Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | October 2, 2017 | Worcester Business Journal 21 Former WRTA site development needs to clear a higher bar The Worcester Business Journal welcomes letters to the editor and commentary submissions. Please send submissions to Brad Kane, editor, at bkane@wbjournal.com. B efore President Donald Trump announced he would phase out Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), I, along with the other presi- dents of all of Massachusetts' Community Colleges, spoke out in support of those in the program. In that letter, I reaffirmed my com- mitment to educating every student stepping through the doors at any of Mount Wachusett Community College's campuses regardless of their immigration status. That will never change. That should never change. What has changed since I first signed that letter, is the discussion around DACA that President Trump's announcement has forced. While many, myself included, were shocked at the president's decision, I would hope now we can look past rhetoric and focus on legislation. The more I have thought about this decision, the more I have come to appreciate the importance of incorporating DACA, or similar law, through proper legislation. Congress should embrace this opportunity to do what is right and do it rapidly. Executive orders should not be the default action, espe- cially when it can continue a status of limbo with very real consequences for those affected by the orders. By solidifying in legislation protection for those who lack citizenship after coming here at a young age, we as a country would embrace not only our country's heritage of compassion and inclusion, but a group of 800,000 work- ers to help this country continue to thrive. An estimated 8,000 of those dreamers reside within the state. Taking away the ability for these young people to get a higher education and contribute to the economy would be a loss to this state. Let us cut through this economic argument for a moment. I believe monetizing the impact of whether we have DACA is a red-herring argument. Common decen- cy, without much help, clearly establishes maintaining DACA under law is the right thing to do. We live in the United States of America, where our leaders have a moral obligation to be a shining beacon for the world. Period. DACA is not just a cut-and -dry economic formula. These are real people. They have shopped at the mall, rooted for the Patriots and probably had class with one of your children or grandchildren. They are currently able to continue their American lives beyond high school by enrolling in college and joining the workforce. In short, DACA merely allows these dreamers to continue the only life they have known and continue to be contributing members of society. We all need to dream. The ability to dream, build, and succeed is the very essence of being an American. By supporting one another's dreams, we are being true to who we are as a country while ensuring future greatness. James Vander Hooven is president of Mount Wachusett Community College. Solidify DACA in law V I E W P O I N T E D I T O R I A L BY JAMES VANDER HOOVEN Special to the Worcester Business Journal James Vander Hooven WO R D F R O M T H E W E B Comment of the issue "Good luck in January." - Anonymous commenter, Sept. 20, on a WBJ poll asking readers about bike-based alternative modes of transportation in the city WBJ Tweet of the week "Glad to see the @WBJournal is on board with #AmazonHQ2 #AmazonHQWoo!" - Mike Spinney (@spinzo), Sept. 22, on a WBJ story about Worcester as a destination for Amazon's HQ2 W Facebook feedback "Nice. This is great news!" - Michelle May, Sept. 27, on Worcester submitting a bid for Amazon's HQ2 "Charlie Baker and his Baker boys are full of......you get the idea." - Steve Quist, Sept. 22, on a story about Gov. Charlie Baker opposing the Graham-Cassidy Bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act W orcester's city government doesn't want more of the same when it comes to the redevel- opment of the former Worcester Regional Transit Authority facility sandwiched between Grove Street and Park Avenue, and that's a good thing. When Galaxy Development of Auburn pro- posed a 65,000-square-foot complex called the Trolley Yard at the property, city officials asked the company to hit the pause button and rethink its design approach. Galaxy's plan put before the Worcester Planning Board on Sept. 13 was to put in 13 retail spaces and 20,000 square feet of office space, with large buildings facing inward toward a parking lot, in a design similar to a suburban strip mall, oriented towards drive-in, drive-out traffic. Instead, City Manager Edward Augustus asked Galaxy to go back to the drawing board to design a better fit, reflecting its urban setting and the city's desire to promote a denser, more walkable environment. Worcester's 30-year-old master plan is clearly outdated and does not spell out a set of guidelines for developments like this one, so it is encourag- ing to see Augustus articulating the desire for a more pedestrian-facing, denser approach. Urging developers like Galaxy to think outside of the typical suburban-style retail-complex template and more like an urban developer is refreshing. Worcester is seeking to revitalize its downtown core and outlying neighborhoods, and the best way to do that has been to attract private inves- tors to make it happen. The kind of development prevalent along sections of Route 9 to the east of Worcester, full of strip malls and big-box anchors stores, is seen as undesirable in a tighter, urban setting. Large commercial strips where customers drive from one complex to the next almost guar- antees there is no room to accommodate walkers, bikers and others on foot. Just to the north of the Trolly Yard site is Gold Star Boulevard, which has a Home Depot, Shaw's, Price Rite, CVS, a series of car dealerships and the Greendale Mall. Yet in the other direction is the historic Northworks property, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the Worcester Art Museum and other elements of a much more urban setting. Connecting the new development to that end of the city holds the promise of extending the walkable, street-friendly feel underway in that district. Augustus and planning officials may have put more focus on the Galaxy development because the city has a more direct connection – and a stronger stake in its future. As the WRTA was moving off the historic property and into its new $90-million hub on Quinsigamond Avenue, the city had a bidding process for the five-acre site, and Galaxy – under the name Galaxy Grove LLC – was the top bidder at $3.8 million. Galaxy is set to unveil its new design to the planning board on Wednesday. It has been encouraging to see the city articulate a vision for better urban design, and refreshing to see Galaxy on board for a major refresh in its site design. A decade ago, the city would not have dared mess with the few developers willing to put invest their money in new commercial property. Done right, the push for better, more site-sensitive design will turn out to be a win-win for the city and the developer. W

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