Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/616041
30 Worcester Business Development Corporation • 1965 - 2015 care services programs, as well as their non-credit workforce development pro- gram, occupying 72,409 square feet on four floors and serving more than 500 students. ten24 Digital Solutions, a lo- cal technology company, has relocated from their suburban offices to the 4th floor of the complex in approximately 5,800 square feet. Additionally, the 20 Franklin Street complex is home to the Worcester Idea Lab, a 3,600 square foot incubator and a 5,954 square foot accel- erator for emerging and growing busi- nesses in Worcester. In time, the building will also contain cultural gallery space, a black box theatre and lecture hall, a café and complemen- tary retail space. Adjacent to 20 Franklin Street and near e Hanover eatre for the Performing Arts, new infrastructure in the Federal Street and Portland/Salem Street areas will foster more pedestrian activity with restaurants and retailers in a space aesthetically enhanced with new streetscape and antique lighting. e upgraded intermodal system at Union Station will draw more people – and businesses – to the City, injecting revenue into the local economy. Cross- city bus routes, as well as additional commuter train service to Boston and more flights originating at Worcester Airport promise to attract commercial enterprise and tourists alike to the City. "Our vision is to have a connection across the downtown for visitors and res- idents alike. We want them to be able to walk and feel safe," says Blais. "We will move from building to building down Main Street to create density. is will be the driver – more people, more activ- ity, more businesses, more things to do. Retailers will come, attracting private investors. For the next seven to ten years, the WBDC will stick with this plan." From brownfield to marketable property Blais also points out another challenge to future urban development that the WBDC will undertake: the remediation of several small and large Brownfield sites scattered around the City. Reg- ulatory compliance, cleanup, and oth- er costs associated with these sites can stall the process before new construction can begin. "e prior WBDC team was focused on the biotech cluster with no plan for the next phase. I want to leave a legacy for the next group, to have a plan in place, a vision," he says. Past involvement with Brownfield cleanup has given the WBDC hands- on experience and expertise to efficient- ly and effectively navigate the process. To date, the WBDC has successfully remediated a number of parcels that are now viable and thriving biomedical parks, residential properties and indus- trial sites. Blais reports that the WBDC is planning to clean up a three-acre plot known as the former Presmet facility, lo- cated in the Canal District. But the plan for Brownfield cleanup projects encom- passes a much broader scope. "We want to launch a 'land-banking' program and create a reserve of pad- ready sites on a routine basis. We can envision twelve to fifteen sites that can go from vacant and contaminated to cleaned-up and ready to market," says Blais. "We have the expertise to put funding sources together and create mo- mentum. We want to leave something for the next thirty or forty years which will take the WBDC to the next level." From Higgins Industrial Park in 1966 to 20 Franklin Street in 2015, the WBDC has made a lasting imprint on economic development and job growth within Worcester and the re- gion. Although much has been accom- plished, more needs to be done. And the WBDC is fully prepared and well equipped to help steer future expansion projects, continuing to fuel the City's economy. n "The Worcester Business Development Corporation has worked closely with Quinsigamond Community College to enable the college to expand its specialized educational and training facilities. WBDC and QCC have always worked as 'hand and glove' organizations. The college has focused on developing a workforce to support regional business development, while WBDC has worked to ensure the businesses have access to quality facilities to promote their Worcester-centric viability. By teaming to create the QCC Healthcare and Workforce Development Center in downtown Worcester, the WBDC and QCC have recognized that new opportunities for mutual support can lead to even greater successes for this community we serve." Gail E. Carberry, Ed.D. President Quinsigamond Community College