MEETING MINUTES
March 17, 2009
Present: Suzzanne Cromwell, Steven Greene, Capt. Thomas Kennedy, Ted Lavash, Bill Lipchitz, Kathleen Marston, Jamie O’Hearn, Chris Samaras, Steve Syverson, Diane Testa, and Terry Williams
Guests: David Grissino, Ron Mallis, Danny Silk
The meeting opened at 8:30 AM.
Ron Mallis, David Grissino, and Danny Silk from Goody Clancy, an architectural firm based in Boston, came to the meeting to talk about their involvement with the development of the Hamilton Canal District. Goody Clancy has been contracted by the City of Lowell to provide visioning sessions for neighborhoods surrounding the Hamilton Canal, specifically Back Central, the Acre, Lower Highlands, and the Downtown. The visioning sessions address the topic of how the Hamilton Canal District project can benefit these neighborhoods and how to bring the neighborhoods closer together.
The firm met with the City last week and plans to have the visioning sessions the end of April. They are currently trying to figure out where to hold the sessions. Diane Testa of the Revolving Museum offered their space either early morning or late afternoon. There will be three sessions covering the following topics: 1) housing and economic development 2) the arts and culture and 3) ethnic communities; and a final one in May to bring it all together. After preparing a report, they will present an action agenda to the City. The various neighborhoods tend to be distinct areas that are somewhat isolated from each other. Ron Mallis brought up the issue that many in these neighborhoods are not even aware of the plans for the Hamilton Canal project.
Goody Clancy is trying to figure out how to get the word out about the visioning sessions. Bill brought up his concern that instead of connecting neighborhoods the Hamilton Canal will become its own neighborhood, and that connectivity and ease of access is critical. The conversation turned to the difficulty in getting around the city by foot or by car. The new bus routes have exacerbated this problem. Kathleen mentioned that a group in the Downtown Neighborhood Association has been addressing the problem of walkability.
David Grissino asked what types of activities would complement the Hamilton Canal and help it succeed. Ted suggested a movie theatre but added that a lack of space is making that problematic. Ron talked about keeping the quality of authenticity of Lowell as an immigrant city. It was suggested that a centrally located market which sells products to different groups would draw people from other parts of the city. Ted said he felt an extension of the trolley to the ballpark and Tsongas Arena would be beneficial. The current HDC plan calls for a moderate amount of retail development so that it does not overwhelm the existing downtown, but that will need to be monitored.
Ron said they had already met with CBA which voiced concern about the Hamilton Canal project negatively impacting housing in the area by raising housing prices. The CBA also stated that the types of retail stores planned for the Hamilton Canal are not the types of stores which would be used by people in the Acre. Bill suggested that businesses would also be catering to people going to the new court house. Kathleen said she would let those at the March 23rd meeting of the DNA about the visioning sessions.
Captain Kennedy brought up the issue of the homeless shelter located next to the Hamilton Canal District and the unease it creates for people in the area. This has been a source of concern for the Police Department for a long time. The soup kitchen in particular draws people from far away as it is the only one in the area. Now that the lot next to the building has been closed, the homeless have nowhere else to hang out but in front of the building, making them even more noticeable. It was agreed that a well-run shelter could eliminate some of these issues. Steve mentioned the resistance of the Historic Board and the National Park in making changes to the downtown area, such as sprucing up the crosswalks to add more character to the city.
Suzz Cromwell announced the upcoming 2nd Annual Lowell Film Festival taking place Friday, April 3rd until Sunday, April 5th. Over 10 films will be featured at a variety of downtown venues over the course of the weekend. Films include 2009 Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Feature, “The Garden”, and the feature film “Battle in Seattle”. For more information go to their website: www.lowellfilms.org .
The meeting adjourned at 9:50 AM.
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