Worcester Business Development Corporation discusses future plans for Saint-Gobain property

Olivia Lemmon, Spectrum News 1

WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester Business Development Corporation now oversees roughly half of the Saint-Gobain property, after the well-known Worcester manufacturer transferred 51 acres of its campus to the W.B.D.C. last week.

It's part of an effort to redevelop Worcester's Greendale neighborhood. W.B.D.C. president Craig Blais said they plan to prepare the site for redevelopment, which will include demolition, an upgrade of infrastructure and the reintroduction of public road ways.

"We would like to see an area that has more green initiatives that are part of it” Blais said. “The W.B.D.C. is in the business of creating jobs and expanding the tax base for the city, so we want to see businesses that create a lot of jobs for this area."

The W.B.D.C. will do a full zoning analysis of the site and if changes are needed, they will do them. The property includes more than 40 vacant buildings.

Saint-Gobain, once known as Norton Company, has been in the city for nearly 140 years and employs 1,000 people locally. The company said the property transfer provides them with more resources to support their employees.