Two megawatt carport canopy to cover 2.6 acres at the Worcester Business Center
Worcester Business Center has entered into a 25-year lease agreement with Green Street Power Partners, LLC (GSPP) to construct a Two-megawatt carport canopy solar array on 2.6 acres of the existing parking area at the Worcester Business Center, located at 67 Millbrook Street.
The 66 & 67 Millbrook Street complex in Worcester, MA encompasses 260,000 square-feet of functional office space throughout its 3 interconnected sections (North, Center, and South Buildings), and is recognized as one of the largest first-class multi-tenanted suburban office buildings in Worcester. The Worcester Business Center is a suburban office building located at the intersection of Interstates 190 and 290 within close proximity to downtown Worcester, and is managed by Charles ‘Chip’ Norton, Founder of Franklin Realty Advisors.
The Worcester Project is an affiliate of Green Street Power Partners, a national developer, financier, owner, and operator of solar energy systems benefiting businesses and communities across the country. The $6 million carport solar system will be a series of structures covering approximately one-third of the existing parking area including the former location of the 17,000 square-foot annex building which was raised at the end of last year.
The transaction structure will provide GSPP with access/use of the property to build and maintain the system. The generated electricity will be sold by the developer to National Grid. The Worcester site received the necessary approval last year through the State’s SMART (Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target) program which offers financial and tax incentives necessary to make commercial renewable energy projects financially viable. When completed, the Worcester Business Center solar carport array will be one of the largest private office park installations in Central Massachusetts. The project final design and financing are in place with GSPP securing the necessary City construction permits. Construction is scheduled to begin this month.
“We are pleased that we were able to find and work with a solar developer to design and develop a 100% carport solar array in an office park setting providing our tenants with covered parking and an alternative technology amenity,” said Chip Norton, Owner of the Worcester Business Center.
“We are thrilled to work with Chip Norton and his team at the Worcester Business Center on this solar project,” said Scott Kerner, CEO of Green Street Power Partners. “Not only will the solar carports provide energy to National Grid, but they will also benefit the Worcester Business Center by providing covered parking areas to the building tenants. The distinct advantage of solar carports is that they don’t require additional land, and as a result, the solar carports offer an efficient, mutually beneficial use of space.”
About Franklin Realty Advisors LLC
Franklin Realty Advisors LLC is a regional real estate development and advisory firm headquartered in Wellesley, Massachusetts with specific expertise in public/private partnerships, commercial development and commercial property management. Over the past few decades the managing directors and senior management of the firm and its affiliates have developed, acquired and/or managed over $750 million of real estate projects throughout the United States, including more than $200 million in office and mixed-use projects in Central Massachusetts. Some significant local projects include the $100 million Southbridge Innovation Center, $90 million Mercantile Center project in downtown Worcester, as well One and Two Chestnut Place in Worcester, The Worcester Business Center and 385 Grove Street in Worcester.
About Worcester Business Center
Originally designed for manufacturing, the Worcester Business Center building was home to the Thom McAn shoe corporation from 1965 to 1996 before its closure and redevelopment into the WBC. More recently, current ownership for the WBC has invested over $14.8 million in improvements over the past decade, including the transformation of more than 100,000 square-feet of existing warehouse space into office space. Occupying space at the Worcester Business Center are 3 of the largest office tenants in Worcester: UMass Memorial Health Care, an original tenant since the complex was redeveloped (85,203 SF leased through March 2028), along with Elder Services (32,907 SF leased through December 2022) and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue (23,103 SF leased through May 2024).
About Green Street Power Partners, LLC
Green Street Power Partners is a national developer, financier, owner and operator of solar energy systems benefiting businesses and communities across the country. GSPP specializes in structured finance for solar assets, securing sponsor and tax equity alongside project-level debt financing to realize the highest value for its clients. GSPP has become one of the fastest growing solar companies in the United States, experiencing a growth rate of over 1,000% from 2016 to 2020. GSPP’s proven dependability, experience within the industry, and established portfolio of over 130 MW, underpin its success as one of the leading solar developers and owners in the country. GSPP is headquartered in Stamford, CT, with an additional office for its legal team in Tallahassee, Florida.
