On Wednesday, the Worcester Planning Board approved the definitive site plan for a seven-story, 83-unit affordable housing complex in the place of Table Talk Pies in the Canal District.
The developer, Boston Capital, said it intends to acquire the four-acre site from Table Talk Pies early next year, in keeping with its previously stated plan to start phase one of the six-building project in 2022. In total, the new development will include roughly 400 units of housing and retail.
Phase one’s housing units will cater toward the workforce, said Boston Capital Managing Director Rich Mazzocchi at Wednesday’s meeting.
More specifically, that will include residents earning 60% or less of the Worcester area’s median income. For a family of four, that would be roughly $60,000 and, for a family of two, it would be about $47,000, said Mazzochi.
The project will also include about 40,000 square feet of retail space.Â
In the public comments portion of the presentation, local business owners Allen Fletcher of Worcester Public Market and Dino Larusso of Crompton Place spoke out against the development. Both voiced concerns about the negative impacts on local businesses, as well as the aesthetics and limited parking that could result from the development.
Planning board members echoed a few of these concerns, but ultimately voted unanimously in favor.Â
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that all 400 units will be affordable. Right now, only the phase one 83-unit complex is guaranteed to be fully designated as affordable.
