Main South Cleanup Makes Way For 48-Unit Development

WORCESTER, MA — A $258,000 MassDevelopment grant will help make way for the redevelopment of a vacant lot along Grand Street in the Main South neighborhood.

MassDevelopment announced the grant on May 12. The money comes from the state's brownfield cleanup fund, which pays to remove harmful contamination from soils and structures. The 92 Grand St. site was once part of the Crompton Knowles and Standard Foundry mill, and soil samples have revealed the presence of arsenic, barium, lead and naphthalene.

The site was purchased in 2018 by the Main South Community Development Corporation (CDC), which plans to build an $18 million, 48-unit mixed-use development on the site. All but two units will be affordable for people earning 60 percent of the median income in Worcester. The development will also feature commercial space.

The Grand Street parcel has been vacant since the 1960s, when the former industrial buildings were demolished. The surrounding blocks have seen significant redevelopment in recent years, with several former factories converted into lofts and apartments. Table Talk is also finishing work on a new headquarters and bakery along Gardner Street that took over several vacant lots.