Worcester Business Journal

FOCUS: Commercial real estate 12-15 Don't run afoul of state's new sick time law 19 Attorney tells you what you need to know to comply with voter-approved referendum. Towns look to loosen strings on new construction. WBJ >> To Subscribe Q&A with Girish Navani of eClinicalWorks, Westborough Shop Talk 8 Central Massachusetts' Source for Business News January 5, 2015 Volume 26 Number 1 www.wbjournal.com $2.00 Making way for a 'marvel' Officials see many benefits in planned VA health care site BY EMILY MICUCCI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer L ocal veterans advocates and health care leaders are waiting for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to sign off on a proposed joint venture between the regional VA health care system and UMass Medical School that would expand health care for area veterans and strengthen ties between the two organi- zations. But stake- holders nation- wide will also watch at how the project plays out, said Denis Leary, e x e c u t i v e director of Veterans Inc., a W o r c e s t e r - based nonprof- it that serves veterans at risk for homelessness. "It's going to be a marvel for the rest of the country," Leary said. Leary praised medical school chan- cellor Michael Collins and Col. John Collins, regional director of the VA Central Western Massachusetts Health Care System, the health care provider for local veterans eligible for federal benefits. Leary said the two have drafted a viable proposal to build a VA treatment facility large enough to accommodate Worcester County's sizeable veteran population and expand clinical services to treat more types of illnesses locally, sparing veterans the trip to Boston or Northampton for specialty treatment. Medical school students, in turn, would benefit from greater exposure to veterans' medical issues. VA's Dr. Michael Mayo- Smith: "We're very optimistic " that the Worcester plan will secure all the necessary approvals. FROM THEN TO NOW With a nod to the city's industrial heyday, Worcester developers mix modern needs into the architectures of the past Above from left: Wormtown Brewery founding partner Ben Roesch, developer Robert Branca, founding partner Tom Oliveri and managing partner David Fields inside their new facility on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester. Below, Gilbert Winn officially opens the Voke Lofts apartments in the summer of 2014. W hether it's a former car dealership that now houses two of Worcester's well-trafficked restaurants, or a former vocational school that contains the city's newest, high-line loft apartments, Worcester is experiencing a growing interest from developers to renovate rather than raze some of the city's historic buildings. The redevelopment of historic and architecturally signifi- cant buildings allows a city to retain some of its character while offering a unique selling point to attract businesses and residents. However, these projects carry with them unique challenges to go with their unique benefits. "It would be much easier in most cases to start from a green field and build up," said Gilbert Winn, managing principal of WinnDevelopment, which redeveloped the old Worcester Vocational Technical High School on Salisbury Street into the Voke Lofts apartments. The biggest hurdle is cost. It's simply more expensive to update historic buildings to today's standards and maintain their historic value than it is to build new, according to Winn. There are requirements to keep windows and key architectural components intact, Winn said. Often, that means custom- ordering materials at higher costs. BY SAM BONACCI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer >> Continued on Page 7 >> Continued on Page 10 P H O T O / M A T T V O L P I N I P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y

• Cover