Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | November 3, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 5 Build more Central Mass. skyscrapers Worcester is home to the three buildings in Central Massachusetts with more than 20 stories, including the 24-story Glass Tower offices, the 21-story office complex Mercantile Center, and the 24-story residential tower The 6Hundred. However, no new skyscrapers have been built in Central Massachusetts in the last 34 years. In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu has proposed building more residential high rises as a way to create more housing and address the affordability crisis in Eastern Massachusetts. When polled online, nearly three-fourths of WBJ readers said more skyscrapers should be built in this region. Should more skyscrapers be built in Central Mass.? No, high rises are no longer a practical way to build homes and offices. 21% No, they're eyesores. 6% Community Yes, they would help address affordable housing. 38% Yes, they would create a more urban vibe. 38% Worcester brokerage firm NAI Glick- man Kovago & Jacobs, said he's working with three developers who haven't built in Worcester before but are considering raising towers in the city. ey're still in early stages of investi- gating possibilities and details remain confidential, but Jacobs said the rate oth- er new developments are leasing up is a hopeful sign the city is an increasingly viable place for that type of project. "It's everything that's gone on in Worcester over the past five years," he said. One concern some developers have is the costs involved in reaching the city's stretch code for energy efficiency, Jacobs said, but, in general, City officials have been helpful in moving construction forward. "e City's actually been very bullish on most of the projects I've seen go through the permitting process," he said. e City's BG-6 zoning, which covers the downtown center and part of the Canal District, allows for square footage six times a parcel's total area. Hitting that limit would generally mean build- ing a high-rise tower. For developers, the constraint isn't zoning but the financial difficulties of taller buildings, Dunn said. It's no coin- cidence that many modern apartment buildings max out at seven stories. is Springfield developer HHM Cube Properties initially is planning on building its Worcester property The Pearl as 11 stories. Continued on next page RENDERING | COURTESY OF HHM CUBE PROPERTIES Worcester's tallest buildings Most tall buildings in Worcester were built in the 1970s or earlier, and nothing 10 stories or higher has been completed since 1991. Property Stories Year built Address Property type Worcester Plaza/The Glass Tower 24 1973 446 Main St. Office The 6Hundred 24 1990 600 Main St. Multi-family Mercantile Center 21 1970 100 Front St. Office Belmont Tower Apartments 18 1960 40 Belmont St. Multi-family Elm Park Tower 16 1970 425 Pleasant St. Multi-family Lincoln Park Tower Apartments 15 1980 11 Lake Ave Multi-family The Guaranty Building 12 1971 370 Main St. Office Parkview Office Tower 11 1985 255 Park Ave Office Coes Pond Village 11 1960 39 1st St. Multi-family One Chestnut Place 11 1991 10 Chestnut St. Office Park Plaza on the Grid 11 1902 507 Main St. Multi-family Webster Square Towers East and West 11 1970 1050-1060 Main St. Multi-family Commerce Building 10 1897 340 Main St. Multi-family The Grid District 10 1912 50 Franklin St. Multi-family The Lakeshore Condominiums 10 1988 65 Lake Ave. Multi-family SilverBrick SkyHouse 10 1897 340 Main St. Office Slater Building 10 1906 390 Main St. Office Sever Square Apartments 10 1972 11 Sever St. Multi-family Madison Tower Condominimums 10 1979 70 Southbridge St. Multi-family Source: CoStar

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