State chooses Marlborough over Worcester for site of crime lab
Photo | Eric Casey
Madison Properties completed The Revington residential building (right) in 2023, but other proposed projects in the Ballpark District have gone unbuilt.
An office park in Marlborough has been chosen as the future site of a state police crime lab, dealing a blow to Worcester’s attempt to find a use for parcels near the Polar Park baseball stadium, which remain undeveloped.
Greatland Realty Partners, a Lexington-based development firm, has been chosen to construct a new crime lab on Martinangelo Drive in Marlborough, according to the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance. The road is part of The Campus at Marlborough office park, home of the headquarters of large public companies like BJ’s Wholesale Club and medical technology firm Hologic.
State officials chose Marlborough over a proposed location at 115 Madison St. in Worcester, a site owned by Boston-based Madison Properties. The property is part of the City’s Ballpark District, an area where revenue created through property development is supposed to help pay for the $160-million Polar Park public baseball stadium.
Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Timothy Murray criticized the decision to choose Marlborough for the site of the state’s crime lab over Worcester, telling the Worcester Telegram & Gazette the decision showed flaws in the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance.
“DCAMM is broken and in desperate need of reform,” Murray told the Telegram.
City Manager Eric Batista had highlighted the potential siting of the crime lab in the district as a potential bright spot in a letter he wrote to the Worcester City Council in November, which otherwise focused on difficulties with development in the area.
Batista’s letter revealed the development deal for the so-called Left Field Building had been terminated by Madison, as other projects in the district, including the construction of a second residential building and a hotel, have not moved forward.
Discussing the situation with Madison at Thursday’s Worcester Redevelopment Authority meeting, Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn said Madison has a letter of intent with a potential operator of a hotel to be located across Madison Street from Polar Park.
Madison Properties' lack of development of the parcel it owns near Polar Park has drawn rebukes from both city councilors and the Worcester Redevelopment Authority, as the City weighs both potential legal action against Madison and the use of eminent domain to acquire Madison-owned parcels in the area.
Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the manufacturing and real estate industries.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments