New Bedford’s Next Offshore Wind Play: More Office Space

The city is already a hub for marshaling offshore construction, but officials seek to create more space for the industry’s white-collar workers

The city-owned Quest Center for Innovation was built in 1899 as a technical college for the textile industry and now serves as office spaces for government agencies, nonprofits and a coworking center.
The city-owned Quest Center for Innovation was built in 1899 as a technical college for the textile industry and now serves as office spaces for government agencies, nonprofits and a coworking center.
Ben Berke/The Public’s Radio
Share
The city-owned Quest Center for Innovation was built in 1899 as a technical college for the textile industry and now serves as office spaces for government agencies, nonprofits and a coworking center.
The city-owned Quest Center for Innovation was built in 1899 as a technical college for the textile industry and now serves as office spaces for government agencies, nonprofits and a coworking center.
Ben Berke/The Public’s Radio
New Bedford’s Next Offshore Wind Play: More Office Space
Copy

New Bedford’s waterfront is already bustling with the colossal maneuvers of offshore wind construction – there are cranes assembling turbines taller than the city’s biggest buildings, and ships arriving with blades as long as football fields.

But on Monday, Mayor Jon Mitchell announced the city’s latest play in the industry: creating more office space for the industry’s white-collar workers, many of whom are clustered in larger cities and state capitals like Boston, New York and Providence.

The city will lead a $3 million renovation of a building it already owns at 1213 Purchase Street, aiming to reopen the third floor as a flexible office space where international maritime and offshore companies could rent space on a short-term basis during a wind farm’s development.

This story was reported by The Public’s Radio. You can read the entire story here.

Rhode Island AG’s cold case unit finally delivers results, clearing its first two homicides
Plus: Your last chance to catch this year’s Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular at the Roger Williams Park Zoo
At Alfred Lima Elementary School, a student-run news crew is flipping the narrative on Providence’s public schools — interviewing state leaders, reporting in two languages, and sharing their stories with the world
Mayor Brett Smiley discusses how his administration is tackling the city’s biggest issues — from the housing shortage and SNAP crisis to community trust in police — as he looks ahead to a 2026 re-election bid
USDA says it will not send out food stamp money in November due to the federal shutdown. Now, Rhode Islanders are grappling with how to make ends meet