Partnerships for Progress: Looking Ahead

The Hamilton Canal District

The Hamilton Canal District is Lowell’s premier development opportunity. It is the largest single project in the City’s Jackson/Appleton/Middlesex (JAM) Urban Revitalization Plan. The project will reinvent 15 acres of vacant and underutilized waterfront land as a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood connecting Lowell’s downtown to its commuter rail station. It is an innovative public-private partnership between the City of Lowell and Trinity Financial, Inc., a private developer.

     The $500 million project has been planned and developed as a public-private partnership from the start. The Lowell Plan, the Lowell National Historical Park and the JAM Business and Residents Association (JAMBRA) have worked closely with the City to plan the project and participated in the selection of Trinity as the master developer.

     Stakeholders and members of the public were able to participate in meetings and working sessions that included presentations of ideas and concepts by the developers for reaction and feedback. The final plan will address land uses, building scale and locations, streets, bridges, utilities, parks and public spaces, traffic, pedestrian, and transit circulation into and through the district. It will also focus on job creation, market feasibility of development options and how the Hamilton Canal District supports redevelopment elsewhere in downtown Lowell and throughout the City.