City Council to vote on Saint V land swap

WBJ File Saint Vincent has no specific plans yet for its three new Washington Square parcels, other than for employee parking.

Write a Comment

By Brad Kane

The Worcester City Council on Tuesday night is scheduled to vote on a property exchange deal with Saint Vincent Hospital, so the healthcare provider can increase its campus footprint in Washington Square, according to the council agenda.

The city wants to acquire two parcels located at 1 Spurr St. and 12 Winthrop St. – which is known as the Anderson Building – to use for parking for the Worcester Senior Center. Over the last two years, the city has made $1 million in upgrades to the senior center and wants to ensure there is parking available, according to a letter City Manager Edward Augustus wrote to the city council in advance of Tuesday’s meeting.

In exchange, Saint Vincent will receive three parcels on Summer, Foster and Front streets to expand into Washington Square. The hospital will use the parcels to alleviate employee parking issues with about 100 spaces until it finalizes plans for future development, according to Augustus.

Even though Saint Vincent is receiving three parcels compared to the city's two, it is being proposed as an even exchange because a large power line runs under a parcel that Saint Vincent is acquiring, which would cost about $500,000 to remove, said hospital spokeswoman Erica Noonan.

Within 120 days of the land swap, Saint Vincent has agreed to demolish the Anderson Building at 12 Winthrop St. The city already leases 1 Spurr St. from Saint Vincent for parking, and that lease will expire on Dec. 31.

The exchange will actually take place between Saint Vincent and the Worcester Redevelopment Authority, which owns the three parcels that the hospital will receive. WRA then plans on transferring the property to the city for parking at the senior center.