Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | September 4, 2023 | wbjournal.com e Clark-Main South relationship Clark's plan to demolish a Main Street block has raised concerns about the long-standing relationship between the school and the diverse, low-income neighborhood where it is located BY KATHERINE HAMILTON Special to WBJ G rowing up as a student at the University Park Campus School in Worcester's Main South neighborhood, Nate Lopez viewed Clark University as exceptionally open to his community, as he took gym classes at Clark's Dolan Field and attended his graduation ceremony inside Atwood Hall. Starting as a first-year student at Clark still felt like a culture shock, Lopez said, as he found the university's demographics – about 26% people of color for non-international undergraduates, per the school's website – didn't mirror those of Main South, which is roughly 67% non- white, according to the nonprofit Main South Community Development Corp. "Clark University does market themselves as an institution that is really open for the community," said Lopez, who graduated in 2020 and now works as an educator in Worcester. "As young people, we eat that up basically." A contradiction with how Clark advertises its relationship with Main South is how Lopez described the university's newest development plan, which calls on the demolition of three historic buildings along Main Street containing small businesses in 2024, in order to construct a seven- story building to house more than 500 students by 2026. Clark's current student housing is at 103% capacity. e demolition, announced publicly in a Worcester Historical Commission meeting on Aug. 10, would impact eight local businesses currently operating along 926-934 Main St., mostly owner-operator small businesses run by people of color. "It's clearly a shi in their branding," said Steve Teasdale, executive director of the Main South CDC, which, since its founding in 1986, has partnered closely with Clark to revitalize the neighborhood. Shift after three decades On its website, Clark says it is "a proud member of the Main South neighborhood," which has "worked to help this storied Worcester neighborhood emerge from its industrial past to shape a vital present and to plan for an exciting future." For Tori MacKay, a rising junior at Clark, this mission was one of the reasons she applied there. "is area of Worcester being closely connected with Clark is definitely something that drew me in," MacKay said. While MacKay said she's witnessed a significant need for more student housing on campus, she noted the overwhelming majority of students she's heard from are against the new development proposal. Comments on an Instagram post by @clarkumemes sharing Worcester Business Journal's scoop on the project were largely negative, with one user Tori MacKay, rising junior at Clark University F O C U S D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N Joseph Corazzini, Clark's vice president for government and community affairs, said the university is intentionally working to ensure the relationship with Main South remains strong. PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT

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