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The Greendale Mall sits just off I-190 in Worcester
December 17, 2019
Greendale Mall to be demolished, turned into apartments & medical offices
Photo/Grant Welker
Payless ShoeSource, left, and rue21 are among retailers that have left the Greendale Mall.
By Thomas Grillo
One day after a Boston developer bought the rundown Greendale Mall in Worcester, the new owner plans to replace the 32-year-old shopping center with a mix of retail, apartments, and office space.
“It’s rare to get your hands on 23 acres in such a perfect location,” Todd Finard, the CEO of Finard Properties, told the WBJ. “Worcester is a very exciting place to be, it has lots of energy, and we want to be part of its phenomenal growth.”
On Monday, Finard bought the 309,000-square-foot mall for $7.1 million.
[Related: Greendale Mall sold to Boston developer for $7.1M]
Under a proposal expected to emerge over the next year, Finard said the mall would be demolished to make way for apartment buildings, medical offices, and retail.
But don’t expect a covered mall. The era of enclosed shopping centers has passed, Finard said. The public has embraced places like Northborough Crossing and MarketStreet in Lynnfield with apartments, a health clinic, medical offices, and retail.
The zoning around the Greendale Mall at the junction of Interstates 290 and 190 near downtown allows for buildings up to 100 feet, or six or seven stories.
Finard said the precise number of apartments, the amount of square feet for medical office and the mix of retailers has not been determined. But he said, like MarketStreet, he wants the new center to serve the nearby neighborhoods.
“If we do this right, my hope is what we build will be an amenity for the Greendale neighborhood,” he said.
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Anonymous
December 18, 2019
The time has come for the mall to come down. Well overdue in fact. The mall has long had buckets lining the corridors to catch water since on or about 2008. I won’t be sad to see it go.
Hopefully TJMaxx and Homegoods is able to secure a good location nearby, as I don’t believe it would be incorporated into this new plan.
As far as what goes here, I’m not building it nor am I paying for it. So before I run my mouth, I appreciate that whatever ends up going in this space will generate tax revenue for the city unlike the MCPHS campus that dominates the quiet end of Main Street, downtown Worcester. Charlie is retiring this year, finally.
Whoever is commenting that Worcester is a boring city must not visit the many restaurants and bars and museums or events happening at the Hanover or DCU. Probably someone who lives in Holden who leases their 2019 Mercedes but can’t afford their home heating oil. Also probably someone who complains about elections but doesn’t actually head to polling station to vote.
I welcome change in this city. I trust that Timothy Murray from the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and City Manager Edward Augustus will be working hard with the new property manager to find the best solution for this parcel.
My only ask: do something with the traffic pattern and the ramp off 190 and into the mall.
If it looks like Lynnfield, Assembly Row or a small take on Blackstone, I’m all for it.
Good luck. 2022 is fast approaching!
Anonymous
December 18, 2019
Weather-wise, I don't like outside malls. Going in and out of stores in the rain or snow or freezing weather is just not fun. You can't walk the mall for exercise. Most stores you want to visit are not close to one an other so you have to drive to another part of the complex. An enclosed mall makes all the sense in the world. Park and shop and done.
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