FITCHBURG — An abundance of housing, a two-lane Main Street, and a thriving Theater Block are memories residents have of the city years ago.
Now, city officials are aiming to make those images synonymous with Fitchburg once again with funds from the $3 million MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant announced on Thursday.
City officials say the money will be used to transform Fitchburg’s downtown into a more pedestrian and business friendly area.
“Our downtown is seeing tremendous growth,” said Mayor Stephen DiNatale. “This project will send an important message about our downtown resurgence, as we continue to create an environment which is going to promote thriving development.”
The project will include a focus on new housing, mixed-use developments, and the rehabilitation of the Fitchburg Theater.
The overhaul includes converting Main and Boulder streets from one-way to two-way streets, reversing a City Council decision made in 2016. The move, said officials, would increase traffic safety and circulation, creating a walkable, bikeable business district.
DiNatale said the project is going to have a profound effect on what happens downtown.
These improvements will spur the rehabilitation and renovation of the Fitchburg Theater on Main Street, a nearly 24,000-square foot building that is already home to Fitchburg State University’s small business ideaLab.
Up to five commercial storefronts are planned for the first floor.
“It’s another piece in the puzzle as we continue to build this out,” said Fitchburg State University President Richard Lapidus
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said the project will have a high impact on the community and, more importantly, will lead to more housing.
“You have to re-imagine how you’re going to reuse these buildings and who can live in this downtown,” she said.
She said Fitchburg has embraced housing as a key part of its community development strategy.
The project will support the housing and mixed-use developments already planned in the city’s downtown 40R Smart Growth District, which was approved by City Council in the fall.
These developments are expected to generate at least 139 units of housing, 62 units of live-work artist housing, and street-level commercial and retail opportunities.
This year, the Baker-Polito administration awarded $72 million in Massworks grants to support projects in 35 communities. Since 2015, the program has awarded over $358 million to support 177 projects in 128 communities.
Fitchburg State purchased the Theater Block in 2016 with plans to renovate it in three phases.
The university is working with NewVue Communities on the Theater Block. Construction for Phase One of the $2.8 million project began in the fall of 2017.
The first phase, which added a game design studio and entrepreneurship lab, was completed in January.
Lapidus said for the second phase, the university hopes to bring businesses to the building’s seven bays by recruiting outside businesses or possibly using some of the spaces as incubators for the entrepreneurship program upstairs.
The third phase includes the renovation of the 28,235-square-foot theater space, which at its peak seated 1,751 patrons.
DiNatale said Fitchburg State has been a good partner, especially for economic development downtown.
“Fitchburg State’s investment in the Theater Block, along with our plans for future phases of its renovation, complement the city’s efforts to beautify the downtown and improve traffic flow and safety,” said Lapidus. “This grant will move our collective efforts forward.”
“A great percentage of people in this country today don’t believe their government is serving them,” said state Rep. Stephan Hay, a Fitchburg Democrat. “If you look at what’s happening here today, our government is serving you. Your city government and the state government have joined together to help this city move forward.”
Though several businesses have come and gone from the Theater Block’s storefronts in recent years, the facility remained largely unoccupied since a movie theater and former live show space shut its doors in 1987.
The Theater Block is among ongoing redevelopment projects in the city, which include the Fitchburg Arts Community and City Hall renovations.
“This is an important project for the revitalization of the City of Fitchburg,” said state Sen. Dean Tran, a Fitchburg Republican. “The commencement and completion of the project will not only provide safety improvements but also attract businesses to the area.”
