As Polar Park construction nears, Worcester creates Canal District parking website

Photo | TMS Aerial Solutions Land that's slated to be redeveloped as Polar Park (top) and land proposed for a mixed-use development (bottom).

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By Zachary Comeau

With $240 million being poured into a comprehensive redevelopment of a large area in the Canal District including the $101-million Polar Park baseball stadium, Worcester officials are taking steps to address traffic and parking concerns during construction.

That outreach includes a new website, www.worcestercanal.com, and establishing a parking action plan to help mitigate impacts to parking in the area during construction.

The minor league baseball team Pawtucket Red Sox are moving to Worcester for the 2021 season, and the city is taking on the construction project and will be the landlord. The city said 1,000 new parking spaces will be created in the area to support the project along with a 350-500-space parking garage, but businesses have expressed concerns about the headaches the massive construction project will undoubtedly bring.

The ballpark is expected to have at least 6,000 seats and a capacity of 10,000 fans.

In the announcement, the city outlined construction expected to begin this summer, including demolition and excavation at the ballpark site and neighboring developments, utility upgrades throughout the neighborhood and roadwork on Harding Street and Winter Street.

Work on those two streets will create on-street parking spaces once completed.

Beginning Thursday, two privately-owned parking lots at 24 Assonet Street and 53-75 Washington Street will no longer be available. To address that issue, the city pointed to several municipal parking options in the area, including the Union Station Garage, the Green Street Lot, the Expressway Lot C, the Millbury Street Lot and the Water Street Lot.

In addition to those parking options, some Canal District businesses have secured a parking lot at 156 Washington St., which is a five-minute walk from the area. A shuttle service paid for by the businesses will offer rides between lots to participating businesses starting Thursday.

Other aspects of the plan include additional signage in the neighborhood, two-hour limits for on-street parking, providing longer-term parking options for customers and employees at garages and parking lots, prohibiting construction workers from using those spots and working with business owners to expand valet services.