Worcester Business Journal

30 Worcester Business Journal | October 30, 2023 | wbjournal.com Be a part of one of the area's most exciting holiday happenings! Holidays with theClub Thursday, November 30, 5:30 PM $75/ ticket Worcester Area Mission Society 6 Institute Road Worcester, MA 01609 Kick-off to the Festival of Trees! December 1 & December 2 10 AM-8 PM Festival of Trees Worcester Area Mission Society 6 Institute Road Worcester, MA 01609 Tickets on sale now! bgcworcester.org/trees Decorated holiday trees/displays sponsored by Worcester-area businesses will be raffled off to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester! $5/ General admission $4/ Seniors FREE for ages 12 & under F A C T B O O K W O R C E S T E R : J U S T T H E F A C T S May and construction in September, aiming for the August 2026 opening. Hitting that deadline is important for a college which needs the opening to coincide with the academic year. e college is subject to all the same macroeconomic conditions as developers, many of whom are currently delaying projects due to financing issues or construction costs. e project was presented to the Worcester Planning Board on Nov. 1. Future needs Worcester residents are eagerly awaiting word on what will happen with the seven-acre former Diamond Chevrolet dealership lot, which Clark bought in 2021. While there is no big-reveal yet, the university has included the lot in its long-term planning. Clark officials stress while nothing is written in stone, they hope to create a multi-use complex at the site, featuring a soball field, an athletic and recreational complex to replace the Kneller Athletic Center, and an ecological zone with a nature path along Beaver Brook. e school may incorporate retail, offices, facilities operation, and graduate student housing at the site as well as at a Clark-owned property Continued from previous page Joseph Corazzini, Clark's vice president for government and community affairs, spoke extensively with business owners and community members in preparation for the student housing project. being used for facilities management across Park Avenue and Maywood Streets. e site will not be closed off from the community, Corazzini said, and he hopes people will take advantage of the potential retail and nature spaces. is, in addition to an expansion of Lasry Center for Biosciences and an expanded dining area, are part of a number of early concepts in Clark's Campus Design Initiative. Chearo said these are not short-term projects and are concepts rather than concrete plans. Clark did not disclose the cost of the media building or the anticipated cost of the housing. In 2021 the school announced a $100 million bond offering for upgrades and capital projects. e school has a nearly $500 million endowment, the third largest among Central Massachusetts schools, according to the WBJ Research Department. Over the next five to 10 years, Worcester and specifically the Main South Neighborhood will see what businesses will occupy this block of Main Street, how hundreds of students centralized at the new building will affect the area, and how the redevelopment of the old Diamond lot will be used by nearby residents beyond occupying a long-vacant eyesore. PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT W

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