Worcester breaks ground on GreenTech Park infrastructure project

The Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC) on Thursday is holding an infrastructure improvement groundbreaking at GreenTech Park, a manufacturing and industrial campus.

The groundbreaking marks the first step of a multiphase infrastructure project for the park, according to a press release from the WBDC. The first phase involves rebuilding a roadway and upgrading utilities required to support the redevelopment of the site, which used to be owned by Saint-Gobain.

The redevelopment project also includes creating campus sites for manufacturing and technology companies, the press release reads. The next phase of infrastructure improvements will focus on New Bond Street by the campus.

“These infrastructure improvements are the foundation for everything we envision at GreenTech Park,” Craig Blais, president of WBDC, said in a statement. “This public investment demonstrates the confidence that our federal, state and local partners have in this project and in Worcester’s ability to attract the next generation of advanced manufacturing and technology companies.”

The roadway and infrastructure improvements have received $12.8 million in public funding, according to the press release. In a statement, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass. said he, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. and U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-2nd district, supported $8 million in federal funds for the project.

“Together, we will continue to build the infrastructure of the future and ensure that America keeps its promise to Worcester and communities all across our Commonwealth,” Markey said.

GreenTech Park is a 51-acre campus that was acquired by the WBDC in 2022. The property used to be the Worcester campus of Saint-Gobain, a French company that makes building materials.

WBDC’s plan for the property is to create a campus for advanced manufacturing industries. These industries use innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics and 3D printing, to create new products and improve production processes.

The Restaurant Depot, a company that sells bulk food, equipment and commercial supplies to restaurants, could become the first tenant of GreenTech Park. The Worcester Planning Board last month approved the company’s plans for a 50,000-square-foot wholesale warehouse at the park.

City Manager Eric D. Batista’s administration is also looking to give a tax break to the property to spur development. The city council’s standing committee on economic development still needs to review the tax break before the council can vote on the proposal. The proposal was referred to the committee in July. No meeting on the proposal has been scheduled as of Aug. 13.

As part of the redevelopment, the WBDC is overseeing comprehensive site preparation through cleanup efforts, infrastructure upgrades and creating new public roadways, according to the organization’s press release. Plans are also underway to reconnect Ararat Street, New Bond Street and Norton Drive as part of the project.

As an organization, the WBDC focuses on economic development, redeveloping complex or underutilized properties.