Posted by Jeremy Shulkin
Today David Forsberg called it the second most important groundbreaking this month in Worcester as dozens of politicians, city administrators and Worcester Business Development Corp. bigwigs gathered outside North Main St. and watched as speeches highlighted the start of demolition and/or rebuilding of three parcels on the old Worcester Voke campus.
Here’s a quick run-down of what’s happening in the area, with a map and labels thanks to Google Maps and Microsoft Paint.
Building A is the old Voke’s flagship building — the one everyone sees driving through Lincoln Square. Acorn Management will renovate the building into 28 units of market rate housing.
Buildings B and C are the ones everyone gathered to talk about today. The WBDC won two grants from the EPA and MassDevelopment totaling $800,000 for site demolition and clean up, and then will transfer control over to WinnDevelopment (the same folks who are renovating the old Chevalier building) to turn building B into a parking lot and landscaping, and building C into 65 units of market rate and affordable housing. Building B will be demolished completely, while C will be renovated. A fourth (unlabeled) building in the Voke complex will be retained by the WBDC for future use in the Gateway Park development.
Acorn Management has recently hinted at some ideas they have for buliding D, the Memorial Auditorium, and plan to submit a bid for a future, as-yet unreleased city of Worcester RFP. Building E, as the Telegram reported today, will go to auction in January.
