State grants for development, downtown study highlighted at city event

WORCESTER — Two city development projects received state grants designed to redevelop underutilized properties and the city also received a grant to conduct a downtown quality-of-life study.

At an event at City Hall Tuesday, Worcester was one of several other communities across the state that celebrated receiving grants from two state programs under Community One Stop for Growth funding for the 2023 fiscal year: the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative and the Underutilized Properties Program.

Two developers working on Worcester housing projects received Underutilized Properties Program grants: Boston Capital Development received $400,000 for the Table Talk Pie building redevelopment into a mixed-income apartment building and WinnDevelopment received $900,000 for its senior housing redevelopment of the former Boys Club building along with a new adjacent five-story component with additional units.

The city also received a $25,000 Massachusetts Downtown Initiative grant to hire a consultant to conduct a quality-of-life study for downtown. The study will assess what amenities would improve residents' experience and visitors' experience in the downtown district.

At the event Tuesday, City Manager Eric D. Batista said that along with the three highlighted grants, Worcester was receiving nine total awards from the Community One Stop for Growth program including a Collaborative Workspace Program grant, two MassWorks Infrastructure Program grants, a Site Readiness Program grant and two from the Urban Agenda Grant Program.

"While these grant programs are extremely competitive, I want to commend the administration of Gov. (Charlie) Baker and Lt. Gov. (Karyn) Polito for launching the Community One Stop for Growth program in 2021 to facilitate better and more equitable access to state grant programs and distribution of funds," Batista said.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announces grant funding for two communities under the Community One Stop for Growth economic development initiative at City Hall in Worcester Tuesday.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announces grant funding for two communities under the Community One Stop for Growth economic development initiative at City Hall in Worcester Tuesday.

Polito said that streamlining the grant application process for state economic development projects through Community One Stop for Growth's portal helped to eliminate unpredictability in the procedure for municipalities and has professionalized the process.

"You have become so professional at the municipal level about grant writing, your organizations are eager to apply," Polito said. "And on our end when we're catching the applications. We want to make sure you're getting to the first and second and third and rounding the corner and getting a grand slam on your application."

Polito also said she hoped the incoming administration of Gov.-elect Maura T. Healey would continue Community One Stop for Growth funding.

Polito said that the city has been a reliable partner for the state to do business with and the state government is "very excited" about the economic development that has taken place in Worcester. The city's focus on putting new housing projects on the market has spurred its growth, she said.

Polito said the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative grant will help the city address the needs of a downtown where where more people are moving to new apartments.

"Isn't it great to be at that point, Worcester? When we got started eight years ago together, you were taking old office buildings, you were taking courthouses and you were telling us that you were going to redo these buildings into housing units and they would fill up. And they have," Polito said. "And now we have a density of people living full-time in your downtown. They are going to be starving for things to do."

State Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy said the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative will help communities reassess their downtown needs after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I think it's incumbent on all of us to rethink our downtowns," Kennealy said.

Other Central Massachusetts communities that received $25,000 Massachusetts Downtown Initiative grants include Ashburnham, Gardner, Fitchburg and Shrewsbury; and communities that received Underutilized Properties Program grants include $900,000 for Dudley, $726,000 for Fitchburg, $725,000 for Leominster, and $225,000 for North Brookfield.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: State grants for development, downtown study highlighted at city event