228-Unit Apartment Building Planned In Worcester Near Polar Park

WORCESTER, MA — Local and state officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking Tuesday for a 228-unit apartment development across from Polar Park, partially fulfilling a plan to fill vacant lots around the stadium with a variety of new buildings.

The residential building, dubbed "SOMA", will rise along Madison Street near Washington Street on a former Wyman-Gordon property. SOMA's developer, Madison Properties, is also planning to build a 125-room hotel — the original plan called for two hotels with 250 rooms — a second residential building, a lab building and an office building.

Worcester is planning to use tax revenue generated by the Madison Properties developments to pay off debt used to build Polar Park, which ultimately cost more than $160 million between land acquisition and construction costs.

The SOMA building will include a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments that will be rented at market rates. Officials said construction could begin in August and may take up to two years to complete.

Several other major residential developments are also in the works in the Kelley Square area. A 318-unit building is set to rise along Green Street in place of the former Lucky Dog Music Hall. The developer Boston Capital has announced plans to build 80 affordable units at the site of the Table Talk Pies factory near the intersection of Madison and Green streets. And last week, a building not far from where SOMA will be built that housed The Bridge community center may be redeveloped by a Boston firm, according to Worcester Magazine.