Emotional closure for ringleader of effort to save Mount Carmel Church in Worcester

WORCESTER — Emotional closure is what Mauro DePasquale wanted and that is why he attended Wednesday’s ceremonial groundbreaking at the former site of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church on Mulberry Street.

“I’m here for closure. I need to heal,” said DePasquale, minutes before Mayor Joseph M. Petty, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and other dignitaries spoke about an apartment complex and parking garage — with an estimated final price tag north of $100 million — that will be built on a 5-acre parcel where the church once stood.

DePasquale is president of the Mount Carmel Preservation Society, which filed a court injunction and pleaded with the Vatican to keep the 91-year-old church from being torn down by the Worcester Diocese.

Polito told those in attendance Wednesday the diocese didn’t have enough money to ensure that the church building would remain structurally safe.

In the end, the injunction failed and so did pleas to the Vatican. The church was demolished three years ago and earlier this month the diocese sold the property to developer Wood Partners for $5.6 million.

“We fought the fight hard. Nothing will replace the church,” said DePasquale.

A Worcester Diocese statement to the Telegram & Gazette said, “While we recall with sadness the day when Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church had to be closed, today marks a new chapter in the neighborhood that will bring new residents and new life into the area, as well as a more stable future for the parish community now worshipping at Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Our Lady of Loreto Parish on Massasoit Street.”

More: Former Mount Carmel Church site sold to developer for $5.6M; apartment complex planned

Gesture of reconciliation

After several speakers praised Wood Partners for working with the neighborhood to create a project that Worcester will be proud of, a gesture of reconciliation occurred.

DePasquale was invited to take a shovel and he joined the group as it performed the ceremonial shoveling of dirt in front of the cameras.

Moments later, DePasquale approached Jim Lambert, managing director at Wood Partners, and shook his hand.

It was the first time the pair met face to face. Smiles were exchanged and DePasquale told Lambert, “(The development) will not replace our church, but I appreciate what you are doing.”

What Wood Partners is doing is making a commitment to honor the history of Mount Carmel Church. The new apartment building will have a community room and Lambert said he will work with the preservation society to display church artifacts in that space.

“We understand where (the neighborhood) is coming from. We appreciate what has happened here over time,” said Lambert, who mentioned his company met with the preservation society and neighborhood residents from the beginning of the development process.

Archives: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church cross removed as demolition starts

Wood Partners also donated $150,000 to the city to help relocate Joe DiMaggio Little League Field, which was on the Mount Carmel site, confirmed Peter Dunn, the city’s chief development officer. The plan is to move the field to Cristoforo Columbo Park.

A bronze plague to honor Worcester's World War II veterans that was on the church site will be in the new apartment building based on a commitment from the developer, said District 2 City Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson.

Plus, discussions are underway with the city to rename the section of Mulberry Street from Shrewsbury to East Central Street to Mount Carmel Way, according to Mero-Carlson.

"Unfortunately, they weren't successful in stopping it," Mero-Carlson said of the neighborhood's desire to save Mount Carmel Church. "We got the best of a situation that was really ugly for a couple of years, to say the least."

Leo's to get parking spots

Lee Turo Hanson also attended the groundbreaking.

Her family has a 75-year record of serving Italian meals in the city including Leo's Ristorante, nestled tightly next to the five-acre parcel.

Leo’s received a commitment from Wood Partners that it won’t lose its parking when the project is finished.

Parking spots will be set aside during construction, Lambert said, and when the project is completed, there will be new parking spaces that Leo’s will lease from the developer.

“It’s a wonderful project. It’s great for the city. It’s great for everybody,” said Hanson.

Project details

Called Alta on the Row, the development will include a five-story building with 370 market-rate units, connected to a five-story garage with more than 500 spaces.

Spring 2024 is when Lambert said construction is expected to wrap up and Wood Partners wasn’t the city’s first choice for a developer because it wasn’t the highest bidder.

Lambert didn’t give up and contacted the city to say his company would be happy to step in if its chosen developer didn’t work out.

Ticking off several points to explain why his company chose Worcester, Lambert mentioned the city’s population north of 200,000, the second-largest city in New England, plus access to higher education and transportation, the city’s hospitals and medical community, dining and nightlife options, a growing life science sector and employment opportunities.

Apartment layouts will include one-, two- and three-bedroom units. One-bedroom units will include three options: Junior, standard and those with a den.

Rent amounts haven’t been determined, Lambert said.

State and local tax breaks could be part of the project. Wood Partners applied for $1 million in state tax credits through the Housing Development Incentive Program. Lambert mentioned a local tax abatement agreement that runs for 15 years.

Amenities will include a club and shared kitchen, fitness room, golf simulator, top-floor lounge and two outdoor courtyards.

No affordable housing

Of the 370 units, none will be classified as affordable. Typically, affordable units are for individuals and families earning a percentage of the Worcester Area Median Income.

Worcester’s AMI in 2022 is $114,400, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Worcester AMI includes 33 communities in Worcester and Middlesex counties.

“There is a need for all types of housing in Massachusetts,” said Lambert. “(Wood Partners) is primarily a market-rate housing developer.”

Besides, Lambert said an affordable housing component is not required by the city and market-rate units "economically works” for Wood Partners.

'Present in spirit'

As for DePasquale, his attendance at Wednesday’s groundbreaking was cathartic.

While he’s heartbroken the church attended by his grandparents and parents – and where DePasquale himself grew up – is gone, he realizes that the neighborhood did everything it could to save Mount Carmel.

The community room where church history will be remembered softens the blow and so does DePasquale’s acknowledgement that he appreciates what Wood Partners is doing to work with the community.

“(Mount Carmel Church) is still present in spirit, if not the building,” said DePasquale.

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @henrytelegram

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Housing development breaks ground on site of Worcester's Mount Carmel Church