May 2023 City Scoop: Worcester
City Grill
Bryan Northrop
Executive Vice President – General Manager
Skanska
Growth of higher education projects in both design and construction are trending in Worcester, says Northrop. Work also at UMass Memorial Medical Center “drives the need for qualified engineers and researchers,” he says. The emergence of life sciences and revival of the city’s downtown also are boosting housing and other commercial opportunities.
Higher education and health care are set to show continued strong growth, Northrop says. Holy Cross, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Clark University, Mass College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and UMass Memorial Medical Center “are planning projects, he adds.
These markets are also driving life science development. “Worcester is attracting life science companies as it has a skilled workforce being generated by its higher education institutions coupled with UMASS Medical,” Northrop notes. Meanwhile, “affordable housing is and always will be a priority,” he adds.
But after a wave of building acquisitions, Northrop says there’s “a slowdown of developer-led work progressing on spec.”
