LOWELL CENTER CITY COMMITTEE, INC.

A not-for-profit, public-private partnership focusing on retail and commercial development, vehicle and pedestrian accessability, and quality of life issues for the business owners, residents, tourists, and property owners in Lowell, Massachusetts.

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The Next Informal Meeting of the
Center City Committee will be
Tuesday March 23, 2010
8:30 AM at
The Coffee MIll
23 Palmer Street


Visit Come to Lowell.com
to learn more about the City and events.

The Next Regular Meeting of the Stakeholder Representatives
will be the
Annual Meeting
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
8:30 AM
UML Inn and Conference Center
50 Warren Street


Visit the Downtown Lowell Blog featuring stories and opinions about downtown Lowell issues. We welcome your participation and feedback.

Links Initiatives News

Postcards from Lowell
Postcards from Lowell
Lowell City Manager's Blog Lowell Downtown Neighborhood Association Blog

CCC Member Organizations
Arts League of Lowell
Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce
Enterprise Bank / Lowell Five
JAMBRA
Lowell Plan
Lowell Small Business Assistance Center
Downtown Lowell Business Association
City of Lowell DPD/Economic Development
Lowell Police Department
Cultural Organization of Lowell
Middlesex Community College
Lowell High School
University of Massachusetts/Lowell
Community Teamwork, Inc.
Lowell Regional Transportation Authority
Northern Middlesex Council of Governments
Lowell Downtown Neighborhood Association
Greater Merrimack Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau
Lowell Festival Foundation
Lowell National Historical Park
United Teen Equality Center

Links to Other Organizations

Hamilton Canal District News 

Hamilton Canal District Website

Economy forces state to delay Lowell judicial center until 2013.
For new business owners, judicial center delay just bump in the road

Trinity Financial, the master developer of the $800 million Hamilton Canal revitalization project, is moving ahead with developing the Freudenberg building on its own after talks with Lowell-based Watermark Environmental failed.

Work done to repair wasteway for canals

Governor Patrick helps launch Lowell mill-district renewalwith $13M check

The first phase of the $800 million Hamilton Canal District revitalization project will break ground Thursday, November 12, 2009

November HCD Update from James Errickson

October Update from DCAM regarding the demolition and site preparation of the Courthouse site.

Charter School Trustees OK plan to buy Lowell building, move from Jackson Street

Hamilton Canal project breaks ground in Oct.

James Errickson, Urban Renewal Project Manager for The City of Lowell gives an update on the progress in the Hamilton Canal District as of September 2009.

City gears up for Hamilton Canal District’s launch

Transfers made for Hamilton project

Progress in the Hamilton Canal District

Historic Board OKs JAM plan permits

Construction on the $40 million first phase of the ambitious, 10-year, $800 million Hamilton Canal project is slated to begin in the next two months.

Downtown Neighborhood Vision Session 1 Lowell High School
April 23, 2009, 6:30PM – 8:30PM Refreshments provided by Brew’d Awakening

• LEARN about the new housing, new retail, new commercial space, new parks, and new jobs coming to the Hamilton Canal District
• SHARE your thoughts on how this new development might benefit your neighborhood and the city as a whole
• VOICE your ideas about Downtown’s opportunities and challenges
• JOIN your neighbors in participating in your city’s future…and your neighborhood’s future regarding:
> Economic development
> Housing
> Arts and culture
> Access
> Linkages to other neighborhoods and communities

City eyes garage for police training

Appleton Mills owner loses round

The rehabilitation of the Appleton Mills into 135 artist live/work spaces will break ground in May, kicking off the first phase of the 10-year, $800 million rebirth of the blighted Hamilton Canal District.

Lowell renewal receives $3M lift

Tenants sign on to new Lowell garage

Those mill walls, remnants of Lowell's proud past, await new life

Trinity Financial is concerned that problems with financing may stall canal plan.

Lowell renewal project gets green light .

Teamwork touted on Hamilton Canal project .

Mill hydro license pulled .

Hamilton Canal gets state's blessing .

Public Hearing for Proposed JAM Urban Renewal Plan Changes Monday, August 25, 2008 to discuss the proposed Jackson/Appleton/Middlesex Urban Revitalization and Development Plan (JAM Plan) amendments needed to facilitate and support the development of the Hamilton Canal District.

Eminent-domain ruling appealed
Building owner's move could hold up Hamilton Canal plan .

Garcia Brogan's, a new eatery slated for Lowell garage has agreed to a long-term lease with the city, making it the first tenant at the Edward J. Early Parking Garage on Middlesex Street.

Hamilton plan could break ground in spring

Hamilton Canal traffic plan has happy ending in Lowell

US Senator John Kerry pays a visit to the Hamilton Canal District

Could the trolley make a comeback? System overhaul eyed as part of JAM plan

Side of new Lowell garage to go green.

Lowell projects millions more in revenue from canal-district renewal.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The City of Lowell and Trinity Financial, the master developer, invite you to the next round of Vision Sessions for the Hamilton Canal District.
More information on the meetings.

The new Edward Early Parking Garage officially opened in April. Users rave about the new facility on Middlesex Street.

Boost for city district 'likely' Governor's plan would benefit renewal in the Hamilton Canal District

Firm to pay Lowell $7M for right to develop Hamilton District land

HAMILTON CANAL: LOWELL'S NEW GATEWAY
By 2021, plan calls for retail, housing; theater possible

New garage could open next week

City, State close to agreement on Courthouse Site

Restaurants vie for retail space in new city garage

City officials and executives with Trinity Financial, the Boston-based development firm that will carry out the city's ambitious plans for the Hamilton Canal District, reportedly are near to a deal. Groups iron out details for JAM plan

The new city garage on Middlesex Street is scheduled to open by the end of January.

The most recent session of the Hamilton Canal District planning process conducted by the Boston-based development firm Trinity Financial was held on January 5, 2008.

Information about and from previous sessions can also be found here: The first session was held on December 5th with working groups scheduled for the coming weeks and another charette in January. Previous articles described the process for public input for the various meetings: Dec. 5 "listening session" at Lowell Memorial Auditorium. . The flyer for the event.

Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School buys The Pollard Exchange Building at 55-67 Middle Street.

Lowell hopes to put ‘Little Cambodia’ on the map with a campaign that would promote the ethnic quarter in the Lower Highlands as a tourist destination

UMass Lowell takes over Tsongas Arena. Chancellor Meehan says it is a plus for the University. The Arena also has a new name, the Tsongas Center

Middlesex Community College takes another step to fulfill its vision of an Arts Center at the site of the former Rialto Theater

Brown University historian Patrick M. Malone, who wrote a book about Lowell's 19th-century boom in hydropower was the keynote speaker at a recent Moses Greeley Parker Lecture about the history of Waterpower in Lowell

Small businesses look toward improved 2010

MIT students offer bold ideas to upgrade diverse Lower Highlands neighborhood

In downtown Lowell, where the annual City of Lights Parade and Holiday Art Stroll took place last Saturday, some residents and business owners are asking, "Where are the lights?"

In the 1950s, a historic bell sat upside-down in a Lowell yard sprouting flowers, and no one could remember why it was there or where it came from. But when the land was put up for sale in 2004, the bell was rescued and, with help from the Lowell Heritage Partnership, has become part of a Lowell city memorial.
The restored bell went from being upside down in a Centralville yard to prominent spot downtown.

In a city long known for its support of the arts, things seem to be kicking up a notch in Lowell’s cultural scene.

Saints Medical Center office latest in series of new Lowell police substations

Council approves terms of Tsongas Arena transfer

file under "you can't keep everybody happy": the long awaited repairs of the cobblestone streets still finds someone who complains that Lowell cobblestone work a bumpy ride for some

the second annual "Made in Lowell" event shows that the 'Creative economy' is alive and well in Lowell

Lowell gets its own taste of Edible Arrangements as a new business opens up in the downtown.

Restored bell will find new home in downtown Lowell

Urban planner Jeff Speck shares brainstorm for a vibrant downtown at recent Lowell Plan breakfast celebrating 30 years.

Concord River Greenway receives a $250G boost from the state's "Gateway City Parks" program

Lowell National park shares top billing in new report from the National Parks and Second Century Commission

Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union opens its new Lowell Headquarters on the site of the former Tremont Mills Power House on Fr. Morrisette Blvd.

The purchase of the former Doubletree Hotel by UMass Lowell has created new rooms at the Inn for returning students.

Nearly 100 developers, brokers, architects, planners and business representatives visited Lowell where the development opportunities were seen as 'enormous'

The Young Professionals of Greater Lowell hosted a talk by Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster.com. on Thusday, September 16th at the Auditorium.

Tyngsboro man and son-in-law open high-end recording studio at Western Ave.

Lowell park superintendent Michael Creasey has been named a Loeb Fellow in Harvard's graduate School of Design.

Big Belly, a 35-gallon, solar-powered trash compactor that can hold up to 200 gallons of trash has been installed on Market Street

Children's series at Boarding House Park is no-cost entertainment

CTI's YouthBuild Program helps students study for their GED while building skills in the construction industry

Downtown Business owner Franky Descoteaux has announced her candidacy for the Lowell City Council

Former Lowell City Manager Jim Sullivan has proposed a way to reduce the reliance on Property Taxes for Cities and towns through the imposition of a 1% payroll tax that could raise $1.4B His plan would not increase revenues, only shift them from the property tax, thus giving relief to homeowners and businesses.

City goes live with new marketing campaign

New Lowell parking machines cause a few speed bumps

UMass hotel plan wins over some businesses

Explore hidden homes and the latest in green design at Doors Open Lowell '09

The Lowell Small Business Assistance Center celebrated it tenth anniversary.

Lowell's UTEC planning a $6.3M stimulus project for facility

Image Theatre finds a welcome in Lowell

As Mother's Day approaches, local merchants hope the giveaways, coupled with extended operating hours during the first two Fridays in May, will help spur sales and persuade consumers to loosen their purse strings amid the economic slowdown.

COOL event highlights the organization's accomplishments

UMass Lowell senior opens baby clothing store at 122 merrimack Street

University students tackle city issues

UMass Lowell's plan to buy the Doubletree Hotel has some city officials concerned
UMass Lowell dorm-hotel seen as boost to downtown

The Brown Bag Cafe serves Paninis on the cheap

Chamber of Commerce President Jeanne Osborn wins SBA women's award

Penalties for parking illegally differ from town to town

Whitsett Guitar Works in downtown Lowell, has been named one of Fender's 32 Custom Care Service Centers

Globe Northwest Dining Out reviews the Old Court in Lowell and says it provides an Authentic taste of Ireland

The second annual Lowell Film Festival will be held on April 3-5, 2009 with a theme of Food, Fair Trade & the Global Economy

Kathleen Marcin, newly re-elected President of the Lowell Downtown Neighborhood Association (LDNA), talked to the Lowell Sun about working toward a peaceful co-existence between the neighborhood and bars

The vision: a much larger, year-round Lowell trolley system

Bob Forrant's latest take on the economic situation in Greater Lowell: Seeing tomorrow   By looking to the past, we can create a better future

Breakthrough on 'broken windows' In Lowell experiment, crime linked to conditions

In Lowell, it's never too cold for Winterfest

New Lowell market has a name picked: The Market Street Market. Janette and Robert Nason are planning a March opening of their downtown grocery store at 95 Market St., Lowell. The couple plan to specialize in fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as Armenian culinary selections.

The Athenian Corner Restaurant looks on lighter side of Greek cuisine while the Bombay Mahal shuts its doors

On Main Street, Massachusetts, small business owners, and small business experts, say they have managed -- so far -- to sidestep the ravages of recession.

Jonah Lehrer, author of the books "How We Decide" and "Proust Was a Neuroscientist" is a regular contributor to the Ideas Section of the Boston Globe. His recent article How the city hurts your brain...And what you can do about it, talks about the pros and cons of city living and good urban design.

Downtown retailers experienced an increase in sales of between 25 percent and 45 percent over the same weekend last year courtesy of the city's Nov. 29 City of Lights festivities, with foot traffic increasing by 30 percent to 35 percent.

In tune with recent articles by Bob Forrant and John Wooding related to bringing UMass Lowell into the downtown, Linda Silka, a professor in the UML Department of Regional Economic and Social Development weighs in on the discussion by saying Universities around the world are making a difference in their communities and asking: Can this happen in Lowell?

Thousands cheer as Lowell plugs in for the holidays while Lowell restaurants pour it on for hot-chocolate glory

Wopo Holup's river-inspired art designed for the Concord River Greenway project is on display in the Boott Gallery of the Boott Cotton Mills on Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Lowell downtown coordinator Chris Samaras takes on new tasks.

The New York Times recently published a story about Lowell entitled City on the Mend, With Kerouac’s Help

The rehab of the Tremont Yards Building represents 'a symbol of Lowell for the 21st century'.

City welcomes the Village Smokehouse, a Texas-style eatery.

Downtown deli Quick Pickins has been sold. It will be renamed Groovy Grub in January.

Tied to the question of who will own the Tsongas Arena in the future is the three-acre parcel of land that sits adjacent to it and the Ayotte Parking Garage. After the city moved to build on the land adjacent to the arena, Chancellor Marty Meehan suspended talks with the City about UML taking over the Arena. UMass Lowell does not want to take over control of the Tsongas Arena, nor the abutting property, Chancellor Marty Meehan told a joint meeting of the City Council's economic development and arena subcommittees last night. A joint meeting of the City Council Economic Development and Arena subcommittees will focus on the site called key to Tsongas Arena's future.
A national development company and UMass Lowell both are interested in the river-front, city-owned real estate in the heart of the downtown.

The Lowell Festival Foundation will launch an appeal to the public this fall for funds to help support the Lowell Folk Festival.

Former CCC President Mehmed Ali is working to create a cultural institution in Iraq.

Renewed interest in trolleys could lead to growth of Lowell rail .

Community Teamwork, Inc. cites local heroes in the community.

UML Professors Bob Forrant and John Wooding discuss ways to Bring a younger crowd to downtown in a recent article in the Lowell Sun.

See, smell, touch, smile: Accessible Garden in Lowell offers sensory experience for disabled

Downtown's new push: Shop locally

River Day celebrates history, potential of Greater Lowell's waterways

Lowell developers, real estate pros cautiously optimistic about condo market

A vibrant downtown filled with students and professors, bustling restaurants and shops, connecting UMass Lowell's existing North and South campuses to the rest of the city. Such is the vision shared by UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan and City Manager Bernie Lynch.

The recent Made in Lowell event put on by DPD showcased products manufactured in Lowell and sold around the world.

The city's police department has made history, appointing Deborah Friedl as a deputy chief.
Capt. Arthur Ryan Jr. also appointed an acting deputy.

CHIEF JUSTICE: Lowell Police Chief Ken Lavallee first on scene of Lowell burglary, gives chase.

The Northern Middlesex Council of Governments held their annual dinner with special guest Willie Taylor, Director of the federal Economic Development Administration's Philadelphia office.

Lowell teens run thriving food business in UTEC's Fresh Roots program

Downtown Lowell pizza shop closes abruptly

City Manager Bernie Lynch announces that Lowell's bond rating has improved

The Young Professionals of Greater Lowell hosted a talk with former Motorola CEO Ed Zander who eminded the audience that You're in charge of your own career

Cheers as Lowell ZBA approves artists' live-work units. Previously, the Lowell Board of Appeals had stalled the Western Ave. plan for artist live/work space.

Cars and trucks were backed up, but on the first day of the expected 90-day closure of the Textile Memorial Bridge, officials said things went according to plan. Traffic woes on tap as city bridge undergoes repairs

On Kirk Street in downtown Lowell, overhead, inspiration blooms: Rooftop garden a sanctuary at home for priests in Lowell

Council mulling raise for Lynch
* After two years on the job, City Manager Bernie Lynch might be on the way to his first salary increase
* Previous article on the raise: City councilors to discuss pay increase for city manager

Downtown Dancewear to move next door

When downtown business owners met with members of the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce and city officials recently, some familiar concerns were aired: parking, crime and jaywalking. A recent article in the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine talks about ways to make crossing streets safer.

C'est Fromage! The new gormet shop C'est keeps local in mind

Middlesex Community College turns downtown Lowell park into a flowering gem

The Lowell National Historical Park has begun work on the first phase of a walkway construction project designed to improve pedestrian access to Lowell's historic canals.

Ellie Pye is The new executive director of the Lowell Telecommunications Corp

Local artists show right stuff at Folk Fest.

Lush Beads plans move to Western Ave. Studios

One less perk for city coffee lovers as Cafe Aiello closes.

The Lowell Board of Appeals is finding new issues to snag Western Ave. plan for artist live/work space.

UML Professor Bob Forrant and graduate student Cathleen Coyne talk about the Artistic engine: How the creative economy drives the region in an article in the Lowell Sun.

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