Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | September 28, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 29 Bring on the residential units V I E W P O I N T E D I T O R I A L T wo downtown residential projects making news this month in Worcester – one from a Boston-based developer, the other from a New York City firm – are at near opposite ends of the development spectrum, but show how the future of real estate in the city is taking shape. Trinity Financial is nearly complete on its $53-million redevelopment of the former Worcester County Courthouse into 117 residential units, including all but six being set aside for affordable housing. e construction of the ambitious project called Courthouse Los started in 2019 and is looking to open in phases this fall aer only a few minor delays from its original June target date, which is a monumental achievement given the pandemic, as well as the unpredictable nature of major renovation work in historic spaces. e second is the proposed $54-million conversion of 340 Main St. into 312 apartments by New York City-based SilverBrick Group. is project is very much still in the concept phase, as SilverBrick has yet to close on the property which it is purchasing from Commerce Associates. e project is in the process of seeking a $3.4-million tax break needing the approval of Worcester's City Council. Any thriving commercial district is going to need a healthy mix of office, retail, entertainment and residential space and while some sectors are experiencing a real slow down, these two projects illustrate the momentum is clearly still strong for new residential units. Trinity's project is taking over a long-vacant former government-owned space while the SilverBrick SkyHouse project represents a major investment in an underused commercial property. Worcester remains in desperate need of more housing, particularly affordable housing. A 2019 study commissioned by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce found Worcester to be short by about 1,900 housing units each year when compared to demand. e lack of supply on the market the last several years has caused rents to rise precipitously throughout the city, which puts a real squeeze on vulnerable populations. ese two projects make a nice dent by adding a substantial number of housing units to the city's inventory. e market for office space – while important – isn't quite as strong, with the downtown vacancy rate hovering around 12%, according to the Worcester Regional Research Bureau. e coronavirus pandemic is also causing some companies to rethink how they utilize their workspaces and how much office space they really need. Getting some of the older office stock off the market in favor of newer residential units, such as e SilverBrick project, not only removes harder-to- market office space from the commercial inventory, but breathes new life into an older property and brings more people to live in the downtown district. When revitalizing a city, the mantra is oen people first – and with more density of residents, further growth in entertainment and retail will follow naturally. Some of that will not happen until we're post-pandemic – so it's encouraging to see this kind of development happening now. The Worcester Business Journal welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Please send submissions to Brad Kane, editor, at bkane@wbjournal.com. A T H O U SA N D WO R D S B Y D O N L A N D G R E N W Diversity & inclusion efforts should include helping with employment for people with disabilities I read the Worcester Business Journal article on Aug. 3 about diversity and inclusion efforts among businesses in Central Massachusetts keenly, alert for any mention of the largest demographic in need of support for inclusivity: people with disabilities. Alas, people with disabilities were, once again, not included. It is both ironic and tragic. In the United States, people with disabilities comprise roughly 26% of the population. Yes, that is correct, more than a quarter of the nation's population, and that number is a conservative estimate, at best. Employment statistics for people with disabilities is even more dismal. In 2019, 19.3% of persons with disabilities were employed. Speaking personally, stats for people like me – VIPS, or visually impaired persons – are even more gut wrenching. Only 44 % of people who are blind or visually impaired have jobs. Again, speaking personally, I want to work; I want to contribute; I don't want to fade or simply settle. I am valiantly engaged in an endeavor to address and mitigate the anomaly. In April, I acquired a national certification, as a disability-owned business enterprise, or DOBE. But simply having this certification does not mean the services I offer, which themselves deal with the very topics of the Worcester Business Journal article, will be embraced and utilized and I will be flooded with business. Quite the contrary. I continually find myself ensnared and combating social stigma and systematic oppression. I find myself at a disadvantage, constantly having to prove myself, yet never being afforded the opportunity to do so. e foregoing paragraph is not a complaint, a screed, or an indictment. It is an entreaty. I have the goods, I have titles, I have skills and I have expertise. I have experience, all of which I am itching to deploy. I am eager to share and collaborate. Will anyone step up and give me a chance? Liz Myska is the founder and an attorney for Visions Consulting L3C in Worcester. BY LIZ MYSKA Special to the Worcester Business Journal Liz Myska W

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