It's coming together slowly, and still very much a work in progress — but the effort has achieved the degree of momentum that appears sustainable.

Worcester's downtown has suffered from the societal changes of the last four decades, as much as any other mid-sized city, but the turnaround that so many larger urban areas have experienced this century is finally showing signs of materializing here. A key element of any resurgence in downtown Worcester must include an extensive rehabilitation and reinvention of Main Street. Thankfully, that process is underway, with preliminary designs having been shown to a group of business leaders last month in a meeting at the offices of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.

That new project, scheduled to start next year, is projected to cost $7.5 million, with $4.5 million being provided by the federal government. The plan would narrow the road between the federal and Worcester County courthouses from two travel lanes to one in each direction, creating both turning lanes and bike lanes. It would also synchronize traffic lights at nine of 11 intersections to help facilitate vehicle flow. Sidewalks would also be ripped up and reconstructed at two levels with both cement and brick to better accommodate pedestrians with disabilities, helping meet requirements of the American with Disabilities Act.

It's a good start, especially the elimination of two of the four traffic lanes, which should help downtown Worcester become a more walkable area. For the planned additions of hundreds of housing units and hotel rooms over the next few years to be successful, the area must become more pedestrian friendly.

The old elements of Main Street are "pretty tired looking," Joseph F. Borbone, director of the city's engineering department, told the chamber gathering. "They don't show off Worcester the way we want to show off Worcester."

That's where Worcester and its businesses on Main Street have an opportunity: to not just bring the aesthetics of Main Street into the 21st century, but to give it a unique look that can set it apart from other downtowns.

FULL ARTICLE

 

[WormtownNative]

So the former Duddie/Diamond car dealership on Park Ave may be getting redeveloped down the line.

Full column can be found HERE.

I try not to miss anything, but more details from MassLive about this project:

Mixed-use planned for former Diamond Chevrolet lot in Worcester
By Michael D. Kane | mkane@masslive.com on June 12, 2015 at 5:56 PM

WORCESTER -- Where once they used to sell cars, they might be selling lattes. The former home of Diamond Chevrolet at 520 Park Avenue is being considered for a mixed-use residential and retail development. This, according to Neil Treitman, who is working with the owner of the property, David "Duddie" Massad to find retailers interested in the location.

Massad relocated the Diamond Chevrolet dealership to Auburn in 2010. Other operations closed in 2012, according to the Telegram & Gazette.

A sign was put in the lot announcing a proposed "Park Avenue Center." That sign, Treitman said, was installed to generate discussion about what can and should go on the site.

"We have no timeline today, and our plans are conceptual," Treitman said. "Duddie Massad expressed his interest in seeing something happen that would spur the regeneration of Park Avenue.

Treitman said one idea could be restaurants and stores on the ground floor, with three floors of apartments.

"Our ideas are largely influenced by the students of Clark University. That gives us an opportunity to create a different feeling of retail, more urban in nature," he added.

His first preliminary meeting with city officials is June 25. Later that evening, he said he plans on meeting Park Avenue neighbors at the Knights of Columbus at 7 p.m.

Treitman described his role as traveling the country looking for joint opportunities among property owners, developers and national retailers. He said that, while a great deal of money has been spent in Worcester rejuvenating buildings, some national retailers are looking for modern buildings.

FULL ARTICLE

This could either be a game changer for the neighborhood, or a neighborhood killer. For Worcester's sake I hope it's the former.

 

[WormtownNative]

Last two for today, from the Worcester Business Journal:

Communities such as Worcester lean on tax-exempt nonprofits to help pay for services

Sam Bonacci

(Updated on August 17 at 11:30 a.m.) Central Massachusetts, especially Worcester, is home to a number of nonprofits and other tax-exempt organizations. Last year, more than 30 percent of all land in the city was tax exempt.

While that's the largest of any Central Massachusetts community, it's substantially less than Boston, where more than half of its land – 52 percent – is tax free.

So, while Worcester-based nonprofits don't have to pay property taxes to the city, some — Clark University and the Christopher House assisted-living facility, to name two — make up for it through formal agreements or programs, such as PILOTs, or payments in lieu of taxes.

Advocates of such programs argue that these organizations use community resources such as fire and police protection. In communities with large bases of tax-exempt property, this can prove to be a strain on the city or town, Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant said.

"Police and fire still go down there even though (the organizations) are tax exempt," he said. "For some of the communities, like Worcester and Boston, it is a huge drain on the system and if (nonprofits) don't contribute something, that burden for police and fire goes onto the taxpayers."

The impact of exempt organizations can be even more profound when they remove properties from the tax rolls. In 2013, the University of Massachusetts Medical School purchased property adjacent to its Worcester campus. The property, which was paying $1.5 million in taxes to the city, has largely remained on the tax rolls due to its for-profit tenants, but the shock of potentially losing that tax revenue drew the concern of city officials. The two sides later reached an agreement in which the school agreed to pay $1.58 million to the city over five years in what was called an economic and educational support agreement.

Marlborough receives $80,000 a year from the New Horizons assisted-living center. Vigeant noted that in addition to that PILOT agreement, the Cummings Foundation, which operates New Horizons, has gone "above and beyond" with $100,000 donations to nonprofits in the city each year for the past six years.

The foundation views these payments as part of being a good citizen, said Dennis Clarke, president and CEO of Cummings Properties of Woburn, which helps manage the foundation.

Representatives from the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Clark University, all of which have financial partnerships with Worcester, expressed similar sentiments.

Clark's PILOT is the latest in a series of initiatives that have enhanced its relationship with the local Main South neighborhood, said Jack Foley, the school's vice president for government and community affairs. When the neighborhood was struggling in the 1980s, the university put resources into local schools, nonprofits and neighborhood improvements, he said. In addition to a 20-year, $150,000 annual PILOT deal for the closing of part of Downing Street to connect the two sides of the school's campus, the university also has agreed to pay real estate taxes on new property it purchases as it expands. Those payments total $112,176 a year.
"The realization is there that the success of Clark is inextricably linked to the success of this neighborhood and the success of the city," Foley said. "It's to our advantage to really work with the city."

It's also vital that nonprofits ensure that their support of the city fits with their missions, said Jamie Hoag, director of government and community relations for Holy Cross. In addition to a five-year arrangement in which the college contributes $80,000 a year to support the city's mobile library, it hosts Worcester Bravehearts baseball games and regularly contributes to other city projects.

"We all benefit from a strong Worcester … it's not just about writing that check and sending it to City Hall," Hoag said.

Meanwhile, WPI has a 25-year, $157,403 PILOT program related to developing nearby Institute Park. These payments dovetailed with the school's expansion in the area and thus made sense for the organization, said Jeff Solomon, WPI's chief financial officer. Such long-term commitments allow the school to make a greater impact, he said.

"It's a snowballing effect when we make this investment and partnerships with the city," Solomon noted. "Any time you do some long-range planning you end up with a better result."

FULL ARTICLE

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Secondly, Triple decker sales are on the rise, not only in Worcester, but across the state.

Sales of triple deckers surge after recession
Sam Bonacci

The triple decker has long been a staple of New England's housing stock, especially in the region's cities. In Worcester, specifically, these buildings grew out of the need to house a growing immigrant population that worked in manufacturing at the turn of the 20th century. To this day, according to U.S. Census data, nearly 25 percent of Worcester's homes contain three or four living units.

When the Great Recession struck about seven years ago, it ate away at the value of all sectors of the housing market: single-family homes, condominiums and multi-family buildings.

But as the market continues to recover, the three-family investment property — specifically the triple decker — has surged ahead of the others.
The median price of a three-family home in Massachusetts has soared 83 percent since 2009, with Worcester and Middlesex counties seeing jumps of 52 and 56 percent, respectively, according to The Warren Group, the Boston-based real estate data firm. During that span, the median price of a single-family home rose a relatively paltry 16 percent statewide, which has cemented the value of triple-deckers among investors.

The triple decker has long been a staple of New England's housing stock, especially in the region's cities. In Worcester, specifically, these buildings grew out of the need to house a growing immigrant population that worked in manufacturing at the turn of the 20th century. To this day, according to U.S. Census data, nearly 25 percent of Worcester's homes contain three or four living units.

Although many of these homes are now over 100 years old, they're in high demand as investors and first-time homebuyers flock to the unique investment opportunity they represent. For owner-occupiers, living on one floor while renting out the other units to cover mortgage and other costs remains popular, said Tom Rhealt, a Realtor at Coldwell Banker who bought his Worcester triple decker in 2007.

"They hold their value in a way that singles don't because you are making money from this. It is a real cash flow," he said. "It's a part of the fabric of the city and what it is known for."

Adding to the popularity is that these buildings are often priced in the same range as single-family homes. According to Warren Group data, the median sale price of a single-family home in Worcester in 2014 was $182,250; the median for a three-family was $180,000.

Bidding wars for some?

Demand is strong for these unique housing options, according to Dave Stead, a Worcester real estate agent and regional vice president for the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. A property with a desirable location or condition will be snatched up within days of entering the market, he said, while those with both have recently resulted in bidding wars.

Investor interest is so intense in Worcester, experts said, that it's outstripping inventory and driving up prices. Warren Group data showed that the median price for single-family homes and condominiums in Worcester grew 6 and 18 percent, respectively, between 2010 and 2014, well below the 56 percent for three-family homes, since the Great Recession's nadir in 2009.

Compounding the demand is that triple deckers are no longer being built, said Warren and Stead. Between the high cost of complying with modern housing regulations and the ability to get a higher return on investment with larger apartment complexes, triple deckers are not a popular option among developers.

"The triple decker was a popular style in its day, but I don't see it being built. People who are thinking multifamily housing are thinking of doing bigger apartment complexes," Warren said.

Even amid rising prices and lack of new construction, Worcester's triple deckers remain a solid investment, said Jimmy Kalogeropoulos, an agent for ReMax. Local investors specializing in these properties will buy one in any condition in any part of the city, confident that they will be able to rent it out after renovations. Often, these investors are aiming for the lowest-priced options to maximize their profits from rents.

FULL ARTICLE

 

[Shepard]

Hi Wormtown, for those of us who don't know the area well but are still excited about development in Worcester, would you have an appetite to render a development map for us to see at a glance where these all are?

 

[WormtownNative]

Hi Wormtown, for those of us who don't know the area well but are still excited about development in Worcester, would you have an appetite to render a development map for us to see at a glance where these all are?

How's this for a map? Just threw it together in the past hour.

WORCESTER DEVELOPMENTS

 

[Shepard]

Cool. Very informative. Forgive my ignorance but does this include the redevelopment of the downtown mall/plaza area? Is that still slated to happen?

 

[WormtownNative]

Cool. Very informative. Forgive my ignorance but does this include the redevelopment of the downtown mall/plaza area? Is that still slated to happen?

CitySquare is still in progress. The problem is that some of it is dependent on private dollars, while others fall under the city's responsibilities. I haven't really heard much about it lately.

There's a master list of everything related to the project here: http://www.worcesterma.gov/development/initiatives-master-plans/citysquare


This render was from the latest report, which can be found HERE:

Also from the latest report - just to give you an idea of how big of a below grade garage we're dealing with:

 

[Lrfox]

Work occasionally takes me to Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital. Over the last year or so, I've been watching the progress on the clock tower restoration. It really is pretty impressive. Many original materials are preserved, but the bulk of the structure is concrete. It looks like it's nearing completion and you'd never tell concrete was used unless you're standing right underneath it.

 

[WormtownNative]

Work occasionally takes me to Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital. Over the last year or so, I've been watching the progress on the clock tower restoration. It really is pretty impressive. Many original materials are preserved, but the bulk of the structure is concrete. It looks like it's nearing completion and you'd never tell concrete was used unless you're standing right underneath it.

They're saying that the Clock Tower will be done sometime later this year, September/October, IIRC.

In other news:

Colleges on building spree
By Lisa Eckelbecker
Telegram & Gazette Staff

WORCESTER – A temporary building wedged into Worcester State University’s campus holds the office where Michael A. Mudd works as director of athletics.

A short walk away, behind a chain-link fence, sits the still-under-construction athletics and recreation center where he’ll work when the building opens next year.

And Mr. Mudd is, well, stoked for what it will mean.

“To see the facility completed from the outside? If you’re a (prospective) student, the wow factor is there,” he said last week as he prepared to tour the construction site.

In fact, students all over Worcester County could be expressing astonishment over the next year as shiny new buildings emerge on campuses that are undergoing a mini-building boom. Funded by public bonds and private donations, at least five projects worth about $156 million are under way at private and public institutions.

From the 101,000-square-foot wellness center at Worcester State, a project that will cost nearly $53 million, to a $22 million College of the Holy Cross retreat in West Boylston, institutions of higher education are building.

The work is taking place as construction spending at U.S. colleges and universities is rebounding from the last recession. U.S. institutions completed about $9.5 billion of new construction last year, and about $1.3 billion of that took place in New England, according to the publication College Planning & Management.

The trade journal reported that U.S. institutions will complete about $7.7 billion in new construction this year, including about $278 million in new buildings in New England.

The new buildings will serve the growing ranks of college students. The number of U.S. 18- to 24-year-olds jumped between 2002 and 2012, and a growing percentage of people in that age group are enrolling in college, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Enrollment in U.S. degree-granting institutions grew by 3 million between 2002 and 2012, the center said.

Critics suggest spending on campus amenities reflects an “edifice complex” or competition with other institutions. In Central Massachusetts, new construction also trends toward modernizing campus offerings.

Worcester State’s Wellness Center is being built on the site of, and replaces, a 1958 gymnasium. College officials hope the new center – which will hold two gymnasiums, locker and training rooms, a fitness center, rooms for aerobics and yoga, an indoor running track and a snack bar – will become a campus focal point. The center is scheduled to open in spring 2016.

“Spaces that connect students to the campus help them persist in their studies,” said Renae Lias Claffey, a Worcester State spokeswoman.

In addition to the Worcester State wellness center, new construction under way in Central Massachusetts includes the following projects:

* College of the Holy Cross of Worcester is building a 33,800-square-foot $22 million retreat center in West Boylston that will overlook Wachusett Reservoir and contain a chapel, meeting rooms and lodging space for 60 people. The Thomas P. Joyce ’59 Contemplation Center, named for a former trustee, is scheduled to open in fall 2016.

* Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner is building a 44,770-square-foot science center that will include a greenhouse. The $40 million structure is scheduled to open in fall 2016.

* Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester is building a 38,000-square-foot science and technology center featuring energy- and water-efficient technologies. Known as the QuEST Center, the new $23 million building is scheduled to open in spring 2016.

* Clark University in Worcester is building an alumni and student center on Main Street that will provide 35,000 square feet of space for existing college departments and the school’s LEEP Center. The $17.7 million building is due to open in summer 2016.

* Nichols College in Dudley is building a $10 million, LEED-certified academic building that will house classrooms, faculty offices, and academic services. The center is scheduled to open in 2016.

Construction on campuses typically starts after years of planning. Public institutions must line up money from the sale of state bonds. Private institutions dig into their own capital and raise money from donors.

Projects in Worcester are bolded. FULL ARTICLE

Clark U has almost single-handedly been the champion for resurrecting Main South. While they have acquired properties and annoyed the city by taking properties off the tax rolls, they really have put their money where there mouth is and cleaned up where they can.

 

[WormtownNative]

A few important tidbits of news from the Worcester Business Journal:

National rowing contest will return to Worcester

(UPDATED at 1:52 p.m.) USRowing's Masters National Championships is returning to Lake Quinsigamond next year, Destination Worcester said today. The competition will be held Aug. 18-21, 2016, and will be hosted by Destination Worcester and the Quinsigamond Rowing Association.

The Masters event was last held at the lake in 2012, and was also held there in 2005. This year, it was held in Camden, N.J.

More than 6,000 visitors are expected to come to Worcester for the event, according to Destination Worcester Executive Director Christina M. Andreoli. It will feature athletes age 21 and older who will compete for titles in 202 categories.

"Worcester's history of hosting regattas of high caliber and importance promises to be a great experience for the Masters rowing community," USRowing Events Manager A.J. Dominique said in the statement.

FULL ARTICLE

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WRTA adding bus route for 3 colleges

The Worcester Regional Transit Authority is adding bus route that will run between three of the city's colleges throughout the academic year, in an agreement with the Higher Education Consortium of Central Massachusetts (HECCMA).

The new route, to be known as line 10 on the WRTA system, will run between Assumption College, the College of the Holy Cross and Worcester State University. The route will be subsidized by the three schools, adding a bus stop at Assumption for the first time. The new route will enable students from HECCMA undergraduate institutions to reach other campuses and attend courses.

The new route will begin operating on Aug. 31, and will run throughout the academic year, up until May 27, 2016, according to HECCMA.

"This new bus line will provide students studying in Worcester much needed public transportation to explore specialized academic opportunities at neighboring city colleges and universities," Assumption College President Francesco Cesareo said in a statement distributed by HECCMA.

FULL ARTICLE

 

[WormtownNative]

A couple more from the Worcester Business Journal.....

Worcester improves in small business survey

Worcester has improved in a ranking for small business friendliness that
placed the city second in New England, falling behind Manchester, N.H. but beating Boston and Providence.

Business owners were asked to rank small business friendliness across a number of variables by Thumbtack, a service that pairs independent professionals and small business owners with customers. The survey was taken by 44 businesses in Worcester, giving the city a rating of B-, or right around average. This was the highest overall grade in Massachusetts with Boston and Springfield earning C and D+ grades respectively. Manchester, N.H. received an A+ as it excelled in all areas and Providence received an F as it fell behind on tax code, licensing and zoning.

While a B- marks an improvement from the city's grade of F last year, there is still room to improve, Thumbtack Chief Economist Jon Lieber said. Each city and state receives scores for 10 different areas of small business friendliness, such as regulations, zoning and environmental regulations. In Worcester, the ease of understanding tax regulations and licensing —both scored D+ — are points for improvement in the city, he said.

"Time costs are more important than the actual rate and money out of people's pockets," Lieber said referring to reportedly complicated tax structures. "The D+ indicates that licensing is a little more complicated than it needs to be and could stand to be simplified."

FULL ARTICLE

Never thought we'd ever beat Boston in something, but I guess we're a better place for small business than the bigger city on the coast......

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Secondly:

One for all, all for tourism: Regional approach seen as economic development boost

Sam Bonacci

The Central Massachusetts Convention and Visitors Bureau is dead. Will its successor, the Worcester Regional Visitors and Tourism Corp., pump more life into the region's tourism industry?

Much of the attention surrounding the state legislature's decision to defund one visitors agency and replace it with another under the direction of Christina Andreoli , vice president at the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce has centered on how the old organization was defunded.

However, beyond how that happened — bureau staff saying they were unaware of the impending change — the new organization brings with it not only a substantial shift for tourism efforts in the area, but also highlights an overall boost for collaboration among economic development organizations.
The new organization represents an opportunity for many communities in Central Massachusetts that had stopped supporting the bureau over the years. For instance, Destination Worcester was formed in 2007, when the city decided to stop funding the tourism bureau and undertake its own marketing efforts. The money for Destination Worcester, $500,000 in 2015, will continue to be set aside specifically for marketing Worcester as part of the new tourism bureau, according to City Manager Edward Augustus, who is bullish on the new organization.

"It'll allow us to leverage more state dollars and more resources to market the region, because people will have a renewed confidence in the effectiveness of (the) combined marketing efforts," he said. "It's long overdue and it's moving us in the right direction … we were doing the other way for a while and it wasn't giving us the results we wanted, so it makes sense that we try something else."

Optimism for this shift is coming from all directions, including tourist destinations and regional economic development organizations. There is optimistic talk of collaboration from all sectors of the region's tourism industry.

For Jeannie Hebert, president and CEO of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, who had been second in command of the previous tourism bureau, the change represents a potential for collaboration that was lacking with the old organization. That will help Central Massachusetts push its strengths and expand current tourism activity at sites well beyond Worcester, such as Southwick's Zoo in Mendon, she said. And Hebert said she's looking forward to working with Andreoli, who had been in touch with her months before the new organization was created.

"It's not Worcester taking it over. It's a collaboration of all the areas here working in concert," said Hebert, who pointed out that Worcester has certain resources such as hotels and urban destinations that will appeal to visitors. "We are going to utilize Worcester for what benefits they have."

That approach will also help Worcester, said Troy Siebels, president of the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts and chairman of Destination Worcester. While the Hanover and other Worcester locations are destinations in their own right, the strength of the region lies in its diversity.

"Our attraction isn't to say we are better than Boston. It is to say we have a really unique mix of urban, suburban, and rural," said Siebels, who explained that the area primarily pulls people mostly from within a 100-mile radius who are doing day trips for specific events.

The key will be getting those people interested in other activities in the area so that they spend a night or a weekend, he said.

The region's diversity is something Andreoli plans to play up in her new role.
"We know that there is a lot of energy around tourism in areas around Worcester. There are people in those areas and stakeholders in those area that are doing things around tourism and commerce," she said. "So why aren't we looking at ways we can increase the number of visitors to Central Massachusetts as a group?"

FULL ARTICLE

 

[WormtownNative]

Officials work to make downtown Worcester more walker-friendly

Bringing in tenants was a tough task for Dino Lorusso after he bought a 50,000-square-foot former industrial building in Worcester's Canal District in 2007.

Visitors to Crompton Place in the late 2000s often entered with a poor taste in their mouths due to Green Street's paucity of trees and numerous vacant buildings with boarded-up windows.

"Pedestrians and traffic were non-existent down here," Lorusso said.
He started to confront the problem by installing lights on his Harrison Street buildings so walkers and bikers would feel more comfortable moving between Green and Water streets after dark.

Then Worcester picked up the baton, thanks to $7.6 million in federal stimulus money it received in 2010.

Over the past three years, the city has added bike lanes, curb extensions, greenery and lighting along Water, Millbury and Green streets, said Stephen Rolle, the city's director of planning and regulatory services. Crosswalks and sidewalks in those areas were also improved through the use of red, textured pavement that looks like brick.

The upgrades made a difference.

"Once the streetscape came in, the first thing people started looking at was the trees," Lorusso said. "It softened the street."

The greenery diverted attention from the nearby abandoned buildings, Lorusso said, though those too have largely gone by the wayside as pedestrian activity increases in the area.

And with rental inquiries on the rise at Lorusso's 138 Green St. building. He plans to convert the top two floors into apartments in roughly a year.

The streetscape improvements also helped facilitate the expansion of restaurants, bars and other retail establishments onto Millbury Street, said John Giangregorio, president of the Canal District Alliance and owner of Three G's Sportsbar on Millbury Street. Prior to the improvements, cracked sidewalks and spotty streetlights kept many tenants and patrons away.

"The neighborhood was not very attractive," Giangregorio said.

Walk this way, but maybe not that way

Walkability along Worcester's commercial corridors is a mixed bag, with some areas benefitting from recent upgrades while others languish from decades of neglect or a car-oriented approach.

"The day of the automobile-centric city has gone," said Jerry Powers, co-coordinator of WalkBike Worcester. "Cities that want to be vibrant and attractive in the future must appeal to pedestrians."

As in the Canal District, boosting the streetscape was a precursor to Shrewsbury Street's revitalization.

The area was Worcester's first to receive walkability improvements, which Rolle said took place from 2003 to 2005 and were similar to the work done later in the Canal District.

With more pleasant sidewalks and a safer street-crossing experience, Shrewsbury Street is now booming with more than 40 restaurants.

"Good walking is good traffic," said Karin Valentine Goins, co-coordinator of WalkBike Worcester. "When you increase foot traffic, you increase sales."
Officials hope that success will spill into downtown after the reopening of Front Street between Foster and Church streets at the end of 2012.

Prior to the work, visitors coming into Union Station had to find their way around the old Galleria Mall parking garage and over to Franklin Street to reach downtown, said Jonathan Church, project manager with the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission.

Knocking down the garage and reconnecting the grid was the best thing the city could have done to boost pedestrian access, since newcomers could now see a direct route between the train station and downtown, said Church, who noted the new connection has become well used.

But downtown walkability remains a work in progress.

"Very few people like walking downtown," said Powers, who cited the abundance of surface parking lots as a pedestrian problem. "I do it, but it's not pleasant."

To address this issue, streetscape and sidewalk improvements similar to those on Shrewsbury Street and in the Canal District are underway on the roads surrounding Worcester Common and City Hall, Rolle said.

The more extensive work, though, is slated for Main Street between Highland
and Chandler streets, and will include roadway repaving, traffic signal improvements and pedestrian upgrades, Rolle said.

FULL ARTICLE

 

[WormtownNative]

As seen on Twitter from Nick Kotsopoulos's (T & G City Hall reporter) Twitter Feed:

 

[WormtownNative]

Public hearing Wednesday for former Wyman-Gordon property

By Nick Kotsopoulos
Telegram & Gazette Staff

Posted Sep. 14, 2015 at 1:33 PM
Updated Sep 14, 2015 at 4:12 PM

WORCESTER — The future of the largely vacant 14-acre Wyman-Gordon property off Kelley Square has long been an enigma to city officials.

Considered one of the prime development spots in the city because of its proximity to the downtown, the burgeoning Canal District and major transportation routes, the property is no closer to a productive reuse today than it was more than a dozen years ago when the buildings on the site were razed.

As recently as two years ago, there had been some hope that the property was going to be brought back to life when it was eyed by a developer for a $200 million slots parlor development.

But those plans were short-lived when Mass Gaming & Entertainment and the city later announced they had terminated negotiations on a community host agreement.

The reason given for the termination was that the two sides were far apart in reaching a deal and that one likely would not be reached. Community opposition to the slots parlor may have also had something to do with it.

As things turned out, the state’s one-and-only slots parlor license went to Plainville, located 35 miles southwest of Boston.

The $250 million “Plainridge Park Casino” opened in June and the 106,000-square-foot racing and gaming facility, with its 1,250 slots machines and electronic table games, as well as a live harness racing track, has drawn large crowds since.

The Wyman-Gordon property remains vacant and the city’s Office of Economic Development will hold a public meeting Wednesday for the purpose of discussing the site.

John P. Brissette, chairman of the 15-member Worcester Redevelopment Citizens Advisory Committee, said the city wants to give people an opportunity to offer their ideas on what they would like to see happen there.
The meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Crompton Collective, 138 Green St.

Mr. Brissette said the WRA Citizens Advisory Committee is interested in getting input regarding the future of the site because it is such a significant development property.

He said those who live and own businesses in that area probably have the best understanding of all the issues related to the development of the largely wide-open property.

.........

In 2012, a Harvard University design study group came up with a series of conceptual drawings for the potential development of the property.

The four designs that came out of the purely educational exercise incorporated a mixed-used development for the site, including retail, office space, housing and recreational opportunities.

Some of the designs also include unique features such as fitness centers, supermarkets and movie theaters.

FULL ARTICLE

 

[Shepard]

FULL ARTICLE

Is Shewsbury Street really walker-friendly? It's surprising so many restaurants have taken root there... streetview has it looking like a very autocentric boulevard. Very narrow sidewalks, no trees except in the median (shade for cars?) ... Blank frontages. Strip mall signage. Car dealership lots, car washes, and gas stations with 100'-long curb cuts. Unless that's all changed since the streetview pics were taken?

Unrelated to walkability, but the corridor is architecturally ghastly.

 

[SlothofDespond]

Is Shewsbury Street really walker-friendly? It's surprising so many restaurants have taken root there... streetview has it looking like a very autocentric boulevard. Unless that's changed since the streetview pics were taken?

Depends on your view of Shrewsbury Street. If you mean just the section closest to downtown with Via, Chop, Volturno, the Boulevard, etc. then sure. Then there is kind of a dead zone gap and Rhino, Funky's, Piccaddiccalliccally Pub, etc. on the far end. The downtown side is super busy Thurs-Sat nights and people bounce from dinner at one restaurant to a drink at the bar at another. It's a long street though and no one is walking from one end to the other.