Residential projects in Worcester, Fitchburg receive $3M from state
Rendering | Courtesy of Worcester Planning Board via Mistry Design
This proposed development in Downtown Worcester received $2 million from a state fund meant to boost housing in Gateway Cities.
Residential development projects in Worcester and Fitchburg have received a total of $3 million combined in Housing Development Incentive Program awards from the state. This first round of funding for 2025 looks to upgrade housing availability in Gateway Cities across Massachusetts.
Gov. Maura Healey awarded $15 million in total to create 829 homes in Gateway Cities, according to a Monday press release from the Governor’s office. Among the six awardees, projects in Worcester and Fitchburg aim to strengthen their housing opportunities and promote growth in populated areas.
Worcester’s project, headed by Springfield-based HHM Cube Properties, received $2 million in funding to establish 139 units at 17 Pearl St., which was once the location of art supply store C.C. Lowell. Located in Downtown Worcester in the Commercial Corridors Overlay District, developers plan to build an 11-story building containing one and two bedroom apartments, as well as amenities including an indoor pool, outdoor deck and fitness center.
“The Commonwealth is facing a critical housing shortage, and this 139-unit building constructed with prefabricated modules can serve as a template for quality multifamily housing which can help communities build homes that are within reach for working Bay Staters,” State Sen. Michael Moore (D-Worcester) said in the press release. “The developers’ commitment to setting aside 17 subsidized units further makes this project a win-win for Worcester.”
The Fitchburg project is being led by Fitchburg-based firm The Tocci Group and was awarded $1 million to build 17 new housing units and a commercial space at 533 Main St., the site of a former YMCA building originally constructed in 1894, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. These units are planned to be a mix of one to two bedroom apartments designed to maintain the character of the building with a fresh reconstruction of wood and glass detailing.
This project for Fitchburg seeks to accomplish affordable downtown housing options that revitalize the current vacant space, part of broader ongoing efforts to revitalize the city’s downtown area.
Fitchburg Mayor Samantha Squalia praised the HDIP program in the press release as a “powerful catalyst in Fitchburg, turning long-vacant downtown buildings into vibrant, mixed-use spaces with market-rate apartments and ground-floor commercial activity.”
Jill McSorley is an editorial intern for the Worcester Business Journal. She is a student at Assumption University studying communications and media, writing, and marketing.
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