Developer building new manufacturing spaces in Worcester
Worcester entrepreneur Steven Rothschild has announced his latest venture that will offer smaller but modern spaces for area manufacturers.
Worcester entrepreneur Steven Rothschild has announced that he will build a 16,800-square-foot manufacturing hub called the Armory Business Center in the South Worcester Industrial Park that will cater to the region’s small manufacturers.
The founder of Bulbs.com announced Thursday that the facility in Worcester’s Main South neighborhood at 49 Canterbury St. will be designed with the modern amenities manufacturers need but at a smaller square-footage. The facility will be split into three, 5,600 square-foot buildings that include a 22 foot minimum height ceilings, clear span interiors, high-PSI cement floors, natural gas, three-phase electric, attractive entrances, a loading dock, drive-in capability, sufficient parking, multiple floor drainage points, and ready-for-clean rooms. The facility will be broken up into 1,867 square-foot units.
“With a lot of the trends in manufacturing, the machines are able to do a lot more in a reasonable amount of space. This is geared for the businesses that are up and coming," Rothschild said.
The space will be perfect for businesses coming out of the area's many incubators. As these businesses grow, he said, they will form roots in the city and all of this allows the area's economy to continue growing.
City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. agreed that these units will help grow the area's economy.
"This development will bring jobs to the area, and act as a catalyst for even more activity in the future. This is just more evidence of the mounting economic development momentum throughout the city, which has seen more than a half billion in private investment over the past several years,” he said in a statement.
While there are many former manufacturing sites available throughout the area, they do not always meet the needs of today's local manufacturers. In addition to the need for modern amenities, these manufacturers often need less space than the massive former warehouse buildings that pepper the area.
"This is about developing businesses in Worcester and creating jobs. There are 7,000 manufacturers in Massachusetts and 91 percent have a payroll of fewer than 40 employees. There is significant demand for facilities that support small manufacturing businesses," Rothschild said in a statement.
The site is located on a recovered brownfield site approximately one-half mile from Worcester's central business district and near several major highways including Route 146, Interstate 290, and the Massachusetts Turnpike.
Rothschild would not give an exact opening date for the buildings, but said the work has already been put out to bid to local contractors and will be completed as soon as possible.
“The goal is to get this done as fast as possible. We are expecting the bids back from the contractors and they are going to be authorized to go as fast as possible," Rothschild said explaining that all the contractors are based within Worcester or one town outside of the city.
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