With officials hoping to breathe life into downtown Lowell, plans are under way to turn an underused 14.5-acre waterfront site into a new neighborhood filled with loft-style condominiums, shops and offices.
With officials hoping to breathe life into downtown Lowell, plans are under way to turn an underused 14.5-acre waterfront site into a new neighborhood filled with loft-style condominiums, shops and offices.
Next month, the City Council will select a developer to transform vacant buildings and land into a mixed-use development that will become the city’s gateway. Located along three canals near the Gallagher Terminal, Lowell’s commuter rail station, the $250 million private investment will include 2 million square feet of commercial, retail and office space and up to 1,000 apartments and condominiums.
“It’s rare when a city gets a chance like this and we’re absolutely thrilled at the opportunity,” said Adam Baacke, Lowell’s deputy director for economic and community development.
The area, dubbed the Hamilton Canal District, is an eyesore within walking distance of City Hall bounded by Jackson, Appleton and Middlesex streets. Last summer, the city issued a Request for Proposals and received submissions from seven developers. Earlier this month, three teams were selected as finalists including Struever Brothers Eccles & Rouse of Baltimore, Boston-based Trinity Financial Inc. and a partnership between New York-based Leyland Alliance and Cornish Assoc. in Providence, R.I.
The RFP asked developers to devise a plan that includes a mix of commercial space – including small and large retail, as well as office space – and waterfront residential units. It also calls for the creation of a pedestrian link from Gallagher Terminal to the downtown and active first-floor uses, in addition to sidewalks, trees and lighting.
Kevin Flanagan, a spokesman for the state Division of Asset Management, said the state is considering a $100 million judicial center for the Hamilton Canal site. The University of Massachusetts at Lowell may locate its proposed $80 million Interdisciplinary Research Center on the parcel. Proponents said both projects would greatly enhance the overall redevelopment and could serve as a cornerstone.
‘Urban Pioneers’
City officials refused to release complete copies of the proposals, saying that they are “under review” and therefore not public documents. They did provide Banker & Tradesman with a brief summary of each of the project applications without many specifics.
Trinity Financial has proposed a mixed-use development with a supermarket as an anchor, market-rate housing, the proposed judicial center, public open spaces and structured parking.
The Leyland/Cornish partnership also envisions a mixed use including retail space, offices, research-and development space, civic space, market-rate housing, structured parking and open space.
Struever Brothers Eccles & Rouse is described by the city’s planning office as “demonstrating the broadest experience with comparable projects in Baltimore and Providence where [its] successful developments have been the driving force of nationally recognized urban renaissances.” Its plan for Hamilton Canal would include the proposed UMass Interdisciplinary Research Center as the centerpiece of a new campus for the university; a mix of housing including rental units, condominiums and graduate student housing; a small retail component with structured parking; and some open space.
Baacke said the developer would be expected to hold public hearings and devise a vision for the district in cooperation with the community. In exchange, the developer would benefit from expedited permitting for the entire, he said. Construction could begin as early as 2008.
Lowell’s story is one of textile mills that were built around the Merrimac River. But the mills began to shutter in the 1920s and the last ones closed in the 1950s. Over the past 30 years, Lowell’s downtown has undergone dramatic changes from boarded-up vacant buildings to a tourist Mecca. In the mid-1970s, the late Sen. Paul Tsongas, a Lowell native, convinced local banks to provide low-interest loans to finance preservation of historic buildings. Those efforts spurred a revitalization and historic preservation of its 19th century brick mills played a major role.
Freudenberg Nonwovens, a German company that was located in the Hamilton Canal District, was one of the few remaining manufacturers. But by 2003 Freudenberg moved its operations to North Carolina and to China, leaving just a handful of other companies on the site including a used-auto lot and a small engine-repair business.
In 2004, the city purchased the five Freudenberg properties – about 40 percent of the site – for $3.6 million. The state later declared the remaining parcels an urban-renewal area, allowing for the remaining ones to be taken by eminent domain.
Revival efforts since the 1980s have helped lure people back to the downtown, helping to transform it from a center of industry to an urban village. Major initiatives, such as the Lowell National Historic Park, the Tsongas Arena and the redevelopment of mill buildings into loft-style condominiums, have helped boost the modest retail district.
Still, problems persist. While many abandoned downtown buildings have been rehabilitated and converted into office and residential spaces, others have deteriorated, according to the city’s downtown master plan. The report said owners have put exorbitant price tags on the sale of those buildings, deterring their sale to developers who would be able to tackle such a large amount of work.
While a renaissance is under way in many of the Bay State’s oldest cities – including Chelsea, Brockton, Lawrence and Worcester – housing experts say that to succeed, cities must meet at least three criteria.
First, they say a signature project that will attract visitors is essential. Lowell’s National Historical Park preserves and interprets the history of the American Industrial Revolution with cotton textile mills, 5.6 miles of canals, operating gatehouses and turn-of-the-century trolleys. It attracts 750,000 visitors annually.
In addition, middle-class and business people must feel safe. Thirdly, for new families to settle in, cities will require good schools. Lowell’s violent-crime rate in 2005 for rape and aggravated assaults exceeded Cambridge, a comparably sized city, according to the Massachusetts State Police. In Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam scores, Lowell High School’s 10th graders ranked 248th out of 280 districts English and 245th for math – about half of the students scored in the “needs improvement” or “failed” category in both subjects.
Urban centers have a hard time meeting all three requirements, but at least one housing expert argues that Boston succeeds despite the same problems.
Barry Bluestone, director of the Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University, said while Boston’s South End was unsafe in the 1970s, today few can afford the neighborhood’s pricey condominiums. Less than two dozen of the 192 units listed for sale on MLS Property Information Network are priced at $400,000 or less. The remaining units range from $405,000 to $5 million.
“It took the courage of a handful of urban pioneers willing to take a chance,” he said. “But look at the South End now – it’s very expensive. If the economy begins to grow again, cities close to Boston have a good chance of picking up speed as an alternative to the Boston area’s high housing prices.”
From 2004 through 2006, more than 6,100 single-family and condominiums were sold in Lowell compared to 4,812 from 2001 though 2003, according to statistics from The Warren Group, parent company of Banker & Tradesman. The increase in sales is driven by people who are priced out of Boston and Cambridge, said Realtors.
James Keefe, principal of Trinity Financial, one of the three bidders for the project, said while Lowell has a way to go before its renaissance is complete, the Hamilton Canal project offers a chance to create a waterfront urban village within steps of the commuter rail that would appeal to young professionals.
“This is Exhibit A in terms of smart growth, transit-oriented development and community planning,” he said. “This project could brand the new Lowell and attract lots of bright, highly educated 20-somethings with lots of disposable income. I’m as enthused about this as anything we’ve done. With some perseverance, creativity and support from local officials and advocates, something really good could come out of this.”
