Canal District businessmen purchase $1M worth of parking
Photo | Zachary Comeau
156 Washington St., currently being used as parking for the Canal District, is now owned by three area businessmen.
Photo | Zachary Comeau
9 Langdon St.
A trio of Canal District businessmen have purchased more than 1.4 acres of land from Wyman-Gordon in Worcester to use for parking and reserve spaces for local residents and workers.
The group, via Canal District Parking LLC, paid just over $1 million for two lots at 9 Langdon St. and 156 Washington St., both of which were owned by manufacturer Wyman-Gordon, which has consolidated much of its local operations.
Worcester Public Market developer Allen Fletcher, Crompton Place owner Dino Lorusso and 7 Hills Property Management President Edward Murphy combined on the purchase meant to provide their customers and tenants with parking.
The lot at 156 Washington St. is included in the city’s parking plan meant to mitigate parking woes during construction of the $101-million Worcester Red Sox baseball stadium and overall $240-million redevelopment of the Canal District.
Work on the ballpark has already begun, which means Lorusso and many other Canal District businesses have lost access to those parking lots.
“I don’t have any parking here,” he said. “This building sits on a postage stamp. We needed to do something.”
Lorusso has not yet developed the top floor of his Crompton Place building, but there are plans for nine condo units. However, those potential tenants need access to nearby parking.
The parking will also serve the new Worcester Public Market, a mixed-use residential building featuring a public market with restaurants, shops and a satellite brewery of Westminster-based Wachusett Brewing Co.
The group has been running a free shuttle from the lot at 156 Washington to various points in the Canal District.
That service will be ramped up in the near future as Fletcher’s development comes online.
The group is also planning to purchase two other nearby lots on Harding Street and Washington Street, Murphy said.
If anything, the lots are insurance for local businesses in the event parking becomes a major issue during and after construction, Murphy said.
“If the parking issue figures itself out -- and I believe it will -- we’re happy to look at other uses for the properties,” he said.
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