Left In Lowell

Yet Another Open Thread

10 Responses to “Yet Another Open Thread”

1. jdayne Says:
   December 4th, 2007 at 1:32 pm

   Re: the ownership of the shelter building comment on the other thread; I am glad to be corrected, but that was not the impression the representative of the family who “own” the shelter gave when there was a discussion of its physical condition at the last JAMBRA meeting. Ownership is the thorny issue in the JAM/Hamilton district. Sometimes the district is viewed as one, but the actual property and land is quite a mix of public/private/owner occupied/rented . . . Trinity Financial is involved with a portion–a large portion at ~15 acres–of the area, the City with other property including the garage and then those many private owners. Various visions, various investment levels, various objectives will make the area more vibrant, not less. But when we discuss the area, it makes sense to keep in mind which/who/what we are discussing rather than conflate it as one parcel under the ownership/vision of a Trinity or a City or a private owner.

2. jdayne Says:
   December 4th, 2007 at 1:40 pm

   I should note, that the Registry of Deeds is probably the place to identify the actual owner of any piece of real estate unless, of course, it is in trust.

3. K-R-S Says:
   December 4th, 2007 at 3:07 pm

   Jdayne-According to the assessors database;

   189-191 Middlesex St. owned by TRS Realty/Lichoulas with a total assessed value of $110,100. He currently has that building for sale and has it on the market for approximately 1 million.

   193 Middlesex St. owned by Middlesex St Transitional Housing with a total assessed value of $809,400

4. jdayne Says:
   December 4th, 2007 at 4:21 pm

   Thanks. And I do want to note that I am not singling out the shelter–it just happened that when the discussion of the garage was conflated with the Trinity parcel, I used the shelter as a “top of mind” example of how varied the ownership is in the JAM/Hamilton acreage. I have the sense, though may be wrong on this, too, that there will be a lot of confused discussion as the Trinity project gets going over where it really is and what it is. It is not the entire area, though a large, large chunk!

5. waittilnextyr Says:
   December 4th, 2007 at 5:56 pm

   Some links that may be of interest:

   http://www.lowellma.gov/depts/dpd/projects/jam/index_html

   www.hamiltoncanal.com

6. K-R-S Says:
   December 5th, 2007 at 9:07 am

   Some additional information on the 189-191 Middlesex St. property.
   A taking had been filed by the City, for non payment of taxes.
   At the time of the filing, the taxes owed the City of Lowell by Lichoulas was $11,072.21.

7. Always Right in Lowell Says:
   December 5th, 2007 at 2:20 pm

   If you check his other properties, you will see that Lichoulas is one of the biggest tax deadbeats in the city.

8. Lynne Says:
   December 5th, 2007 at 6:09 pm

   Off topic: I am regretting my usual forgoing of the flu vaccine. I might even get one next year. Sorry for the lack of posts, folks, what a miserable week!

9. waittilnextyr Says:
   December 6th, 2007 at 12:29 pm

   It seems that we cannot comment on the thread for the Hamilton Canal, so I will comment here.

   The session on Wed evening was very well attended, as the rather large room was full. It was a classy presentation by Trinity Financial and the City, with a lot of participation from residents in the extended question/comment session. There were 2 or 3 small (about 5-6 people each) working groups set up for follow-up sessions next week. The next full session is scheduled for Sat, Jan 5th from 10:00am - 3:00pm.

   What was a bit surprising to me was the Hamilton Canal district (although the 13 acres previously discussed) encompasses a smaller percentage of the total area being redeveloped than I envisioned (I guess the remainder is the JAM area, not directly controlled by Trinity Financial).

   The map of the area is partitioned into 8 parcels plus a 3.5 acre site at the SW corner reserved for the court complex. That is a higher percentage of the total area that will be consumed by the State, and I think that will be non-taxable property, although I am not sure of that. I had heard prior cost estimates for the court complex to be in the range of $80-100M, but I think I heard $175M last night.

   Most of the discussion centered around transportation infrastructure and people-oriented considerations. The transportation issue is very complex and is the subject of one of the subgroups. The complexity is driven not so much by the transportation/parking within the confines of the property, but the access to/from the outside, particularly the Lowell Connector and the Transportation Terminal. The people-oriented issue is also complex, as they must balance economic development with the risk of gentrification, and the pricing out of the artist community. It appears that Trinity and the City will give this proper consideration, and they have organized another subgroup to follow up on these issues.

   Another area of discussion was the architectural considerations, with the impression given that this development will be first class, consistent with the historical nature of the downtown, but maybe extending that with some signature buildings that will be more modern. It was stated that the court complex would be designed “green” which was good news, but it would be good if they could make an objective that the whole parcel would be energy neutral. That would be a coup if it is feasible, and may qualify for additional State and Federal assistance.

   Consideration is given to integrating this area into the surrounding locations so that it complements them, rather than separates them. Along these lines, avenues that connect the area to the surrounding development would be key, and that is included in the working subgroup discussions, I think as part of the people-oriented subgroup.

   Trinity is proposing office-type buildings to be developed in the current location of the National Park parking lot off Dutton St, as they would be a much more favorable entrance into the area from the intersection of Dutton and Broadway, as opposed to entering the complex with surface parking on both side of the entrance.

   Look to www.hamiltoncanal.com for more detail and future updates.

10. waittilnextyr Says:
    December 6th, 2007 at 12:34 pm

    I just checked the site I referenced and found there are 4 working groups set up for next week as follows:

    Working Groups Meeting Schedule

    Wednesday, December 12, 2007

    6:00pm - 7:15pm – Traffic & Parking
    7:30pm - 8:45pm – Connections to Downtown & Other Neighborhoods

    Thursday, December 13, 2007

    6:00pm - 7:15pm – Gentrification
    7:30pm - 8:45pm – Arts & Urban Design

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