Order calls for exploring eminent domain taking | Worcester Mag
“It’s official. Nine city councilors have signed onto an order on the agenda for Tuesday night’s council meeting calling for the city manager to conduct a feasibility study into possibly taking the Wyman-Gordon property on Madison Street and around Kelley Square by eminent domain. Worcester Mag first reported on Thursday that councilors were working to put together the order, with a City Council source saying it was meant as a “shot across the bow” of Wyman-Gordon amidst reports that a well-known developer is eying the property for a possible hotel and slot casino.
“It is a strategic site for the city of Worcester,” Mayor Joe Petty says. “There is potential for development on this site, which has been vacant for years.”
Petty reiterated what the source tells Worcester Mag, that the move is not meant to deter any interested developers, including Richard Friedman of Carpenter & Company Inc. in Cambridge. According to previously published reports, Friedman is seriously considering the property at 105 Madison St. as a location for a boutique hotel. Casino developers have also reportedly confirmed that Friedman is considering a slot casino on the site, although no formal submissions had yet been made to the state.”
Bird, Walter Jr. Daily Worcesteria 14 December 2012.