Lowell Infill and Small Developments

Acre Crossing

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https://www.lowellma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/18770?fileID=40906


Progress pics
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https://www.jdcu.org/acrecrossing/

“This new development at 650 Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA will consist of 32 new construction condominium homes made up of twenty-four two bedroom and eight three bedroom units. The 32 homes will be available for sale to first-time home buyers earning at/ or below 100% Area Median Income (AMI). The residences at Acre Crossing are part of a larger multi-use development.

When will they be available?​

The construction of the affordable housing development is on track to finish by mid-2024.”

https://www.mvhp.org/acre-crossing-residences/
 
Some updates on a few Lowell projects —

A small but well executed revitalization of a block of historic buildings along the Upper Pawtucket Canal

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The Lowell High School project ( after considerable debate, Lowell decided to renovate the high school in the downtown area)

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Acre Crossing

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555 Merrimack Street
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Riverwalk/Mass Mills IV

The section of Massachusetts Mills at the confluence of the Merrimack/Concord Rivers is really the last mill space of any substantial size that has yet to be renovated and reutilized. Apparently its renovation is slated to start soon into residential units. But it can’t come soon enough. The city’s riverwalk was recently extended past the mills (it opened a few weeks back) and a big chunk of the facade tumbled down into the river and riverwalk. Fortunately no one was injured but the walkway has understandably been closed —

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Governor Healey Announces Transformative Economic Development Project in Lowell
Draper to anchor the development, bringing hundreds of jobs to Lowell region
The project is expected to generate over $3.7 billion in economic activity and create 2,000 permanent jobs over the next decade. It will also create 1,300 construction jobs and result in nearly 500 units of new housing in Lowell, along with several million dollars in new annual property tax revenues to the City.
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Draper is looking to build a microelectronics research center to begin the development. Other partners are discussing space in an existing renovated mill building.

This is an interesting direction to take. UMass Lowell's East Campus is a pretty traditional residential-only campus. It seems the goal is to build a new mixed-use district that fades into the existing college dorm complexes.

https://www.mass.gov/news/governor-...mative-economic-development-project-in-lowell
 
stefal said:
Governor Healey Announces Transformative Economic Development Project in Lowell
Draper to anchor the development, bringing hundreds of jobs to Lowell region


Draper is looking to build a microelectronics research center to begin the development. Other partners are discussing space in an existing renovated mill building.

This is an interesting direction to take. UMass Lowell's East Campus is a pretty traditional residential-only campus. It seems the goal is to build a new mixed-use district that fades into the existing college dorm complexes.

https://www.mass.gov/news/governor-...mative-economic-development-project-in-lowell
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An exciting project for Lowell. Looking forward to the renderings.
 
stick n move said:
This all looks great, lowell really is coming along.
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I've been hearing that for years, but I'm not sure if I see it. Sure, crime is way down and the city is much more livable than it was in the 90s, but when I was last there in 2022, the city was kind of run down. To me it seemed like they had made their progress throughout the late 90s and the aughts, but then rested on their laurels for the last few years.

I do like to see the new construction and I hope to see continued improvement, but the city also needs to clean itself up as well.

I do hope this new mill project comes to fruition. I think it'll be great for the city, and maybe they'll finally build that Lowell Trolley Line they were talking about a few years ago.
 
MrDee12345 said:
I've been hearing that for years, but I'm not sure if I see it. Sure, crime is way down and the city is much more livable than it was in the 90s, but when I was last there in 2022, the city was kind of run down. To me it seemed like they had made their progress throughout the late 90s and the aughts, but then rested on their laurels for the last few years.

I do like to see the new construction and I hope to see continued improvement, but the city also needs to clean itself up as well.

I do hope this new mill project comes to fruition. I think it'll be great for the city, and maybe they'll finally build that Lowell Trolley Line they were talking about a few years ago.
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When were you there if I may ask? Lowell definitely has a much different ‘vibe’ when Umass is in session, especially downtown.
 
Highwayguy said:
When were you there if I may ask? Lowell definitely has a much different ‘vibe’ when Umass is in session, especially downtown.
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I was last there in July/August 2022. I get that it was just after the region started opening up after covid and the university was not in session. But from driving around, the neighborhoods and downtown just looked run down.

I'll be there again this summer and hopefully there will be some improvements.
 
MrDee12345 said:
I've been hearing that for years, but I'm not sure if I see it. Sure, crime is way down and the city is much more livable than it was in the 90s, but when I was last there in 2022, the city was kind of run down. To me it seemed like they had made their progress throughout the late 90s and the aughts, but then rested on their laurels for the last few years.

I do like to see the new construction and I hope to see continued improvement, but the city also needs to clean itself up as well.

I do hope this new mill project comes to fruition. I think it'll be great for the city, and maybe they'll finally build that Lowell Trolley Line they were talking about a few years ago.
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I think you have to look at Lowell firmly through the lens of a Gateway City. It has a significant low income and socially vulnerable population and always will. It is outside the inner Boston metro area. It will never be Cambridge or Portland, ME, for example. But in the context of Gateway Cities, I think it is doing quite well and absolutely is a model for historic preservation and adaptive reuse and incorporating these efforts into its economic development model.
 
Smuttynose said:
I think you have to look at Lowell firmly through the lens of a Gateway City. It has a significant low income and socially vulnerable population and always will. It is outside the inner Boston metro area. It will never be Cambridge or Portland, ME, for example. But in the context of Gateway Cities, I think it is doing quite well and absolutely is a model for historic preservation and adaptive reuse and incorporating these efforts into its economic development model.
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I get what you're saying. I would never expect Lowell to look like Lexington, and that's fine.

But poor immigrants should be able to live in a city they can afford, but also one that has roads that look like they've been maintained and sidewalks that don't have grass growing through the cracks. Things like that would go a long way to make the city look a bit nicer.

I like some of the projects you guys have posted above and I hope they continue to add more to the city. I grew up nearby and I've always hoped that one day Lowell would surpass Worcester in prominence in the state. I also hope they can make the city look nice during this growing process.
 
MrDee12345 said:
I get what you're saying. I would never expect Lowell to look like Lexington, and that's fine.

But poor immigrants should be able to live in a city they can afford, but also one that has roads that look like they've been maintained and sidewalks that don't have grass growing through the cracks. Things like that would go a long way to make the city look a bit nicer.

I like some of the projects you guys have posted above and I hope they continue to add more to the city. I grew up nearby and I've always hoped that one day Lowell would surpass Worcester in prominence in the state. I also hope they can make the city look nice during this growing process.
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I'm bullish on Lowell, but in terms of prominence, I'm not sure it'll pass Worcester in my lifetime, simply b/c I don't think Lowell has (or will have) anywhere near the economic base that Worcester has.
 
#bancars said:
I'm bullish on Lowell, but in terms of prominence, I'm not sure it'll pass Worcester in my lifetime, simply b/c I don't think Lowell has (or will have) anywhere near the economic base that Worcester has.
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I'm rooting for Lowell as well and think it has a lot of promise. Pragmatically I agree with your assessment vs. Worcester, yet I don't really think such a head-to-head comparison is particularly meaningful. However, Lowell is an interesting petri dish for the possibility of smart growth with returns shared across the socioeconomic spectrum if things are managed wisely. UMass Lowell has the potentially to become more of a hub of a research / tech / start-up ecosystem. It's made a lot of progress in the last few years, after going through some stagnant years in the 20th c. The U.S. craves much more affordable and accessible higher ed, and UML has a solid foundation of an engineering school / comp sci depts. It is also a legit research university, however comparably smaller its research base is compared to the Boston-area schools. The city surrounding it has the bones to support companies with connections to the university. This type of configuration can/should yield a jobs base and local economy spanning the economic ladder. Futher, if the Lowell CR line can be fortified and be part of the state's adoption of Regional Rail, it can be a really close connection to Boston. Will all of this happen? Not sure, but given how unaffordable Boston has become and how unaffordable higher ed has become, if the Commonwealth cares at all, the tools are all here for it.
 
cubalibre said:
An exciting project for Lowell. Looking forward to the renderings.
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Heres the only one Ive seen so far.

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https://www.lowell-inc.com/


In other news.

More housing for Lowell​

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“The proposed Suffolk Place at Market and Suffolk streets in the Acre neighborhood, which will bring 33 newly constructed condominiums to first-time homebuyers earning at or below 100% area median income. The CPC recommended approval of $200,000 for the project…”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.lowellsun.com/2024/03/05/more-housing-for-lowell/amp/
 
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^Lowell's quite grey in the off-months, and those buildings rendered are a lot of grey. Hopefully they get a splash of color in the next year.
 
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