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28 Worcester Business Development Corporation • 1965 - 2015 WBDC looks to the future In recent years as the City has attract- ed more investors and witnessed the early stages of rebirth, the WBDC has partnered with the City of Worcester's Executive Office of Economic Develop- ment on a Master Plan for the down- town eatre District that will contrib- ute to the renaissance of the region. e plan envisions a vibrant entertainment and cultural environment with a surge of academic and residential growth. Focused on Main Street, Federal Street and Front Street, the area is destined to become a pedestrian plaza replete with retail stores, new businesses, en- tertainment venues, restaurants, college students and residents. CitySquare, a mixed-use project comprising 368 luxu- ry apartments and 170 hotel rooms, will connect Main Street with Union Square and is forecast to provide more than 500 jobs. Pedestrian-friendly city e downtown revitalization began with 20 Franklin Street in 2014 but doesn't end there, according to Craig Blais, the WBDC's president and CEO. e refurbished Telegram & Gazette building is home to 14 of Quinsiga- mond Community College's health- S ince its inception in 1965, the Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC) has adhered to its mission "to serve as an innovative and leading force in the economic development of the City and the re- gion, resulting in job creation and tax base expansion." Concentrating initially on industrial parks and shifting its focus to commercial and residential development and biotechnology and life sciences as local, regional and national economic trends changed, the WBDC rightly boasts a proven track record. With a number of impressive projects within its portfolio, the WBDC anticipates another 50-year history of revitalization successes. continued on page 30