Downtown Fitchburg poised for upswing

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Downtown Fitchburg 'poised for an upswing'
2000 initiative to revitalize mill city gains momentum
By Christine McConville, Globe Staff | September 2, 2006

Like many 29-year-olds, Thea Houghton had big dreams but a small budget. She wanted a home that was sophisticated and urbane, with some sense of history.

Built by the widow of a local industrialist, the newly renovated Johnsonia is the latest example of the renewal underway in this old mill city in Central Massachusetts.

With a new riverfront park and parking garage to go along with its transit center, Fitchburg has been trying to revitalize its downtown -- to make it a more lively place in which to live, work, and be entertained.

``That whole area is poised for an upswing," said Lowell Peabody, a commercial real estate broker helping to woo industry to Devens, the former military base nearby . ``You can see the vacancy rates starting to decline."

That decline has been notable in the city's old mills, where empty space has dropped to 20 percent, from 30 percent, in the past three years, according to the city assessor . The vacancy rate for more modern industrial space is at about 8 percent, according to city reports.

Indeed, a General Electric Co. turbine factory that closed in the 1990s now houses 11 businesses, 10 of which are start-ups.

Peabody said area plastics companies have benefited from being ``big suppliers to the biotech and medical device companies." Moreover, Fitchburg has a good road system, lots of skilled labor, and its housing prices are significantly lower than closer to Boston.

Glenn Eaton, director of planning and development for the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, whose members include Fitchburg, said cities that have successfully revitalized ``treat the downtown kind of like a mall. They need to be managed, and the property needs to be maintained, and they need to lease out space," he said. ``Fitchburg gets that."

Fitchburg was established in the late 1700s. The paper mills that lined the banks of the Nashua River attracted generations of immigrant workers. Local industrialists created museums and parks, and merchants set up shops on the city's mile long Main Street.

The late 1900s were tough on Fitchburg. The paper mills had already closed , and other employers -- including GE and Fort Devens -- shuttered operations. But in 2000, Fitchburg launched a downtown urban renewal plan that, using an estimated $22 million in state and federal funds, focused on the 224-acre downtown. The goal was to create 800 new jobs by attracting new types of industry, develop housing downtown, and celebrate the Nashua River.

Thus the $1.5 million Riverfront Park, which hosts outdoor concerts. Fitchburg State College has completed an $11.2 million recreation center. The city has spent $2.2 million to spruce up North Street, which links Main Street to the campus.

There are other efforts to encourage cultural activities, such as programs at the art museum. And nearby Devens is slowly adding new tenants, including pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb, which plans to build a major facility there.

Now, said Fitchburg Mayor Dan H. Mylott, there's a push to attract small businesses and artists. ``We want the middle class back," he said as he walked along Main Street a few weeks ago. Already, a coffee bar and other places to socialize and relax have opened.

To get people to live downtown, the city amended its zoning laws, allowing residences on certain parts of Main Street. At least 127 condos -- including the Johnsonia's 46 -- are expected to be completed in the next year.

The Johnsonia was redeveloped by 520 Main Street Acquisitions Limited earlier this year. Buyers are drawn by its proximity to the commuter rail station and to the building's history and age.

``I fell in love with the details," said Houghton, a media relations executive. Her condo has original oak doors and leaded glass windows. ``And I got it at a fraction of what it would have cost in Boston," she added.

The Johnsonia's one- and two-bedroom units start at $154,900 and $189,900 respectively.

Sales have been steady, said Clark Straight, the building's manager and owner of a top-floor unit. ``People have been amazed, at the prices, the quality, and how quickly they can get into Boston by the commuter rail," he said.
 

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