Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal | November 12, 2018 | wbjournal.com Worcester wants to pick the right mix of tenants to create a central development connecting three emerging neighborhoods BY ZACHARY COMEAU Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer F O C U S I N N O V A T I V E W O R K S P A C E S Available space (sq. ft.) Previous tenants Proposed use The Worcester Redevelopment Authority is considering Union Station tenants to join Luciano's Restaurant as the main leasors in the facility. Second floor (14,800)* Engineering firm VHB, Inc. Massachusetts Cannabis and the Central Mass. Regional Control Commission Planning Commission Grand Hall (5,300) Lava Lounge dance club Country Music Ranch & Saloon Franklin Street (2,096) Vacant Soul Purpose brewery Franklin Street (1,649)** Vacant The Quarters arcade Franklin Street (1,024)** Vacant The Quarters arcade Franklin Street (1,536)** Vacant The Quarters arcade Franklin Street (1,758)** Vacant The Quarters arcade Union Station available space Creating the Union Station hub W hen Michael Traynor walked around Union Station on Nov. 1 to discuss the city's development plans for the transit hub, just a handful of passengers were waiting to catch a train or bus out of New England's second-largest city. Traynor, as Worcester's chief de- velopment officer, is the person most directly responsible for executing the city's vision for the largely vacant building the city has sunk $37 mil- lion into: fill it with commercial and retail tenants who will not only attract more foot traffic but strategically use its Washington Square location to tie in the downtown, Canal District and Shrewsbury Street neighborhoods. Despite the prime location, the city has had trouble leasing about 8,000-square-feet of unused commer- cial space since the 500-spot garage was built in 2008. "e city has tried a number of times to do at least one, if not two [requests for proposals], but we never got any takers," said Traynor. Yet, with a flurry of private invest- ment in the surrounding area with a new hotel, apartments and eventually the Pawtucket Red Sox, businesses and state agencies are beginning to take notice of Union Station in the first major way since the Worcester Redevelopment Authority spearheaded a $32-million renovation of the station to reopen it to the public and Com- muter Rail traffic in 2000. With the 103,000-square-foot build- ing in an urban renewal area, the prop- erty was transferred from the city to the quasi-private WRA to make lease negotiations more direct and stream- lined. Since that transfer in 2014, the city has spent north of $3.7 million on improvements to the building, includ- ing security cameras, signage, restroom reconstruction, a taxi queue, repainting and exterior stucco repairs. Another $1.1 million in renovations are planned for this winter. An anchor tenant Up until this year, engineering firm VHB and the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission were leasing about 15,000-square-feet of office space on the second floor. Both of those entities have le, leaving the door open for the regulators of the state's newest industry to take their place. e state Cannabis Control Com- mission is negotiating with the city on a lease of the space and has even given the city its conditional acceptance of a pro- posal to move the agency to the middle of the state. Union Station was one of 10 other locations the CCC was consid- PHOTO/MATT WRIGHT *The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is currently negotiating a lease with the city for this space **Can be combined Source: Worcester Redevelopment Authority Worcester Chief Development Officer Michael Traynor stands in the grand hall of Union Station, which is occasionally used for events.

• Cover