Left In Lowell

I just got back from the Planning Board meeting, where Karl Frey of Vespera, owner of Western Avenue where there are three floors of artist studios (with two more being built), and the artists of Western Ave, requested that the downtown-based Artist Overlay District extend down the Pawtucket Canal to encompass the building which includes 122 Western Ave. The Board voted unanimously 5-0 to recommend to the City Council that this move forward.

This would allow Vespera to build up to 52 units of permanent, affordable artist lofts. These would be sold only to artists and subsequent buyers restricted to the same. This is a huge change from other artist live-work spaces in the city, which were bought by artists, but not affordable enough to attract a high volume, which resulted in many spaces being sold to non-artists…and many of those artists who did buy lofts sold out when the property became too valuable to maintain (condos fees and property taxes went through the roof as values skyrocketed).

Concerns about the plan surfaced, such as whether or not this would set bad precedent for other neighboring light-industrial property owners, and whether or not such a zoned area is appropriate for any living spaces. The former concern was largely set at ease by the restrictive nature of the special zoning request, and the latter by the fact that so many artists (around 30 or so) were in attendance in support of it. As someone put it, we’re noisy, smelly, and messy. We’re more likely to be better neighbors in an industrial zone than a residential zone anyway. What normal person wants to smell turpentine through their vents all day?

The current commercial work studios (non-residential) would remain as such. Live-work spaces would be built on either end, where Vespera has still been unsuccessful in its attempts to get industrial tenants or buyers.

Why should the zoning be changed to allow Western Ave to become more of a center for the arts in Lowell? As I sit here, about to go back to doing some design work for clients, the Lowell Opera Company is practicing down the hall. How cool is that?