The completion date for a 228-unit residential building next to the Polar Park baseball stadium in Worcester has been further pushed back for a third time, now more than two years from the original opening date, said president of developer Madison Properties, Denis Dowdle, in an interview Jan. 11.
The residential complex is one of five developments Madison Properties proposed surrounding Polar Park, initially anticipated to start coming online in January 2021. In mid-2020, those five developments were all delayed, pushing the residential building’s completion date to September 2022.
In the Jan. 11 interview, however, Dowdle said he now expects it to be finished by mid-2023.
He said construction on the second planned residential building will not start until after the first residential building opens, so the developer can gain market intel about residential trends in Worcester before starting on a second complex. The most recent estimation for completion of the second residential building was December 2023.
“As things evolve, we will continue to adapt our thinking about how best to develop each individual parcel,” said Dowdle, explaining the coronavirus pandemic played a large role in altering his original plans.
He plans to begin construction on another building within the next year, he said.
The Madison Properties development, which is proposed to include a hotel, lab space, offices, and housing, is located in Worcester’s ballpark taxing district to help pay off the cost of Polar Park’s $160-million construction. Large developments at the former sites of Table Talk Pies’ headquarters and The Cove Music Hall are also located in the tax district. The Cove development was also downsized in a revised proposal in December.
Dowdle added the state-funded 350-car garage, which was downsized from more than 500 spaces and delayed a year, will be open in time for the Worcester Red Sox’ 2022 season.
