WORCESTER

Planning Board OKs zoning for Polar Park

Nick Kotsopoulos
nicholas.kotsopoulos@telegram.com
A rendering of the new Polar Park shows the stadium planned for the Canal District and Kelley Square neighborhood in Worcester. [Submitted Photo]

WORCESTER — The $240 million redevelopment project planned in the Canal District and Kelley Square area, including construction of Polar Park, has cleared a key hurdle with the Planning Board endorsing the rezoning of about 20 acres there to facilitate the project.

The board Wednesday night unanimously recommended to the City Council an amendment to the city's zoning map to extend the Business General-6.0 (BG-6) zoning district from downtown to include the ballpark site and associated private development sites off Kelley Square.

Currently, most of the property in that area is zoned Manufacturing-General 2.0 (MG-2), reflecting past industrial uses. Many of the uses being proposed for that area are not allowed by right under the current zoning.

The zoning change, which was petitioned for by the city, includes land generally located southeast of the CSX/Providence &Worcester railroad corridor, east of the Wyman-Gordon facility at 80 Hermon St., north of Lamartine Street, and east of Washington and Summit streets.

It also includes all of the city-owned Gen. Pickett Municipal Parking Lot at 45 Green St. and those portions of land south of the CSX/P&W railroad corridor that are north of Madison Street and west of Green Street.

Much of the land is currently vacant.

Stephen Rolle, the city's assistant chief development officer, said the zoning change will enable redevelopment of properties that have long been underutilized by allowing mixed-uses there.

He said it will also allow for construction of Polar Park, which is going to become the new home of the Boston Red Sox Triple-A minor league team starting with the 2021 season.

Polar Park, which will be built on the north side of Madison Street, off Kelley Square, is in the schematic design phase. Groundbreaking for construction is scheduled for July.

Much of the planned $90 million private mixed-use development will be on the south side of Madison Street.

Mr. Rolle pointed out that most of the land surrounding the area of the proposed zoning change is zoned for business and residential uses.

He said changing the zoning to mixed use would be more compatible with the surrounding areas than if it remained zoned for manufacturing.

"We think this is a good mix and will foster the developed proposed there," he said.

Mr. Rolle added that a mixed-use overlay district once existed in much of that area, showing that the city previously believed that the best use of the land wasn't manufacturing but something beyond that.

Wyman-Gordon Co. used to own much of that property and had a major manufacturing complex there. The company razed most of the buildings roughly two decades ago, leaving about 15 acres of largely vacant property.

Madison Properties of Boston recently bought five parcels on Washington, Madison, Gold and Assonet streets from Wyman-Gordon for $6.1 million It intends to redevelop the parcels for mixed use, including hotel, office, apartments and retail.

There was no public opposition to the proposed zoning change.

The Planning Board's action serves as a recommendation to the City Council, which has final say on all zoning matters.

It is the first action the Planning Board has taken related to the overall redevelopment project.

Mr. Rolle said the board will play a greater role once plans for various aspects of the overall development are brought forward.