Worcester redevelopment nears fruition
Proposed redevelopment of vacant property in Worcester's Canal District has come closer to reality.
On March 16, the Planning Board approved a measure that would allow Winter Street Court and several easements owned by the city to be removed. Once the thoroughfare and easements are gone, it will be simpler to demolish three vacant buildings now standing on the property.
The approval comes after the Conservation Commission decided that razing the buildings and undertaking brownfield remediation at the site are not under the city's jurisdiction. A brownfield is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a piece of property that may be complex to redevelop because it may be contaminated. Potential contamination here may be due to the fact that a plant manufacturing powder metal parts occupied the site.
The property is owned by New Garden Park, which is a subsidiary of the Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC). The WBDC plans to demolish the plant, then clean up the property, which it will then lease to the Marathon Sports Group. This organization would undertake the financing and building of a sports complex, which it would also manage and own. The new facility will comprise a pro shop, offices, a restaurant, eight locker rooms, and two ice rinks. Construction is slated to be finished by August 2017.
Marathon might want to work with print company to create a logo design for the new facility.
On March 16, the Planning Board approved a measure that would allow Winter Street Court and several easements owned by the city to be removed. Once the thoroughfare and easements are gone, it will be simpler to demolish three vacant buildings now standing on the property.
The approval comes after the Conservation Commission decided that razing the buildings and undertaking brownfield remediation at the site are not under the city's jurisdiction. A brownfield is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a piece of property that may be complex to redevelop because it may be contaminated. Potential contamination here may be due to the fact that a plant manufacturing powder metal parts occupied the site.
The property is owned by New Garden Park, which is a subsidiary of the Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC). The WBDC plans to demolish the plant, then clean up the property, which it will then lease to the Marathon Sports Group. This organization would undertake the financing and building of a sports complex, which it would also manage and own. The new facility will comprise a pro shop, offices, a restaurant, eight locker rooms, and two ice rinks. Construction is slated to be finished by August 2017.
Marathon might want to work with print company to create a logo design for the new facility.