Greendale Revitalization Plan to include infrastructure improvements along West Boylston Street

Spectrum News Staff, Spectrum News 1

WORCESTER, Mass. -The Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC) says it will be working with businesses and neighborhoods to revitalize the Greendale area of the city. 

The goals of the Greendale Revitalization Project include neighborhood improvements, revitalizing existing commercial properties, and improving infrastructure like streets and sidewalks. 

“Our economic development agenda is not limited to downtown and we want all corners of the city to benefit from our continued growth. This initiative has the potential to create jobs, expand the tax base, and improve quality of life for the neighborhood and the city as a whole," Peter Dunn, city of Worcester's Chief Development Officer, said. "Revitalizing underutilized properties into new, productive uses is a sound and sustainable growth strategy.”

The plan includes 250 acres of industrial land and in the West Boylston and Mountain Street corridors, as well as the area of the Higgins Industrial Park. It also includes 32 acres of area in the West Boylston Street commercial corridor with vacant lots, including the former site of the Barber’s Crossing restaurant. 

“Our mission remains to create ‘private investment for the public good,’ Craig Blais, WBDC president and CEO, said in a released statement.

The WBDC also aims to increase the number of small businesses along West Boylston Street, as well as industrial companies, to help increase the diversity and quality of employment opportunities in the area.

“This has been an important initiative of mine since being elected and I couldn’t be happier that the WBDC, who has a proven track record, is taking the lead on its revitalization,” District 1 City Councilor Sean Rose said in a statement.

The former Barber’s Crossing restaurant at 321 West Boylston Street. was demolished in 2019. It had been abandoned in 2006. Plans for the property have not been announced.