The city and private developers have completed several large-scale projects and have others underway. The nonprofit Worcester Business Development Corporation is currently working with the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a private developer on cleaning up a contaminated property near the central business district. It plans to develop the property for a Gateway park into the downtown district. The park will host stores, offices, and entertainment uses. Several projects are getting off the drawing boards.
Several projects appear to have hit snags.
The city originally planned to develop Union Station into a movie theater and retail complex, but the developer pulled out over changes in the city's timetable for completing related infrastructure. Lawsuits over land takings could increase the cost of acquiring land needed for the proposed Worcester Medical Center. A lawsuit over the state's taking of land for a new county courthouse could delay the project.