For Worcester, the New Gateway Park
^^7J is an Impressive First Step in an
^ Area-Wide Transformation "^
L
Worcester, Massachusetts
'ocated just under 50 miles from Boston, the historically
industrial City of Worcester, Massachusetts covers some 37 square
miles in the state's approximate center. Despite its size, Worcester
has less than 100 acres available for new development—and with
more than two hundred documented brownfields, the city recognized
that restoration of these idle and underused properties was crucial
to promoting development, revitalizing its economy, and reversing
the high unemployment and poverty rates found in some of its
neighborhoods. On an 11-acre former industrial area now known
as Gateway Park, the city and its partner, Gateway Park LLC, are
developing a bioengineering research and mixed-use complex that is
transforming the once-underused area, drawing millions of dollars in
private investment, and creating hundreds of new jobs.
Long invested in transforming its brownfields, Worcester was
the recipient of an EPA Brownfields Assessment Pilot grant in
1999. This funding was used to investigate contamination levels
on the South Worcester Industrial Park property, which the city is
currently redeveloping into 1.7 million square feet of industrial,
manufacturing, and warehouse space. For Worcester's north
side, Gateway Park LLC created a master redevelopment plan
for a 5 5-acre, mostly industrial area rife with underused, likely
contaminated properties. While active businesses still remained
in this target area, including an art museum and some commercial
facilities, idle brownfields within these 55 acres included former steel
manufacturers, auto body shops, and a plating company.
What would become the first major project within the north
Worcester target area was initiated by a partnership between two
non-profit entities: the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), which
had been looking for a location for its newly funded bioengineering
wing; and the Worcester Business Development Corporation
(WBDC). These two organizations formed Gateway Park LLC and
through it, purchased multiple properties totaling 11 acres within
the larger project area. One of these 11 acres, once home to the New
England Plating Company, was designated as the future parking
location for the planned, mixed-use complex.
Given its history of metal plating activity, this one-acre property
proved the most difficult and most expensive site to clean.
The new WPI Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center
(foreground) and the renovated industrial building,
which contains offices, meeting rooms,
and shared facilities (at left).
JUST THE FACTS:
• With more than 200 documented
brownfields, the City of Worcester
recognized that restoration of these
idle and underused properties was
crucial to promoting development,
revitalizing its economy, and reversing
high unemployment and poverty rates.
• State and federal funding that included
an EPA Brownfields Revolving Loan
Fund grant enabled cleanup of an
11-acre former industrial area targeted
as a mixed-use, biotechnology/
biomedical facility and business
incubator.
When development is fully realized,
the new "Gateway Park" will create
2,500 new jobs, including 300
biomedical research positions—as
well as more than $6 million in
annual taxes.
Gateway Park's
master plan calls for
the rehabilitation and construction of
buildings containing 1,564,800 square
feet of mixed-use space, and 1.7 acres of
residential development. The project was
recognized in 2006 with the James D.P.
Farrell "Brownfields Project of the Year"
award from the Environmental Business
Council of New England.
continued
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Gateway Park LLC received two $350,000 cleanup loans from the Massachusetts Development Finance
Agency and had dedicated one of those loans solely for the former plating property, but still found itself
needing additional cleanup funds. The solution was found within a $1.28 million EPA Brownfields
Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grant awarded to Worcester in August 2005. With an additional $200,000
provided to the Gateway Park project from the RLF, cleanup of the former plating company
property and the remaining 10 acres was completed in March 2006. This cleanup
included demolition of buildings and the safe disposal of thousands of square feet
of asbestos-containing debris. Building materials were also recycled whenever
possible.
CONTACTS:
For more information contact
U.S. EPA REGION 1
(617)918-1105
Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at:
www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/
Gateway Park's first building, completed in Spring 2007, is the $40 million,
four-story, 124,600-square-foot Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center.
WPI occupies some three-quarters of the Center, which houses the university's
graduate research programs in biology and biotechnology, biomedical
engineering, chemical engineering, and chemistry and biochemistry. On the
first floor, Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives created the Gateway Park
Incubator—a facility that includes laboratories, shared equipment, and offices
for up to six startup biomedical companies. The remainder of the building is
being leased to business and commercial entities.
In all, Gateway Park's master plan calls for the rehabilitation and construction of
buildings containing 1,564,800 square feet of mixed-use space, and a 1.7-acre parcel
has been designated for residential development. On the one-acre site of the former plating
company, a 200-space parking lot and a 640-space parking garage are now complete. The Economic
Development Administration provided a $2.5 million grant to the project for this parking development,
while the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $1.8 million for improvements to public road
access in the project area. In addition, the State of Massachusetts awarded a $2 million grant to the city
for infrastructure improvements within Gateway Park.
^^^^^^ The Gateway Park project was recognized in 2006 with WPI's receipt
of the James D.P Farrell "Brownfields Project of the Year" award
from the Environmental Business Council of New England—an
award presented annually to a project that exemplifies excellence
in overcoming social, economic, technical, and institutional
challenges. When development is fully realized, WBDC estimates
that Gateway Park will create 2,500 new jobs, including 300
biomedical research positions—as well as more than $6 million in
annual taxes. For more information on Worcester's Gateway Park
project and Brownfields Revolving Loan Funds, please contact
of the modern laboratory bays £pA R 1Qn 1 at (617) 918-1105 Or at WWW.epa.gOV/reglOnO I/
in the WPI Life Sciences and Bioengineering Lenter at °
Gateway Park. brownfields/.
Brownfields Success Story
Worcester, Massachusetts
Gateway Park
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA-560-F-09-023
February 2009
www. epa.gov/brownfields/
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