Left In Lowell

Lowell Growing and Moving

by Mimi at 5:42 pm.

WESTERN AVE ARTIST LOFTS
Without much noise or fanfare, the Western Avenue project came back in front of the
City’s Planning Board. The project is to turn a section of the building into “artists’ loft;” a place where the artist could both live and work.

Last April Lynne had posted on the initial appearance of the project’s supporters in front of the same Planning Board. As we know, they unanimously approved the project, the City Council also gave its blessing and then the Zoning Board put the brakes on the whole project.

Maybe now, a more “gentler and kinder” ZBA will look more favorably upon the project. As you recall the issue was that certain abutters did not want an area that was primarily used for light industry used for residential purposes. But this project is not a suburban gated community, it is artists’ lofts. Let’s see what happens. I am sure when this comes up in front of the ZBA, a lot of people will be watching.

DOG PARK
Unfortunately, last night’s rain storm forced the rescheduling of the ceremonial opening of the first City of Lowell Dog Park near the Hunts Fall Rotary, along the Merrimack.

The park is already opened so those of you who own dogs, you now have a “recreational facility that provides a legal and safe place” to exercise your “best friend.”

CHANGES ON BRIDGE STREET
The corner of Bridge Street and Pawtucket Boulevard has undergone a major change this past week; gone is the tavern and the abandoned gasoline station. The demolition of the two buildings took a couple of days and now there is a big hole, but not for long. A new CVS is coming soon. I wonder if they will close the store that is further up the street.

And speaking of up the street, the Bridge Street Plaza, currently home to an empty Ames as well as a small Market Basket will undergo a major renovation. The whole plaza will be renovated in stages; Market Basket is moving into the Ames space and significantly increasing its space. The renovations should be completed by December 2009. I do not anticipate that there will be any Planning Board or ZBA issues or even neighborhood opposition, but one never knows.

As for the other underused plaza, the one on Plain Street that will “soon” house a Target, I have seen some activities but nothing significant. It seems that the parking lot is being used by tractor trailers.

JUDICIAL CENTER
And to top it all off, as reported on the Sun’s web site, today “officially marked the signing of a deal that will lead to a new $175 million judicial center on Jackson Street” (Hamilton Canal/JAM Plan) The newspaper reports that the City will receive $3.8 million from the state for the 4 acres of land. If you are coming down Lord Overpass towards Dutton it is the piece of land on your right.

THAT GREEN MAN
But of course, all of this does not compare to the major story that has hit Lowell this past week: the kidnapping of the incredible Hulk. What can thieves be doing with a 400 lbs, 8 feet tall statue that has no legs? You know if you made the Pretoria (South Africa) newspaper as well as dozens of other media outlets throughout the world, you have made news.

[Filed under Local politics, Local Events, Local Business] [link]

9 Responses to “Lowell Growing and Moving”

Josh Says:
June 25th, 2008 at 10:29 am
For the love of God, please tell me that the dog park was not financed by taxpayers!?
Lynne Says:
June 25th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Oh give it a rest, Josh, really. And no, it was funds raised by a group of people who wanted a dog park.
Anonymous Says:
June 25th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
The alternative is that they bring their lovely dogs to the public playgrounds to walk. Thanks to Mr. Elliot the signs are up to keep dogs out(and they seem to be working)and the people have somewhere to walk the dogs. People need to get on board with providing residents a good quality of life in the city (Cambridge is a good example)
The only issue I have with allowing residents in an industrial area is that they really never know what will end up there and it just sets the city up for future arguments. I do have to say that there do not seem to be too many objectionable uses in light industry zones.
The Dutton St. carwash and the tavern on the bridge look better already.
Tom Says:
June 25th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
The CVS up the street will be closing and moving to the new facility.
lowell artist Says:
June 26th, 2008 at 8:54 am
“The only issue I have with allowing residents in an industrial area is that they really never know what will end up there and it just sets the city up for future arguments. I do have to say that there do not seem to be too many objectionable uses in light industry zones”.

Did you know that artist live/work, which is what will be at Western Avenue, is the only residential use allowed in industrial zones in the city of Boston? What is planned for Western Avenue is not the kind of ‘loft’ development that happened downtown. Individuals who want to live at Western Ave. will have to go through an artist certification process and will have to acknowledge that they are indeed moving into an industrial area, there are also safeguards written to insure that the live/work spaces stay affordable.

The Western Ave. site is pretty isolated, and except for the building across the street and the co-generation plant everything on the block is contained within the Western Avenue Studios complex. If all goes as planned, 4 of the 5 buildings in the WAS complex will be dedicated to arts related uses, with several compatible commercial tenants. The 5th building is home to a company that is very supportive of the artist community.

It is a win/win situation.
Always Right in Lowell Says:
June 26th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Does anyone know if there is an actual city ordinance requiring you to pick up after your animals. If there is one, it’s certainly not enforced. Parks and streets are full of land mines.
kpem Says:
June 26th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
“Individuals who want to live at Western Ave. will have to go through an artist certification process and will have to acknowledge that they are indeed moving into an industrial area, there are also safeguards written to insure that the live/work spaces stay affordable.”

That is great then. I can not see what would be objectionable about this project.
lowell artist Says:
June 26th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
When I wrote my comment this morning I neglected to identify myself . . . I am an artist at Western Avenue Studios, and am working with the owner of the property on the live/work project . . . because I believe that in order to sustain the artist community in the city we need to have live/work space that is dedicated to remaining affordable.

Maxine Farkas
joe Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 9:41 am
The potential for conflicts between abutting residential and industrial uses is a real issue. Heck, sorting the Acre out into an industrial area and a neighborhood was the biggest part of the Acre Plan.

But it’s something that can be finessed, with the right kind of housing and the right kind of project.

When I first moved into a mill building, the building on the other side of the canal was still Joan Fabrics. I could sit in my living room and watch people drive around in forklifts. I thought it was cool.

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June 24, 2008

Lowell Growing and Moving

9 Responses to “Lowell Growing and Moving”

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