Worcester Business Journal

20 Worcester Business Journal | September 16, 2024 | wbjournal.com F O C U S D I V E R S I T Y & I N C LU S I O N e dustup over WPI's hotel plans sparked a debate over who sits at Worcester's tables of power INCLUSIVE development BY ERIC CASEY WBJ Staff Writer W orcester Polytechnic Institute's plan to convert two Gate- way Park hotels into student housing has sparked a firestorm of controversy, as the showdown between Central Mas- sachusetts' largest university and some of Worcester top political and business leaders sparked conversations about land use, hotel occupancy rates, and the expanding presence of tax-exempt higher education institutions. e showdown has sparked a second- ary conversation, too, about the orga- nization which initially led the charge by sending WPI a fiery public letter: the usually behind-the-scenes Economic Development Coordinating Council. is group, self-described as a weekly informal gathering, contains some of the city's biggest power players. ose EDCC members who signed the WPI letter were Worcester's city manager and mayor, and the leaders of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Worcester Business Development Corp., and Mass. Biomedical Initiatives. Worcester District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj is using the EDCC's rare mo- ment in the spotlight to call for better inclusion from Worcester's community development corporations, nonprofits working to revitalize neighborhoods. "I do think that we need to find a more sustained way of making sure that folks of color are particularly included in this discussion," Haxhiaj said. "Anything that happens in our neighborhood will affect communities that have been traditionally marginalized and le out of economic development and planning." Making CDCs a regular part of the EDCC is a shortcut in giving people who interact with disadvantaged populations on a daily basis a seat at a table of power. However, CDCs aren't pushing for it. "I don't think there's a need really for CDCs to be part of the EDCC," said Ste- phen Teasdale, executive director of the Main South Community Development Corp. "ey're looking more at macro issues." e work the EDCC does is a net positive for Worcester, said Teasdale, although he did offer some critiques. "Its influence needs to be transparent. I think that probably the title of the group is a little concerning," he said, say- ing the coordinat- ing council's name suggests it plays more than just an advisory role. "It's a good forum, as long as just having that access doesn't influence too much the political presence they have in terms of influence of policy when there are contrary concerns." A unified voice for development ose behind the EDCC say the organization represents an attempt to provide a unified voice for economic development and in the competition for state and federal government funds. "e purpose of the EDCC is to allow interests in the city to have a unified first point of contact," said Timothy Murray, president and CEO of the Worcester Re- gional Chamber of Commerce. "We are trying to bring developers and investors into the city to show them opportunities where they can maybe grow." Before the EDCC's existence, Worces- ter's dealings with developers and po- tential sources of funding from state or federal government could be disjointed, leading to mixed message or overlapping requests, Murray said. "For years, people complained Worcester never got its fair share and was oen- times le empty handed, on proj- ects and initiatives and with funding out of Boston or Washington. We changed that," said Murray. e Reactory biomanufacturing park, a 46-acre development at the former site of Worcester State Hospital seeking to boost Worcester's biotech sector, is an example of what EDCC can accomplish, said Jon Weaver, MBI president & CEO. "If you look at how that project came to be, it really exemplifies what the EDCC can do," Weaver said. To make e Reactory possible, WBDC purchased the abandoned hos- pital campus from the state government and then worked with City and state officials to gain development approvals and arrange public funding. Members of the EDCC helped recruit companies for Etel Haxhiaj, Worcester city councilor Timothy Murray, CEO of Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce The Main South Community Develop- ment Corp. commercial condo project shows the impact of CDCs goes beyond housing. PHOTO | ERIC CASEY

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