New Worcester High-Rise Apartment Building Planned For Empty Lot

WORCESTER, MA — A long-vacant parcel in the Main South area may soon sprout a high-rise apartment building, according to plans submitted to the city recently by a Worcester-based developer.

The Kensington Management, LLC, development has been anticipated for months. In August, the Worcester Planning Board approved a new zoning district covering the property, allowing the construction of a residential development.

The plans call for a seven-story building with 94 units on a parcel between Mason and Dewey streets, about a block east of Park Avenue and two blocks north of May Street.

"The applicant is seeking definitive site plan review approval from the board in connection with the construction and development of a new 7-story, approximately 75,685 square-foot multifamily high-rise building ... with 94 units with a mix of 1BR, 2 BR and 3BR units and 66 parking spaces," a letter to the city describing the project said.

The application does not specify the level of affordability for the apartments, but does say that all 94 units will be affordable. The developer also highlighted in an application that the building will provide larger 2 and 3-bedroom units for families.

"[The building] will provide much-needed and in-demand affordable housing to support the city’s critical housing stock, which will promote the economic vitality of the neighborhood and the city," the application said.

Kensington Management has also filed a separate zoning appeal seeking relief for off-street parking requirements. The developer wants to cut one loading zoning space, and have a higher number of compact spaces than typically allowed.

There are thousands of apartments either under construction or planned for construction, but only a handful of units will be set aside as affordable. The Worcester City Council earlier this month passed an inclusionary zoning law that will in many cases require new developments moving forward to include affordable units.