Worcester Planning Board approves 105-room Washington Square hotel

Planning Board · Meeting of June 24, 2026

Worcester Planning Board approves 105-room Washington Square hotel, rejects Lincoln Street rezoning. The board voted 5-0 for the Hampton Inn project at 0-20-36 Washington Square after members split over whether to sacrifice two parking-lot shade trees for wider spaces; Chair Albert LaValle argued for keeping the trees, calling the site "the centerpiece of our city." Board member Toomey countered that hotel guests "spent a lot of time" hunting for parking. DPW estimated $78,000 in added bonding for the hotel.

Separately, the board voted 5-0 to recommend City Council reject a zoning change sought by the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center for 600 and 604 Lincoln Street, with LaValle calling a proposed 25-foot buffer "essentially spot zoning." Abutter Nathan Hicks called the plan "an urgent, unequivocal" threat to his neighborhood. The board also approved a seven-unit Pleasant Street conversion and four subdivision plans, all 5-0.

In the full story:

• Postponements
• 4 Cliff Street: Definitive Frontage Subdivision
• Washington Square Hotel: 0, 20 and 36 Washington Square
• Chair LaValle sided with keeping the trees, citing the site's location
• 123 Hamilton Street: Definitive Frontage Subdivision
• 1 Forest Hill Drive: Definitive Site Plan
• 714-716 Pleasant Street: Definitive Site Plan
• 1 & 7 Renfrew Street and 680 Grafton Street: Definitive Frontage Subdivision
• Bert Street Right-of-Way: Private Street Improvement
• 600 & 604 Lincoln Street: Zoning Map Amendment
• Approval-Not-Required Plans
• Board Leadership and Procedures
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 3,584 words

Source: the Planning Board meeting of June 24, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.