Editorial: Center Stage
The 2008 opening of the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in downtown Worcester was a marquee event in the city's effort to bring needed vitality to its downtown. Three years later, the theater continues to draw headlining acts and crowds to what still is largely an underdeveloped area of the city's downtown.
There’s no argument that the Hanover Theatre has been a success. But there’s always more work to be done. To be a truly lively urban center, Worcester must find ways to keep people here past quitting time and more effectively draw the suburban crowd by offering a broader range of fun and entertainment.
The Next Step
The CitySquare project, which promises to come alive this year thanks to investment from the theater’s same savior — The Hanover Insurance Group — will no doubt be a huge catalyst for the heart of downtown. We’ve all been waiting for what feels like an eternity to see the demolition of outlet mall, and it finally looks like it’s going to happen. At this point, not only has disability insurer Unum signed on to move its local headquarters to the yet-to-be constructed project, but now Saint Vincent Hospital has also come forward with plans to locate a cancer center in the mixed-use development.
But CitySquare, just like the Hanover Theatre, is just one piece of the puzzle for Worcester. That is why we’re so pleased to learn that the Worcester Business Development Corp. is stepping in to take an active role in further spurring development.
Last week, the WBDC announced an agreement with the city to help redevelop underutilized or blighted properties in the vicinity of the Hanover Theatre. The 30-plus-acre region — to be known as the Theatre District — would be bordered by Main, High, McGrath, Myrtle, Front and Commercial Streets. Taken on its own, the new district is expected to have a budget of more than $30 million to get further development rolling. The WBDC will use $3 million from the sale of Centech Park East in Shrewsbury as well as other funds to acquire certain downtown properties with the aim of redeveloping them. The WBDC’s expanded role could also include helping current property owners in the district get grants and other financing.
The WBDC has already brought on board some impressive firepower, including the Cambridge-based architectural and planning firm Chan Krieger NBBJ, which will do a market study of the area. Chan Krieger’s principal Alex Krieger has long known the scene in downtown Worcester, and its past projects include working with the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) over a 10-year period on a campus master plan.
Given the success Providence has had in reinventing itself from an old New England industrial city into a hot spot for the young and old, Chan Krieger sounds like a promising choice.
We are optimistic that the city’s memorandum of understanding with the WBDC will be finalized quickly and that the agency can get fully focused on the project soon. But the devil in successful urban planning is truly in the details.
The market study, which should lead to a master plan for the newly formed district, will need to maximize the opportunity for public engagement and input. It will not be an easy or straightforward process.
We’ve seen from the CSX rail yard expansion in Worcester that large-scale development projects can hit speed bumps when negotiations start with local property owners.
The city’s partnership with the WBDC and its investment should be welcomed by our local businesses and political leaders.
The timing for this new investment in economic development for downtown Worcester could not be better. The snow has thawed, the leaves are turning green and the signs of construction and progress are on the way.
With the right vision, planning, energy and level of commitment, we will see what many have only dreamt about the last few decades — a truly revitalized downtown Worcester.
WBJ Web Partners
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