Worcester Infill and Developments

[elemenoh]

The New England Bike Walk Summit is being held in Worcester next week, and I was really surprised to see how bike-unfriendly the streets there are.

I actually had to ask the DCU Center via twitter if there is bike parking there (since I'll be arriving via commuter rail and bicycle), since it's not mentioned on their web site.

The redesign of Main Street pictured upthread is a huge missed opportunity to install good protected bike lanes. I guess they're leaving that for the next generation to deal with.

 

[WormtownNative]

The New England Bike Walk Summit is being held in Worcester next week, and I was really surprised to see how bike-unfriendly the streets there are.

I actually had to ask the DCU Center via twitter if there is bike parking there (since I'll be arriving via commuter rail and bicycle), since it's not mentioned on their web site.

The redesign of Main Street pictured upthread is a huge missed opportunity to install good protected bike lanes. I guess they're leaving that for the next generation to deal with.

Unlike Boston, Worcester really hasn't had a take off in the bike community. I chalk that up to the fact of how many hills we have. And they're not gradual inclines either. Alot of them are rather steep. That said, the actual bikers will take whatever the city wants to give (and push for more).

The DCU Center (it's funny you say that, I used to work there), doesn't actually have much for bike parking. It's just a small rack outside of Door 5. Out of all of the events I worked, I think there was never more than 1 bike there. The summit is probably the only time it really gets used much.

 

[WormtownNative]

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.

Sloth has answered most of it, but Shrewsbury St. is much better than several other streets - especially those downtown. It still needs work, but that comes with time.

 

[Scalziand]

As far as I know, the biggest investment the city has made into bike infrastructure aside from the Blackstone Canal trail is painting some sharrows, like on Salisbury Street.

Unlike Boston, Worcester really hasn't had a take off in the bike community. I chalk that up to the fact of how many hills we have. And they're not gradual inclines either. Alot of them are rather steep. That said, the actual bikers will take whatever the city wants to give (and push for more).

Don't forget abut the Major Taylor Association, although that's more about competitive cycling than casual of commuter cycling. they host the George Street Bike Challenge and the Major Taylor Century ride.

The George Street Bike Challenge is a nice time trial going up George Street, one of those hellishly steep hills, though.

http://www.majortaylorassociation.org/events.shtml

 

[WormtownNative]

As far as I know, the biggest investment the city has made into bike infrastructure aside from the Blackstone Canal trail is painting some sharrows, like on Salisbury Street.



Don't forget abut the Major Taylor Association, although that's more about competitive cycling than casual of commuter cycling. they host the George Street Bike Challenge and the Major Taylor Century ride.

The George Street Bike Challenge is a nice time trial going up George Street, one of those hellishly steep hills, though.

http://www.majortaylorassociation.org/events.shtml

Yeah, the competitive cycling interest out here is strong, (especially with a leg of the Longsjo Classic now being in the city) but the commuting portion hasn't picked up.

 

[WormtownNative]

Why Worcester can't have nice things - reason #2: @$$hole Drivers

Bicyclists at risk on Worcester streets

By George Barnes
Telegram & Gazette Staff

Posted Sep. 19, 2015 at 6:45 AM
Updated at 10:01 AM

WORCESTER - Cyclist Peter Howard knows that accidents can happen and that motor vehicle drivers are not always malicious and irresponsible, but he also knows riding in Worcester comes with a set of risks and one is attacks by motorists.

"You're just a moving target," he said. "There are a lot of bad ones."

Mr. Howard, president of the Seven Hills Wheelmen and owner of Barney's Bicycle, said bad encounters with motorists happen all the time. He has been cut by bottles thrown at him, had drivers scream at him and others he is riding with, and even had near-misses with drivers who were looking to intimidate him. Some of it is extreme road rage, sometimes just disrespect for people who ride bicycles. He said some drivers think that bicyclists do not belong on the roads.

An extreme case occurred Aug. 29 when a 62-year-old bicyclist was struck by a car near Murray Avenue and Piedmont Street. The driver, Anthony Davidson, 22, of Worcester, claimed the cyclist turned abruptly into his vehicle as he tried to carefully pass the bicyclist.

Police later charged Mr. Davidson with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (motor vehicle) on a person over 60 years old, negligent driving and marked lanes and red light violations after reviewing surveillance video that police say showed Mr. Davidson chasing the bicyclist down and hitting him with his car.

Police allege the the attack occurred after the bicyclist placed his hand on
Mr. Davidson's car at a stoplight at May and Main streets. The bicyclist rode off from the stop light in the opposite direction from the motorist, police said. Mr. Davidson turned his vehicle around and followed the victim, appearing to deliberately strike him, police said.

Mr. Davidson is being held by police pending arraignment on Oct. 22.

Mr. Howard said that while the case is extreme, encounters with aggressive drivers are not unusual. He said the other day he was riding with a group of 30 people down Mill Street when they encountered an angry driver.

"He was blowing his horn all the way down Mill Street," he said. "He was yelling at us and pulled over in Tatnuck Square and started throwing water bottles at us."

Mr. Howard said there have been cases of motorists jumping out of cars and threatening bicyclists, in some cases trying to grab them and pull them off their bikes as they rode by.

Part of the problem is Worcester is not bicycle-friendly. Few roads have bike lanes, forcing cyclists to use the travel lanes, which they can legally do. The only other option is to illegally take to the sidewalks to get away from speeding cars and distracted or reckless drivers. Mr. Howard said it is illegal to ride on the sidewalks, but it is sometimes the only option.

Mr. Howard acknowledges there are problem riders as well as drivers.

"Cyclists have to mind their manners, too," he said, but added that cyclists are unprotected and at grave risk if a driver loses control or fails to use caution.

More scary stuff:

Aaron Prince, owner of Fritz's Bicycle Shop, said he has had slushies thrown at him, plastic cups, cans and other items.

"The worst was when I was shot by a paintball gun riding on Grafton Street," he said.

Mr. Prince said he was hit twice in the arm by paintballs. He said he could have crashed his bicycle or run out of control and gotten hit by a car. He said attacks on bicyclists, whether physical or verbal, happen all the time.

"Part of the issue in Worcester is there is a lot of traffic these days and we don't have infrastructure designed for bicycles," he said. "It's definitely a driving city."

Mr. Prince said the city stenciled bicycles in the travel lanes on some streets to remind motorists bicycles are sharing the roads, but bicyclists are still in the middle of traffic and the perception is they are slowing down traffic.

FULL ARTICLE

As if that wasn't bad enough - this comes from the mouth of the editor of Worcester Magazine.

Where's Captain Picard and his facepalm?

 

[Shepard]

Unbelievable.

 

[393b40]

As a pedestrian I hate bikers far more than I hate drivers. Fucking assholes on two wheels.

EDIT: I don't support running down bikers and driving over them.

 

[bigeman312]

There are ass holes. Some drive cars and some ride bikes. Walter Bird, Jr. is an ass hole.

 

[FK4]

I lived in Worcester and gave up on bike riding since it was just too scary. I have never seen more aggressive, asshole drivers anywhere in Mass or anywhere else - I literally was jeered at with homophobic slurs yelled out of car windows multiple times just for biking and Im not even talking about biking in a busy road or any situation where a driver was slowed down by me... I had a friend get nailed in a hit and run and broke his arm... Just driving in my car on small residential streets in Worcester, going 35mph which is already too fast, I daily was tailgated by angry pickup truck drivers who sometimes would cross the double yellow and pass me going fifty on my little street (Coburn Ave)... It's a city that is filled with drivers like that. Im not trolling here... Im hopeful about it getting better and recovering but it has a LONG way to go because it's about 30 yrs behind Boston in terms of any liberalizing influences. The Tea Party unfortunately remains strong out in those parts...Hostility to fluorinating water, bike lanes, smart development, you name it... Not to take away from the plenty of good people that live there as well, of course. But there are a LOT of asshole drivers there, I have never been jeered at so many times simply for riding a bicycle.

 

[SlothofDespond]

Bikers are the worst. A physical menace to pedestrians in Boston, and they totally destroy traffic flow at rush hour in Worcester. I hate them. They're like motorcyclists but without any semblance of personal responsibility.

I look forward to being roasted by ArchBoston's responsible, non-asshole bicycle riding contingent.

 

[Scalziand]

I was walking along Highland Street one night when a passing car pelted me with an apple. WTF?

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

Anyhoo, big news;

Kelley Square curve ball: WooSox ballpark mulled by Canal District pubgoers
9/27/15

WORCESTER - A PawSox stadium in Kelley Square? All the thrills wouldn't be confined to the ballpark, say local sports fans, who welcome the idea of a new team in town but are wary of building a stadium at Worcester's most notorious traffic intersection.

Worcester city officials have said they would welcome discussions with the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Boston Red Sox Triple A minor league affiliate, about a potential move to the city now that the PawSox' negotiations for a new stadium in Providence have broken down.

A location that has been talked about as a potential spot for a stadium is the old Wyman-Gordon property, a 14-acre industrial site at 105 Madison St., off Kelley Square.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20150927/NEWS/150929217/101478

 

[WormtownNative]

I was walking along Highland Street one night when a passing car pelted me with an apple. WTF?

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

Anyhoo, big news;

Kelley Square curve ball: WooSox ballpark mulled by Canal District pubgoers
9/27/15

WORCESTER - A PawSox stadium in Kelley Square? All the thrills wouldn't be confined to the ballpark, say local sports fans, who welcome the idea of a new team in town but are wary of building a stadium at Worcester's most notorious traffic intersection.

Worcester city officials have said they would welcome discussions with the Pawtucket Red Sox, the Boston Red Sox Triple A minor league affiliate, about a potential move to the city now that the PawSox' negotiations for a new stadium in Providence have broken down.

A location that has been talked about as a potential spot for a stadium is the old Wyman-Gordon property, a 14-acre industrial site at 105 Madison St., off Kelley Square.

http://www.telegram.com/article/20150927/NEWS/150929217/101478

I have said this again and again - NO!

Worcester does not support pro sports - look at what happened to the IceCats, Sharks, and Tornadoes. The Bravehearts are already here, and another team would just strip away their fan base.

Besides, there are much better uses for that Wyman Gordon property than a baseball stadium and parking lot acreage.

 

[cden4]

It's amazing to me how people think it's appropriate to denigrate and in some cases harass and assault a group of people (bicyclists) while to do the same for any other characteristic is entirely inappropriate. AND in a lot of cases, the people doing the harassing aren't even right! The least you can do if you're going to enforce your own vigilante justice on someone is actually know the law...

 

[WormtownNative]

Getting back to the point of this thread - Worcester Improvements.

The lofts at Loomworks is now leasing. These look amazing.

http://www.loftsatloomworks.com/photogallery.aspx

The Clark University student engagement center now has it's steel bones up. Pictures of that probably later this week.

Here's a render of it:

A few more briefs:

• Osgood-Bradley work continues.
• The old courthouse just had the environmental cleanup contract awarded a few weeks back.
• Gallo Oldsmobile site on Shrewsbury St. is being cleaned up for construction work.
• The underground parking garage down at CitySquare has now reached street level. Unknown when the hotel will be going up.
• WRTA facility on Quinsig Ave continues, but environmental cleanup is turning out to be a nightmare. (Site used to be home to a power plant and is heavily contaminated)
• Construction continues on the building adjacent to the Hanover Theatre. Even in its current state, it looks much better than what it used to.

Also, there's this - as said by Nick Kotsopoulos - "You can't make this up."

With fed grants, city looks at firetruck, park upgrades

WORCESTER - A new firetruck and upgrades at two city parks are on the city's wish list for additional federal grants.

The city wants to fund nine eligible federal Community Development Block Grant activities through the one-time extended line of credit it has received for this year's block grant program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Some of the proposed uses for the money include buying a new firetruck, funding improvements at Castle and Crompton parks, relocating historic Stearns Tavern, and energy efficiency upgrades at two buildings operated by neighborhood centers.

The supplemental spending, which is considered a "substantial amendment" to this year's block grant program, was unveiled at a public hearing Wednesday night.

The additional block grant money became available as part of an agreement the city worked out with HUD, after an audit identified that $3.4 million worth of community development block grant allocations it had made for contracted services over a three-year period did not comply with federal regulations.

The city agreed to, and has since paid in full, the $3.4 million to HUD. It came from non-federal monies in the city budget.

Upon receiving that money, HUD, in turn, returned that full amount to the city's line of credit for this year's block grant program.

City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said HUD agreed to return the money through an extended line of credit, because it didn't see any benefit to taking those dollars out of the community.

That means the city has additional block grant funding, just for this year, to allocate on primarily capital projects in eligible low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

The proposed amendments to this year's block grant program using the repayment funds call for:

• Purchase of a new firetruck ($500,000).

The new truck will replace Engine 15. That truck is 22 years old, has been driven more than 101,000 miles, and has a considerable amount of wear throughout the apparatus, including major engine work that was done two years ago.

• Improvements at Castle Park ($980,000).

This includes the renovation of the existing basketball and tennis courts into full-court basketball courts, the installation of an ADA accessible walkway and access way, new sports lighting and pedestrian lighting, new seating areas, landscaping and fencing, and upgrading the park's electrical service.

• Improvements at Crompton Park ($750,000).

As called for in the master plan for the park, this money will result in the installation of new tennis and handball courts, a new parking area, upgrades to the lighting system, site entrance improvements, new park pathways and pavement areas surrounding the community center, and new park furnishings and landscaping.

• Relocation of historic Stearns Tavern ($150,000).

The two-story building at 651 Park Ave. is one of the oldest structures in the city, dating as far back as 1812, when it opened as a tavern. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The owner of the building is legally permitted to demolish the now-vacant building, though he has expressed a willingness to donate the historic structure or sell it for a nominal amount to someone who would relocate it before the end of this year.

The city has been working with Preservation Worcester to facilitate such a move.

The plan is to separate an addition built in 1974 and move the historic portion of the building to a new site at 72 Coes St., at the site of the former Coes Knife Factory, which is now a city park.

To enhance the park and playground, the city wants to relocate Stearns Tavern there and contract with the Seven Hills Foundation, a local organization that provides year-round programming for people with any type of disability, to staff it.

The block grant funds will be used to cover all costs associated with the relocation, except the cost of a new foundation, which is being donated.

FULL ARTICLE

As a reminder, there is the Worcester Developments Google Map that has all of the major construction projects (E.g. hotels and other buildings). I try to keep it updated, and to my current knowledge, it is.

 

[WormtownNative]

Render of the hotel going up in CitySquare:

Construction begins in February after completion of parking garage underneath. Planned opening is spring of 2017.

168-room hotel to open at City Square in Worcester by 2017
By Michael D. Kane | mkane@masslive.com
on October 06, 2015 at 7:30 PM, updated October 06, 2015 at 8:34 PM

WORCESTER – Downtown Worcester is about to throw down the welcome mat for a young, urbane traveler that is expected to drive the city's economy into the future.

City officials on Tuesday joined with Colwen Hotels and XSS Hotels to announce the new hotel at City Square will be the upscale and modern AC by Marriott.

The $33.1 million, 168 room is slotted to begin construction in February, if the City Square parking garage is complete on time, which it is expected to be according to City Manager Edward Augustus Jr.

The AC brand is one of Marriot's newer partnerships. AC Hotels was founded in Spain in 1998 and soon had the rest of the hospitality industry taking notice for its combination approach of both boutique and luxury hospitality, according to Colwen's Chairman, Leo Xarras.

Plenty of adjectives were pouring forth during Tuesday's press conference, including stylish, distinctive, unique, and, from Xarras, "10 years ahead of what people expect from hotels."

The idea behind the design is that the modern traveler wants constant connection to the world around them, according to Christine Thomas, a development partner with XSS Hotels.

A decade ago, business travelers wanted to "check in, go to their room and find a place to spread out their paperwork," Thomas said. Now, they want to check in via smartphone, drop off their stuff and head downstairs to be around people in an ever-connected environment.

"They don't want to stay in their hotel room," she said. "They want to be part of the community."

That means technology not only in the rooms, but in all of the public spaces. And there will be plenty of those, including multiple food establishments, from a bar and breakfast café to a branded restaurant.

Worcester will be one of 50 AC Hotels by Marriott to begin construction in the United States in the next year. Five of those hotels will be in the Boston area.

The change from the initially announced Renaissance Hotel is to meet the expectations of the modern traveler, which the company hopes to attract. The company has two other hotels in Worcester to cater to other clients.

FULL ARTICLE

 

[WormtownNative]

The last remnants of the Worcester Galleria are now being redeveloped:

New $70.1M project announced for CitySquare

By: Walter Bird Jr.

First they built it, now they own it.

A group of carpenters is taking ownership of 100 Front St. as part of a larger, $70.1-million project that will also see UMass Memorial Healthcare send 500 employees downtown in the heart of City Square.

City, state and federal officials, along with project developers, are touting it as one more piece of the puzzle that is rebuilding and re-branding downtown Worcester.

"The Worcester way should be the way the rest of Massachusetts operates," said Jay Ash, the state's secretary of Housing and Economic Development. He was among dozens of officials, union representatives, business and local leaders and others at press conference on the plaza behind 100 Front St. Monday, Oct. 26.

The project is a joint venture of Franklin Realty Advisors LLC and Great Point Investors LLC of Boston, with GPI representing the Combined Benefits Funds of the New England Carpenters. It involves office towers at 100 and 120 Front Street, including the building that houses the Telegram & Gazette, as well as property at 2 Mercantile St. and a 1,647-space parking garage. It will include $36 million in upgrades and a new facade around 100 Front St.

In addition, UMass Memorial Health Care is leasing 74,6000 of space, which will house roughly 500 IT employees by the end of 2017. The healthcare provider will also use another 20,000 square feet of space at 90-110 St. as a training center before the end of the year.

"A $70-million investment is a really big deal," said GPI principal Gary Schwandt, who said, at first, he was not keen on the idea of investing in downtown Worcester.

"My initial reaction to Worcester as a development opportunity was one of skepticism or even worse," Schwandt, who lives in Boston, said. He said he was working at Connecticut General, "when this loan first went into default in the '80s."

His perspective changed, he said, when Franklin Realty manager and owner Chip Norton hosted Schwandt in Worcester earlier this year.

"I began to understand what makes Worcester work," Schwandt said. "It's a strong coalition of city and elected officials. It really is a major factor in why I think it's a good opportunity to invest."

The news comes as the city readies to open a new, underground parking garage, and with new hotels, including one in City Square and another in Washington Square, expected to be built in or near downtown. Other living spaces have either already been added or are in the works, including the renovation of the Osgood Bradley building behind Union Station into apartments for college students.

FULL ARTICLE

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

A few more articles about the progress that's been made:

Mostly hidden from sight, a $35 million project in downtown Worcester nears completion

By Lisa Eckelbecker
Telegram & Gazette Staff

Posted Oct. 25, 2015 at 6:00 AM
Updated Oct 25, 2015 at 12:18 PM

WORCESTER – In the middle of downtown, a $35 million construction project is nearly finished. But it is almost completely hidden.

That’s because the project - a 550-vehicle parking garage - is taking shape beneath streets and vast concrete slabs that look like a lot of nothing.

Built into a cavity that was once the lower level of a defunct shopping mall, the two-level underground garage has been engineered to support a hotel, a park and, maybe someday, an office building.

Creating the space has not been so different from constructing an office building, said Donald W. Birch, executive vice president of Leggat McCall Properties, the Boston firm overseeing the development of new buildings in the area dubbed CitySquare. But fitting it in with everything still to come in the neighborhood, including a hotel and apartment complex, has added an extra layer of complexity.

“You’re trying to build not just a single structural element,” Mr. Birch said while walking through the construction site last week, wearing a hardhat and dodging piles of steel. “You’re trying to create a mixed-use environment where you have multiple structures, where once you had only one.”
The new garage is slated for completion in January, and serves as something of a midpoint in the redevelopment of a 21-acre area that was, itself, the product of an earlier urban renewal effort.

Worcester Center, which opened in 1971, was supposed to be a modern revival of an old neighborhood. Developers eliminated six streets east of the city’s leafy common and tore down buildings that had housed nearly 300 businesses. In their place, two office buildings, an enclosed mall and parking garages for thousands of cars opened.

The mall struggled, however, even after a reboot as an outlet shopping center in 1994. In 2004, new owner Berkeley Investments Inc. of Boston proposed ripping out the mall and reworking the area with new streets and a combination of offices and housing.

That went nowhere until 2010, when the investment arm of Worcester-based

Hanover Insurance Group Inc. bought about half of the property, and brought in Leggat McCall to jump-start activity.

Public entities agreed to help with tax breaks and grants that will likely total about $94 million.

Crews tore down the mall and some of the garages. A new $70 million office building for Worcester operations of Tennessee-based Unum Group went up.

So did a $23 million cancer treatment center for nearby St. Vincent Hospital. Both opened in 2013.

After the garage is completed, the city of Worcester will operate it as a municipal garage under a 60-year lease. It will be the fifth public parking garage in the city, and make it possible to develop parcels above ground, including a hotel and future office building, said Michael E. Traynor, Worcester Chief Development Officer.

“We basically get to use the same ground twice by putting it underground,” Mr. Traynor said.

Building downward has urban design benefits, as well, according to architect Daniel R. Benoit, president of Benoit Design Group of Worcester.

“Parking tends to not be all that attractive, and putting it underground tends to be a good thing,” Mr. Benoit said.

From above, the garage construction site looks puzzling. A rebuilt Front Street chops it in half. To the north of Front Street, concrete undulates, as if a slab had been raised in places and lowered in others.

That’s deliberate, to direct precipitation toward drains, according to Mr. Birch. A membrane will be placed over the concrete, then 18 to 24 inches of soil, and a lightweight foam filler.

Landscaping and walkways are planned to complete the park, which will cover about an acre. In the future, part of park may be developed to hold an office building.

South of Front Street, the construction site is flat but spiked, with columns that will be used to build a 168-room hotel. XSS Hotels of Hooksett, N.H., plans to start construction in February on a $33.1 million AC Hotel, a Marriott brand luxury property.

Nearby, but not over the garage, is a swath of land under development by Roseland Property Co. as an apartment complex with more than 300 planned units.

Underneath the hotel site, Front Street and the park, is the garage. Last week, some workers excavated one vehicle entrance that will sit beneath the hotel. Their path took them around a pit that will hold the hotel’s swimming pool.

Other workers poured concrete onto corrugated metal ramps that will form the main vehicle entrance off Eaton Place - a road that still must be completed.

In addition to two vehicle entrances, the garage will have stairways and elevators for the public at two places north of Front Street, and at one place south of Front Street.

The garage will also have ventilation and sprinkler systems. Steel columns are coated with fire-resistant concrete.

While digging and building, workers have relocated utility lines, and woven together metal rods to reinforce concrete.

They’ve also made some quirky discoveries, like leftover elevator pistons from buildings that stood in the neighborhood before they were razed to make way for Worcester Center in the 1970s.

FULL ARTICE - Which has a very nice graphic of the entire project (which I can't link in here for some reason.....)

 

[WormtownNative]

More news about the new hotel going in CitySquare:

High-end comes to Worcester's downtown

SAM BONACCI

In one fell swoop, a 168-room hotel has done something that years of development efforts have been striving for: align Worcester's downtown with the words luxury, premiere and high-end.

It's the kind of announcement that city officials and those invested in the resurgence of Worcester are holding up as a sign of the new downtown.

Yes, there have been major developments in the downtown, including the razing of the defunct Worcester Common Outlets, a reinvestment in the former Telegram & Gazette building, bringing thousands of Quinsigamond Community College students and employees downtown, and the creation of the Voke Lofts in the downtown-adjacent Lincoln Plaza.

These developments have set the foundation for a rebuilding of downtown, but with the selection of the AC Hotel by Marriott to be placed nearly next to the city commons, one developer has taken a step towards elevating the area up to a high-end destination, according to city insiders and officials.

The 120,000-square-foot hotel will be the city's only full-service downtown hotel, but it adds more than meeting space and the (admittedly large and somewhat game-changing in its own right) 250-seat restaurant. It is a shot of European-style class from a brand that has been creating boutique, luxury hotels since 1998. Worcester will be the only location outside of Boston to receive one of these hotels, and it will be able to pull business clients and those seeking a unique experience from 25 miles around, said Leo H. Xarras, chairman of Colwen Hotels (a group under XSS Hotels of Hooksett, N. H. that is developing the property).
It's doing all this with a complete rethink of what a hotel is supposed to be.

Gone are the days of big-box hotels on the side of major thoroughfares, said Christine Thomas, development partner for XSS Hotels.

"Lodging can be quite transformative because it is a building-block to downtowns," she said. "In bigger cities, having first-class, new hotel downtown makes a big difference to the core of the city."

People want class, amenities and a downtown location, Thomas said. Inside, the rooms no longer center around a massive TV. The heated indoor pool is salt water because it's better for the environment. An emphasis will be placed on the communal spaces, with Worcester County-sourced art creating comfortable and usable spaces designed to draw people out of their rooms.
Along with all this talk of luxury and premiere comes higher price. The rooms will have a $30 to $50 premium over the current $150 to $199 high-end Worcester market, according to XSS.

This is a market Worcester has already proven it can support, said Tim Murrary, president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.

"I remember when the Sole Proprietor opened and people questioned whether they could support it and some of the high end restaurants on Shrewsbury Street. People have supported them," Murray said. "There is a market in Central Massachusetts, and the Worcester area that is looking for high-end experiences in terms of leisure and food."

This is just the kind of lynchpin development the city needs to pull in additional high-end development and retail, said Tim McGourthy, executive director of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau. The next step will be feeding in the complementary developments.

"As others come in and start taking advantage of the value the hotel brings in, then you have an opportunity to see a really dynamic change in the downtown," McGourthy said. "In the end, it's about finding the investors willing to take the risk and capitalize on a growing market… That hotel is a destination, and people will come and they will be looking for alternatives as well."

FULL ARTICLE

Also, a few renders of the interior:

And a much cleaner render of the exterior from the one I originally posted with the MassLive article

 

[WormtownNative]

Meanwhile in Shrewsbury:

The Kenneth M. Burns Memorial Bridge (Rt. 9 over Lake Quinsig) is completed and will have a lighting ceremony on November 1st.

Also, Lakeway Commons - a redevelopment of the massive Spag's property, is well underway, with Whole Foods, Tavern in the Square, and Burton's Grill being the biggest announcements thus far - more are expected over the next few weeks.

From Masslive:

The plans for the former Spags property include 250 apartments, 35 town houses and 80,000 square feet of retail space.

- Source

HERE is the Site Plan for the property.

 

[WormtownNative]

Some more details about the renovations to 100 - 120 Front St.

UMass Memorial to bring 500 jobs to downtown Worcester

By Aaron Nicodemus
Telegram & Gazette Staff

Posted Oct. 26, 2015 at 12:30 PM
Updated at 6:53 PM

WORCESTER – UMass Memorial Health Care announced Monday morning it will be the major new tenant at 90-110 Front St., bringing 500 information technology jobs to downtown, starting by the end of the year.

Franklin Realty Advisors, of Wellesley, and Great Point Investors of Boston recently purchased the buildings at 90-110 and 120 Front Street for $32.5 million, and announced that the entire project cost, including redevelopment of the property, will total $70.1 million.

“A $70 million investment is a really big deal,” said Gary Schwandt, principal of Great Point Investors, at an event held next to the building Monday morning. “This property will be undergoing major changes. It looks like a mall, and that needs to change.”

UMass Memorial Health Care will lease 74,600 square feet of space in the vacant former mall space that faces Front Street. Of the 500 UMass Memorial jobs that will be moved into that space, between 160 and 200 of those will be new jobs, according to a UMass Memorial spokesman.

The two-story space that UMass Memorial will occupy will have a new façade; the space is currently covered over. UMass Memorial will occupy the second floor, and the first floor will be shops and restaurants. The developer placed a large banner over part of the space that shows what the façade is planned to look like.

Dr. Dickson said that having a healthy, vibrant downtown in Worcester is important to UMass Memorial Health Care, the city’s largest employer, with 12,000 employees. UMass Memorial will invest more than $700 million in its information technology department over the next 10 years, he said, as the health provider switches to a new electronic health records provider, Epic; improve its WiFi bandwidth; create a data storage infrastructure; and bring in new software. Other UMass Memorial affiliated hospitals, in Leominster, Clinton and Marlboro, may also have some IT functions served by the relocated IT department.

UMass Memorial will relocate IT staff who are currently spread out in many of the hospital group’s buildings and put them under one roof. UMass Memorial plans to move in to 20,000 square feet of space by the end of the year, and slowly expand to fill the entire space.

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As someone who used to work part-time downtown at a city owned arena/convention center - I used to pass by this building on a weekly basis on my way into work (hell, I parked at the meters on Mercantile St.), and wondered when they were going to fix it up, this will be one heck of an improvement.