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With construction costs at the new Worcester Red Sox stadium and its surrounding six-building redevelopment project rising, City Manager Ed Augustus is asking for the city to OK tweaks to the public financing package.
Thanks to nearly $21 million in unexpected site preparation and business relocation expenses, which are the city’s responsibility and a $9.4 million increase in construction costs, Augustus submitted a proposal to the Worcester City Council on Tuesday that would add $0.50 to the cost of each ticket and $2 to $3 to the cost of parking at nearby city-owned facilities on event days.
Recent changes to Madison Properties’ 18-acre project will also help the city absorb some of its share of the costs, Augustus’ plan notes. The firm, which is also building the WooSox stadium, is building a 120,000-square-foot office building overlooking the stadium’s right-field wall, plus a two-hotel complex, two office buildings and two residential buildings along a new street to the south of the ballpark. The project is already spurring nearby redevelopment.
According to the Worcester Telegram, city councilors gave Augustus’ plan a warm reception Tuesday, but did not vote on the measure, instead referring it to a committee vote.
