Worcester Business Development wins approval to lay out C Street as first phase of Greendale redevelopment

Worcester — The Worcester Planning Board on Wednesday approved a preliminary subdivision plan to create C Street, the first-phase roadway buildout for New Garden Park in the Greendale section of the city.

The 4-0 vote clears the layout for a roughly 2,250-foot reconstructed corridor that the Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC) and its New Garden Park development team described as a Complete Streets-style road with a 10-foot, two-way multiuse path, landscaping strips, and space for future signalization at Arrowhead Street if warranted.

The plan matters because C Street will reconnect and open for public circulation a large parcel on the former Saint‑Gobain abrasives campus and is intended to support further redevelopment of roughly 19.6 acres. Julie Holstrom, director of projects for WBDC, told the board the road is the first of several infrastructure phases needed to support new commercial and industrial redevelopment at New Garden Park.

Engineering consultant Sean Kelly (Chapel Engineering) said the proposal includes a single travel lane in each direction, 11-foot lanes, 2-foot shoulders, a 10-foot multiuse path separated from the road by landscaped buffers, and a rumble-strip/curb treatment to preserve Saint‑Gobain's loading area. He said the design accommodates future truck access and includes a conduit for future signal equipment at the Arrowhead/C Street intersection.

City staff and outside departments flagged a handful of issues for the definitive filing. Planning staff asked for more trees than currently shown, with an explicit request that the developer relocate any sidewalk-side trees it cannot plant back into the project elsewhere so the overall number of street trees is not reduced. The Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM) asked for a fire-truck path evaluation to confirm that design radii and reduced design speed will not force trucks to cross the centerline. Public Works recommended against a requested waiver on longitudinal grade, citing potential ponding and drainage concerns.

Saint‑Gobain representatives asked for additional details and called for a construction management plan because the proposed road work will abut active company operations, employee circulation and existing underground utilities. The applicant agreed to provide truck‑path turning templates, to show a fence on the rumble‑strip segment if that is the company’s preference, and to coordinate a construction management plan with abutters before the definitive submission.

The board approved the preliminary subdivision subject to staff-recommended conditions and incorporation of DTM and DPW comments. The board also directed the applicant to increase the number of canopy trees shown on the plan and to provide the additional technical analyses requested by DPW and DTM ahead of the definitive filing.

Planning board members said they supported the Complete Streets approach and the shared-use path tying Arrowhead Street to New Bond Street but emphasized the need for follow-up detail on drainage, truck access and tree planting.

The applicant and staff will return with a definitive plan that responds to the comments required for construction drawings, details on green‑infrastructure elements, and a construction management plan intended to limit impacts on adjacent industrial operations.

The board’s preliminary approval does not authorize construction; it gives the applicant a clear list of items to resolve for the definitive submission and final street‑acceptance steps before City Council.