Editorial: Cooperation is key to ballpark district's success
After the fire and brimstone vitriol coming out of the Worcester City Council and Worcester Redevelopment Authority late last year, it’s encouraging to hear the City of Worcester is engaging in more constructive conversation with developer Madison Properties and its president, Denis Dowdle.
Back in 2018, Dowdle was one third of the celebrated triumvirate praised for convincing the Pawtucket Red Sox to move into a new Canal District baseball stadium, along with former city manager Edward Augustus and the late Larry Lucchino, chairman of the team. The plan was for Dowdle to build five residential, hotel, and office developments around the ballpark, and the increase in tax collections from those previously moribund properties was meant to pay off the bulk of the bonds for the $160-million stadium, leading City officials to promise Polar Park would pay for itself and not use general taxpayer funds.
From the beginning, Dowdle was upfront that the City’s timeline for his developments was overly optimistic. Fast forward through COVID and slowdowns in the construction and financing industries, and only one of Dowdle’s proposed developments – the 228-unit apartment complex The Revington – has come online. The ballpark district tax collections came up $792,000 short last fiscal year against an annual tithe of $6 million, requiring the City to use general taxpayers funds to cover the bond payment.
The City needed someone to blame for its stadium financing shortfall, and Dowdle for became the pinyata. Members of City Council went as far as to suggest the City use its powers of eminent domain to seize Madison’s properties, especially the high-profile Left Field Building, and force some kind of development. This was highly unlikely to happen; even if the City forced Dowdle out, such an action wouldn’t be a welcome sign to a new developer, who would have to overcome the same market and industry barriers.
Now, it’s helpful to hear Dowdle tell WBJ Managing Editor Eric Casey for his story “The second inning” that communication has improved with City officials. The Left Field Building has been listed for sale, and Dowdle said he is near an agreement to sell one of the undeveloped residential properties. The proposed hotel might finally have a partner, inching closer to reality. The City will likely run another $800,000 deficit on its ballpark financing, but that’s expected at this point.
Cooperation between power players led to the Worcester Red Sox coming to the city in 2021, and the Canal District has changed significantly since, largely for the better. As City Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn points out, the success or failure of the financing plan isn’t the main point, but part of the larger piece driving economic vitality. Even as the pressure to see progress has created new challenges, turning on each other won’t help the ballpark district reach its full potential. Cooperation, one of Worcester’s hallmarks, is what will deliver the goods.
This editorial is the opinion of the WBJ Editorial Board.
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