Image courtesy of Frank J. Quatela Architect

A Long Island developer received approval for a slender 19-story apartment tower that would rise on a former parking garage property in downtown Worcester.

The Worcester Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance for the 225-unit development at 56 Pleasant St., a 0.38-acre parcel just a block from Worcester City Hall.

The current owners, 56 Pleasant Street LLC, acquired the property in October 2024 for $750,000, according to data compiled by The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. The entity is an affiliate of Radson Development, which has built affordable and luxury housing, a hotel and charter school in Manhattan.

The project required a front yard setback variance because the building would be built less than 2 feet from the front property line, according to application materials submitted by attorney Donald O’Neil of Worcester. Applicants sought the variance citing a hardship that would have required them to “drastically reduce” the number of apartments if the project included a 5-foot setback from the property line, and hamper the ability to comply with the city’s design review guidelines.

The project is contingent upon obtaining MassHousing financing, O’Neil said.

“The building height could be less than this. The number of units could be less than [225],” he said. “But it won’t be more than this. This would be the ideal size my clients hope to build.”

Worcester’s downtown zoning does not require on-site parking for such projects, O’Neil told the ZBA during a hearing this week. Two commercial spaces totaling 2,900 square feet are planned on the ground floor.

The project also requires Planning Board approval. The building would become the fourth-tallest in the city.