🔒NY firm pitches Worcester’s would-be fourth-tallest building, 125 apartments

Worcester’s skyline could be in for some big changes, as a New York-based firm is proposing a 19-story building for a vacant Downtown lot. Plans call for the construction of a building containing 125 apartments and first-floor commercial space, according to an application submitted to the Worcester Zoning Board of Appeals. The proposed mixed-use building […]

Worcester’s skyline could be in for some big changes, as a New York-based firm is proposing a 19-story building for a vacant Downtown lot. Plans call for the construction of a building containing 125 apartments and first-floor commercial space, according to an application submitted to the Worcester Zoning Board of Appeals. The proposed mixed-use building would be located at 56 Pleasant St., a 16,747-square-foot vacant lot at the intersection of Pleasant and Chestnut streets.  The lot is about 150 feet west of the Glass Tower at 446 Main St., a building which is tied with The 6Hundred apartment building at 600 Main St. for the title of Worcester’s tallest building. Both are 24 floors.

The building would be Worcester’s first with more than 10 stories to open since 1991, as market conditions appear to be slowly shifting to allow for taller buildings in the area to pencil out.  The project is being pitched by Radson Development, a development firm which purchased the proposed site for $750,000 in November 2024. The family-run firm based in Great Neck, New York, has completed five multifamily or hotel projects, including St. Ann’s Terrace, a 316-unit affordable housing building in the Bronx. This would be Radson Development’s first project outside Greater New York City, according to its website. Conceptual renderings show a detailed facade complete with planters, presenting the project as one which would fit in with existing architecture and building heights in Worcester’s urban core.  First-floor plans call for a commercial retail space, a retail or cafe space, and a bike storage room and lobby for residents.   Florencia Mutarelli, development manager at Radson Development, wrote in an email to WBJ the project is in its early stages and could change based on feedback from the City of Worcester and the housing assistance agency MassHousing. The application shows the amount of bedrooms in each unit and other aspects of the project aren’t finalized.

The project is seeking ZBA relief from Worcester’s setback requirements, asking for 1.95 feet of setback from the street, rather than the required five feet. Citing the lot’s atypical shape, the application says complying with the five-foot setback would significantly reduce the amount of potential housing at the site. The site is in the BG-6.0 zoning district, which allows both residential and nonresidential uses and has no maximum height limit. It is located in the Downtown subarea of the Commercial Corridors Overlay District, which encourages pedestrian-friendly development. No minimum parking or loading spaces are required in this subarea of the CCOD, according to City zoning requirements, an exception to Worcester’s mandatory parking minimums found in practically all other areas of Worcester.  Jonathan Beuttler, vice president of Radson Development, wrote in an email to WBJ his team is working with nearby operators to activate underutilized parking facilities for residents. Several garages and surface lots are nearby.  Prior to its 2019 demolition, the lot at 56 Pleasant St. held a three-story garage, according to City records. The site received a 2026 tax assessment value of $429,900. Worcester lawyer Donald O'Neil is serving as Radson’s representative for the application.  The project will be discussed at the ZBA meeting planned for Monday. In addition to a ZBA approval of the variance, the project will need a sign-off from the Worcester Planning Board.  Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.