Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com September 14, 2015 • Worcester Business Journal 19 MECHANICS HALL, WORCESTER 5:00 - 7:30PM 5:00 pm - Awards Ceremony Cocktail reception & networking to follow. Cost: $55 Pre-registration required. Please join the Worcester Business Journal and our sponsors as we celebrate the class of 2015! SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 15th ANNIVERSARY 15th ANNIVERSARY 2015 REGISTER TODAY! Presenting Sponsors Corporate Sponsor Register at www.wbjournal.com/40underforty Joseph Andrews Amanda Beaver Chantel Bethea Melanie Bonsu Kathryn Calo Andrew Caputo Heidi Charlebois Casey Cormier Kristopher Cullen Geoffrey Dancey Alexis Dascoli Brendon Davis Errica Devarenne Ashley Gauthier Justin Gelinas Jennifer Glowik Erika Hall Francesca Harris Purnima Jain Anne-Marie Kelley Sam Kenary Jane Loranger Michael Lyons Kristine Maloney Patrick Maloney Donald Mancini Gina Melendez Michael Miers Lucas Miller AiVi Nguyen Carlos Nouel Jason Palitsch Samuel Pauli Jason Port Melissa Pride-Fahs Cornelius Rogers Ili Spahiu Lynn Stromberg Jessica Walsh Brian Westerlind 2015 HONOREES Given what some businesses in and around Main Street say they're facing, it could be tough to convince them. Troy Siebels is "psyched" about the plan, the executive director of The Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts told a gathering of business leaders in late July at the offices of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. But he said it won't address all of downtown's problems. Last month, he told the WBJ: "I think it'll make it look nicer and it will actually count for something." But the chief questions for downtown businesses – especially in the retail industry – are whether a redesigned streetscape will bring in more customers and if there will be enough parking to accommodate them. Judging from the reactions of a couple of business owners over the past several weeks, the city needs to take a longer look at the plans. "There is no incentive for anybody to stay downtown," Zach Photakis, owner of The Owl Shop tobacco store, told the chamber gathering. "Main Street is an absolute ghost town from 4 o'clock on." The addition of more college students in the area hasn't helped enough, he told the WBJ last month. Photakis added that downtown park- ing is critical and he "strongly" urged city officials to look at what would be lost in downtown parking availability. "There's not enough (parking) as it is," he said. About 400 yards to the south, across from the Hanover Theatre, Bill Aldrich expresses a similar sentiment as owner of the Theatre Cafe. "Increased parking is an advantage to me," he says. But that advantage is apparently lost, he adds, when residents fill local parking spots. While it might seem that these chang- es will stifle automobile traffic, the syn- chronized lights will claw back any loss- es from the lower number of lanes and, in some instances, even improve traffic flow, according to Paul Moosey, Worcester's commissioner of public works and parks. The addition of bike lanes and improved handicapped acces- sibility of sidewalks are not only required to get state and federal funding, but will be important as more people move downtown, he said. "We are anticipating more residential units in the downtown area, so (the) need (for biking) will develop over time," he said. "It's a good amenity and some- thing that will enhance (the downtown)." Most concerns that have been raised about the project were less about traffic flow and revolved around a more holis- tic view of downtown. Yet Moosey emphasized that more conversations are needed regarding the project. The project also has the duty of carry- ing forward a brighter image of Worcester as city officials and organiza- tions continue to promote the city to outside businesses and the employees on which those businesses will rely. "Details matter and having an invit- ing, aesthetically pleasing, well lit street … it matters," chamber President and CEO Tim Murray says. "Downtown is everybody's neighborhood and Main Street is a symbol of what every city and town is about." Sprucing up downtown through such projects and making it a more walkable environment will help the city attract more companies, he added. Being able to show a vibrant downtown environ- ment, as officials continue to push for an "18 hour a day" downtown, will be a major selling point, Murray said. At the July meeting, Randy Feldman, an attorney with a downtown office, urged city plan- ners to give the area a unique look. W o r c e s t e r ' s " d o w n t o w n remains complete- ly unexceptional," he said. "We have to do something dramatically nicer." Tim McGourthy, executive director of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, agrees with Murray's assessment. One of the city's major benefits over other communities that compete for businesses and residents is that urban feel with an actual down- town, he said. "Having a vibrant center will drive activity not only in the downtown but also in surrounding neighborhoods and areas," McGourthy said. However, the businesses and prop- erty owners downtown must be ready to capitalize on the improvements, he added, investing in the exteriors of their buildings and be ready to refur- bish ground-level retail spaces to attract new tenants. Many of Worcester's downtown buildings were built in the 1940s and 1950s with inte- grated ground-level retail space. Building owners can take advantage of that with downtown improvements, McGourthy said. "The basic framework of the build- ings and structures lend themselves to the types of uses the city wants to encourage in the downtown," McGourthy said. "The government can make an area that's walkable, but it takes private industry to make destina- tions worth walking to." n Businesses question potential impact of Main St. spiff-up Randy Feldman: "We have to do something dramatically nicer " about downtown. Public hearing: Fall 2015 Construction to begin: Fall 2016 Estimated completion: 2018 Possible timeline for downtown streetscape project >> Continued from Page 1

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