Worcester Business Journal

4 Worcester Business Journal | December 6, 2021 | wbjournal.com C E N T R A L M AS S I N B R I E F V E R BAT I M American obligation "As Americans, we have an obligation to these Afghans who assisted our troops while they were serving in a hostile environment." Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Timothy Murray, announcing the formation of Operation Welcome, a collaborative initiative from Worcester Together, WRCC, and United Way of Central Massachusetts Old CEO "I am excited to be back running Biostage." David Green, founder and former CEO of Holliston life science company BioStage, announcing he has been re-hired as CEO after leaving in 2015 following a major road accident New CEO "Now working with the amazing communities in Worcester and Worcester County, I'm particularly eager to begin engaging those who've historically been shut out, while keeping the concept of equity front-and-center in our planning, decision- making, and organizational self-reflection." Jim Ayres, incoming president and CEO of Greater Worcester Community Foundation, who begins his new job on Jan. 3 A $3-million property deal between the Worcester Redevelopment Authority and developer Churchill James to clear the way for the construction of a 13-story tower in the Canal District closed on Dec. 1. Approved by the Worcester Planning Board in early May, the tower known as e Cove will house more than 300 residential units, 30,000 square feet of food and retail space, and a 150-spot parking garage. e project is proposed by om- as Keane and Harry DiLeo who are registered as the co-managers of both Churchill James, LLC in Worcester and e Gold Block LLC. In their May application to the Plan- ning Board, Keane and DiLeo listed 85 Green St, 2 Plymouth St., and 5-7 Gold St. as parts of the proposed project's site. e Worcester Redevelopment Author- ity bought all those properties in June 2019 for $10, according to the Worcester South District Registry of Deeds, and are now finalizing a deal with e Gold Block LLC to sell the sites for the 13-sto- ry project. Gold Block LLC acquired 103 Green St. from Worcester Public Market Own- er Allen Fletcher for $200,000 in August 2020 and the former Cove Music Hall at 89 Green St. for $900,000 in December 2020. e developers plan to demolish the Cove building, which they will be able to do more easily once the final sites are acquired, Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn said at a November WRA meeting. Dunn didn't disclose the purchase price in the WRA meeting, but previous- ly told WBJ in an interview the property sale would total about $3 million. e project, which will involve a $110-million investment, according to the Worcester Chamber of Commerce website, is one of many around the Polar Park baseball stadium, and is located in a special taxing district designed to pay back the costs of the $160-million ballpark. Sports bar building sale e property containing ree G's Sports Bar on Millbury Street in Worces- ter sold to two real estate investors for just over $1 million, according to the Worcester South District Registry of Deeds. e bar at 152 Millbury St. was opened in the late 1990s by the late John Giangregorio, a former president of the Canal District Alliance and Canal Dis- trict Business Association, who passed away in April. Giangregorio owned the bar through 2018. He sold the building for $719,000 to a corporation registered to three real estate investors from New York and Quincy, Mass. In a deal closed Oct. 26, that cor- poration sold to Viola Adhami and Oltin Cekani. Cekani is the founder of Brookline-based Cekani Realty Group, which he founded in 2020 aer five years of investing experience, according to his website. e bar will continue to operate under a lease, which has about three years le, Cekani said in a phone interview. e 11,500-square-foot building includes residential space above the sports bar. Two Canal District properties sell ahead of $110M development BY KATHERINE HAMILTON Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer W A rendering of the proposed Cove skyscraper IMAGE | COURTESY OF CHURCHILL JAMES

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