Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | October 30, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 29 W O R C E S T E R : J U S T T H E F A C T S F A C T B O O K term if it wanted to continue leasing space, renovate an existing building to accommodate the program, or build an entirely new structure. Clark's leadership decided to integrate the program into the campus and build the new structure. And it only had two years to do it. Chearo gives a lot of credit to the Baltimore design firm Ayers Saint Gross and Boston's Shawmut Design and Construction for pulling it off. e building features gallery space, which can accommodate digital art with large-scale touch screens, as well as a robotics lab, modular classroom space, computer labs, and even a sound stage and motion-capture lab for the video game design department. "e numerous high-performance computing and digital art labs, the high- end audio-visual systems, the dedicated virtual reality, virtual production, and sound-recording facility spaces are all designed for collaborative interaction across a variety of disciplines across the university," Paul Cotnoir, dean of the Becker School of Art and Design, wrote in an emailed statement to WBJ. "ese features provide a myriad of opportu- nities for Becker School of Design & Technology students to explore ways in which their passion for video games and interactive media can prepare them for careers in a burgeoning industry, which is changing the world on a daily basis." e university is shooting for Gold certification for the building from the Leadership in Energy & Environmental design program from the U.S. Green Building Council. e building uses geothermal energy. Leadership opted for contemporary architecture and the dark building blends with the neighboring Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies' Colin Flug Graduate Study Wing, which was completed in 2019. Chearo said that blending the build- ing with the surrounding residential neighborhood took some thought and intentionality, trying to match the height of the rooflines and adding a porch area to the building. Some of the neighboring residential buildings on Hawthorne Street will no longer be a part of that context equation as they will be demolished to make way for the university's new six-story student housing complex the school hopes to open by the fall 2026 semester. Housing needs Clark is the fourth-largest college or university in Central Massachusetts by full-time enrollment according to the WBJ Research Department, with 3,537 enrolled in 2022. And student housing is in short supply. e university intends to build a 502-bed student housing development with ground-floor commercial space on Main Street between Hawthorne Street and Woodland Street. e development would require the demolition of five mixed-use buildings and three resi- dential buildings, all owned by Clark University, on the 1.58-acre block. During the 2022-23 academic year, the school had a 103% occupancy rate, leasing rooms from third-parties including Worcester State University. A study conducted by Clark said the school needs to add 375 new beds to its housing stock. Tearing down an entire existing block, including historic buildings, was a shocking proposition for sthe community. Nearly a decade ago, Clark purchased and demolished a number of buildings across from its main gate, including the Spanish Church of God, then declared structurally unsound, to prepare the site of the Shaich Center. But, but the university feels the need outweighs the benefits of keeping the buildings. ere are only 120 beds in the three residential buildings on the block, and the buildings are out of date and not handicap accessible. Preserving and updating the historic buildings would be expensive and the project would only produce a total of 262 beds – 240 fewer than the planned new construction. Joseph Corazzini, Clark's vice president for government and com- munity affairs, said that two of the top concerns he heard in a series of meetings with the public and neigh- borhood stakeholders were the scale of the building, originally slated for seven stories, and the fate of the businesses along Main Street. Clark met with the business owners beginning in 2022 and offered them compensation packages. Corazzini said even Zaida Melendez of Belen Casa de Pan, a Salvadoran panaderia which moved into the block in January, knew what was happening when she took over the location from Acoustic Java. e businesses will be given the right of first refusal when the new spaces open. But, Steve Teasdale, executive director of the Main South Commu- nity Development Corp. told WBJ in August when the plans were announced publicly said it is unlikely the same businesses will return. Despite the brand new retail spaces and hundreds of new potential custom- ers, Chearo said the university plans on keeping rents low and partnering with local businesses to fill the spaces. "Starbucks is not our style," said Chearo. "We're not developers. We're not trying to maximize revenue." Teasdale said Clark has been respon- sive to community concerns. e school downsized the project by one floor in response to concerns about the scale of the building. Chearo said the project will fit into the area architec- turally by articulating the facade on the Main Street side to present a feeling of separate buildings. e lower level of the facade will be brick, possibly with different sections using different shades of brick. is is different from many contemporary structures that use red cladding to call to mind brick, like the Shaich Family Alumni & Student Engagement Center across Main Street or e Revington apartment complex near Polar Park. Chearo hopes details like awnings bearing the designs of the businesses and outdoor dining areas will present a less homogeneous face to the building. He pointed to the beadboard details and columns on the older buildings and said he hopes to be able to incorporate some of those details into the new building. Clark hopes to begin demolition in Clark enrollment head counts, 2018-2023 Continued on next page David Chearo, Clark's vice president for planning and chief of staff, aims to meet Clark's strategic goals while keeping the good faith of the Main South community. Worcester: Just the Facts Worcester: Just the Facts is a joint project between the Worcester Regional Research Bureau and Worcester Busi- ness Journal. For this project, WRRB provided information in advance from its annual Worcester Almanac, an important tool sponsored by UniBank for public officials, business leadership, and mem- bers of the public covering a wide array of public policy issues in Central Mas- sachusetts. To read the 2023 almanac, which publishes Oct. 30, visit wrrb.org. PHOTO | COURTESY OF CLARK UNIVERSITY Source: Clark University

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