Apartment Development Eyed for Downtown

With the expected influx of young professionals to Marlborough and their desire to live somewhere close to amenities, George Voyiatzis wants downtown Marlborough to be a part of the growth.

“There is a push to having people live downtown again," said Voyiatzis who owns Fish Restaurant and the building it is housed in. “Things are changing. people want to walk more and bicycle and we want to be part of it.”

Under Voyiatzis' plan, the building that houses Fish and a number of ther businesses would have a three story, atrium-style addition put on top. This would be enough to house 27 one and two bedroom apartment units.

The plan relies on an overlay district that would allow for these kinds of mixed use developments downtown, said Voyiatzis. While he could go through the special permitting process, the overlay will encourage other mixed use developments downtown with every development helping each other, he said.

These apartments will serve a need and desire by people who do not necessarily want to buy a house in the city, but want to be close to downtown, he said. It is also a key piece in helping companies attract employees to the area.

“While they are here they are professionals and they have money to spend and bring a vibrancy to the downtown. It is a need we can serve," said Voyiatzis.

The overlay has not been voted on by the city council, but under a best-case scenario the addition on top of the building would allow for occupancy in 2014, said Voyiatzis.

When asked where the residents would park, he said that they would most likely make use of the upper level of the nearby parking garage that is not currently used. There would be mitigation funds paid to the city for this use that would then be able to be used to further improve the area, he said.

“We have to pick if we want to have a parking problem downtown or if we want to have a non-vibrant downtown," said Voyiatzis.