Former St. Gobain campus redevelopment granted $2.6M for infrastructure upgrades
Photo | Courtesy of Rockland Trust
Redevelopment of the former Saint-Gobain site is part of the City of Worcester’s Greendale Revitalization Initiative, a project involving the demolition of 10 buildings to create space for new industrial and manufacturing development.
The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded a $2.6-million grant to support infrastructure improvements to help facilitate redevelopment of a former site of the Saint-Gobain Abrasives campus in Worcester.
The grants will be matched by local funds and used to support upgrades to roadways, telecommunications infrastructure, drainage systems, and utilities, according to a Monday press release issued by the federal Economic Development Administration, an agency with the Department of Commerce.
The investment is expected to create upwards of 2,900 jobs, retain 320 jobs, and generate $20 million in private investment, according to estimates made by New Garden Park, the nonprofit subsidiary of the Worcester Business Development Corp. which requested the funding.
“This is a huge investment in Worcester’s future that will help redevelop a significant portion of the former Saint-Gobain Abrasives site and create the infrastructure necessary to attract new businesses and generate long-term economic growth,” Congressman Jim McGovern (D-Worcester) said in the press release. “Thanks to this grant and the $3.35 million in congressionally directed spending our delegation has secured through the appropriations process, Worcester will see nearly 1,000 new jobs and over a million square feet of new manufacturing space.”
Redevelopment of the former Saint-Gobain site is part of the WBDC's Greendale Revitalization Initiative, a project involving the demolition of over 40 buildings to create space for new industrial and manufacturing development. Saint-Gobain transferred 51 acres of land to the WBDC in November 2022.
In the summer of 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $2 million for environmental cleanup at the site and Hanover-based Rockland Trust provided $4 million in financing to the project.
Eric Casey is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the Greendale Revitalization Initiative is being led by the City of Worcester. In fact, it's being led by Worcester Business Development Corp. This article has also been updated to more accurately state the amount of buildings being demolished as part of the project.
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The foundations are still in the ground, soil remediation will take time, plus you have groundwater, from Indian Hill, running to Weasel Brook
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