A 74-unit apartment building won the planning board’s approval, a new vegan restaurant moved closer to opening and two new bars are adding to the city’s nightlife options. The Worcester business community is also mourning Robert “Bob” Kennedy, the longtime civic leader who spent the final chapter of his career at Mechanics Hall.
74 housing units planned for corner of Chandler, Irving
A definitive site plan for a residential development at 27 Chandler St. was unanimously approved Aug. 5 by the Worcester Planning Board.
A project of Worcester-based GoVenture Capital Group LLC, the plans call for a five-story multifamily residential building with 74 housing units — 56 one-bedroom, 10 two-bedroom and eight studio apartments — at the intersection of Chandler and Irving streets.
The site is currently a vacant lot that once served as the home of Hovey Laundry. A key feature of the development will is a 2,000-square-foot outdoor courtyard.
The Vegan Path moves closer to opening at former Queen’s Cup location
The Worcester License Commission unanimously approved a common victualler license for The Vegan Path, 56 Water St., at its Aug. 6 meeting.
Owned by Tao Zhou, the new restaurant serves a variety of healthy, plant-based foods. The Vegan Path is slated to open within the next few months at the former home of The Queen’s Cups, a popular establishment owned by Renee Diaz that closed in June 2025.
Not your father’s dive bar
The Corner Dive, a new bar at 34 Green St., will hold its grand opening Friday, Aug. 7, from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Longtime Canal District revelers are already familiar with the site at the corner of Green and Temple streets, which housed the original Dive Bar until 2019. Located just a stone’s throw from Polar Park, The Corner Dive is owned by Kyle Pursell of Framingham.
The establishment’s Instagram page describes the concept this way: “The Corner Dive positions itself as the antidote to generic nightlife – not a sports bar, not a pretentious cocktail lounge, but a welcoming place.”
Vice Worcester joins the gay bar scene this fall
Andrew Lapin and Mike Steward plan to open Vice Worcester, a new gay bar on Pleasant Street near downtown, sometime this fall. Patrick Joslyn will serve as the venue’s director of entertainment.
Vice Worcester becomes the city’s third gay bar, joining Femme Bar on Green Street and MB Lounge on Grafton Street. An Instagram account and website for the new venture were launched in early July.
Business community mourns Robert Kennedy
Robert “Bob” Kennedy, former executive director of Mechanics Hall, died July 25 at age 78 after battling Parkinson’s disease.
A graduate of Leicester High School and the College of the Holy Cross, Kennedy led Mechanics Hall for 12 years at the end of his career. He previously served as vice president and treasurer of the family-owned Kennedy Die Castings Inc.
Kennedy received Mechanics Hall’s Master Mechanics Award as well as the Robert Kennedy Community Service Award, which was named in his honor by the Worcester Youth Orchestras.
Building Worcester is The Worcester Guardian’s weekly roundup of business, development and economic news from across the city, tracking major projects, new businesses, public meetings, commercial real estate and the decisions shaping Worcester’s future.
Have a tip about a new business, development project or commercial property? Email Editor Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org or reporter Mike Vigneux at MikeVigs@gmail.com
