Letter to the City Council Regarding the Housing Mix in Downtown Lowell
February 29, 2000
Mayor Eileen Donoghue and City Councilors
C/O City Clerk
City Hall
Lowell, MA 01852
Dear Mayor Donoghue and Councilors,
The Center City Committee has been discussing the issue of housing in the downtown for the past seven months. Specifically, the consensus of opinion is that retail development would be enhanced if there were more market rate housing in the central business district because there would be more people with disposable income to spend in shops and stores close to where they live.
The Committee discussed ways to gather data about who lives in the downtown, where they shop, and what they buy or would buy if it were available. We also mapped out the buildings downtown and identified which were used for housing and the type of units available.
It was evident that there is a preponderance of elderly housing as well as units geared to low- and moderate-income individuals and families. Looking at cities with successful downtowns, Northampton for example, we see that first floors are used for retail and upper floors are used for market rate, even upscale housing. The residents tend to buy what they need in their neighborhood if it is available.
It stands to reason that bringing in people with more disposable income would create the demand for retail establishments that would cater to them. This would start an upward spiral of retail development that would help existing retailers as well as attract new ones. This strategy would work well with the soon-to-be-created Artist Live/Work space which would act as a further attraction to market rate housing seekers.
The Committee is in no way endorsing the elimination of any existing housing in the downtown, nor ignoring the need for additional affordable housing in the City and surrounding towns. We feel it is important to balance the types of housing in the neighborhoods and that the downtown should be viewed as a neighborhood which is out of balance as regards to housing.
Sincerely,
William F. Lipchitz
President
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