Brownfields
Success Story
Polar Park
Worcester, MA
A parking lot that sat vacant for 20 years has been redeveloped into a
world-class baseball park. Sitting in the city's rapidly growing Canal
District, the 10,000-seat ballpark brought 18-acres of brownfields to life.
The ballpark is now home to the Worcester Red Sox (WooSox), the Triple-
A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox who relocated from Pawtucket, Rl. In
addition to hosting Worcester Red Sox games, Polar Park will hold
concerts, school graduations, fundraisers, and other community activities.
In 2016, the City of Worcester and the Worcester Redevelopment
Authority established the Urban Revitalization Plan to revitalize
downtown Worcester and parts of the Canal District. Polar Park was part
of this larger development initiative that succeeded due to the
collaborative efforts between many public and private partners. The
overall vision of this area was realized because of the hard work and
tremendous support from the city, community, and these public and
private partnerships.
Priming the Property for Redevelopment
The new baseball park sits on land that was used for parking by a
transportation company that manufactures metal components for the
automobile and aerospace industry. The company operated in Worcester for
many years but consolidated its operations and demolished some of the
remaining structures in the city in the early 2000s. Once the company
consolidated and demolition started, the 18-acre brownfield created an
opportunity for redevelopment. Worcester, once a thriving industrial city,
faced the challenge of hazardous building materials and soil contamination,
specifically petroleum, lead, arsenic, and other substances after the
manufacturer closed. The land was vacant and underutilized as a parking lot
for 15 years. The site became the focus of many different ideas and
discussions of redevelopment, but the city eventually settled on a plan to
redevelop it into a ballpark in an environmental justice area.
The project, led by the Worcester Redevelopment Authority, in partnership
with the City of Worcester, the Commonwealth of MA including the
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the Worcester Red
Sox (then Pawtucket Red Sox), EPA, and the private development firm
worked together on the overall vision of the area. Thorough study of site
conditions revealed that contaminated soils were present throughout the
property and would need significant work to manage and clean up. With the
help of a $2 million grant from Mass Development's Brownfields
Redevelopment Fund, $7,300 from an EPA Brownfields Assessment grant,
and $500,000 subgrant from an EPA Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund, over
150,000 tons of soil were excavated, managed, and taken off site.
oEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Aerial View of Polar Park, (photo credit City of Worcester)
EPA Grant Recipient:
City of Worcester
Grant Types:
Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund
Current Use:
Baseball Park
Former Uses:
Parking Lot, Manufacturing Facility
Aerial View of Polar Park, (photo credit City of Worcester)

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Polar Park's seats are symbolic of Worcester's location at the
heart of the Commonwealth, (photo credit City of Worcester)
Remaining costs for construction and development resulted in approximately
$160 million total to build Polar Park.
Today
The Canal District today is bustling with activity as residents, tourists, and
college students enjoy its restaurants, cultural arts, entertainment,
entrepreneurship, and retail activity. The addition of an innovative ballpark
and relocation of the Worcester Red Sox has made this brownfield come
alive in the city's actively developing neighborhood. The renamed Worcester
Red Sox has been welcomed into a growing district with support from both
the city and community. The community even launched a postcard
campaign where they mailed the team almost 10,000 postcards from the
residents of the city voicing support for the relocation. Polar Park
contributes significantly to the well-being of the city.
The ballpark is designed to look, feel, smell, and taste like Worcester. The
name Polar Park is named after one of the most well-known companies in
Worcester. The city also has a long history with the sport of baseball,
notably the accomplishments of Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Lee
Richmond, Stories of Ted Williams' first professional league home run in an
exhibition game at Holy Cross and Lee Richmond's pitching of the first
perfect game are highlighted throughout the ballpark, as well as elements
and milestones of the Worcester Red Sox's history. The team has embraced
its new host city, taking on the yellow "smiley face" as its mascot, which was
invented in Worcester. The ballpark's light fixtures are in the shape of
hearts, symbolic of Worcester's location at the heart of the Commonwealth.
A variety of venues and concession stands will feature food and beverage
options from well-known local favorites. Local chefs and restaurants will
operate on a rotating basis, each one having a chance to present their
culinary products to the public. Worcester's unique elements tie into the
design and features of the ballpark, making every person feel like they are
part of the community as soon as they walk in.
The ballpark officially opened for the first home game in May 2021. The city
and developer have visions for the future development of the area around
Polar Park. The future phases of redevelopment will focus on the southern
portion of the site and may include a parking garage, hotel, residences, and
other businesses. The developer started construction on the first 228-unit
residential building in August 2021.
In June 2021, the Environmental Business Council of New England awarded
the Polar Park project with the Nicholas Humber Award for Outstanding
Collaboration in recognition of the partnership between public and private
entities to complete a challenging urban renewal project in two years.
"Polar Park has been a shining
example of what the Brownfields
Program seeks to accomplish. The
public investment in the ballpark has
leveraged substantial private
investment and has significantly
generated both environmental
benefits as well as economic benefits.
The project has also added a new
opportunity for family fun
entertainment, contributing to the city
of Worcester's quality of life as a
destination to live, work and play."
Peter Dunn
Chief Development Officer
Executive Office of Economic Development
Then	September 2016	September 2018	July 2019	May 2021	NOW
Urban Revitalization Plan Project Announced Cleanup and Construction First Home Game
Established	Start
For more information:
Visit the EPA Brownfields website at www.epa.gov/brownfields or contact
Dorrie Paar at 617-918-1432
Paar.Dorrie@epa.eov
EPA 901-F-21-013
October 2021
for informational use only - no endorsement intended

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