Camilo Espitia, Lowell’s Deputy Director of Planning and Development, addresses the UEF7 conference in Richmond Hill, just outside Toronto, Canada in October of 2025.

Lowell’s designation as the first Frontrunner City in the United States, and only the second in the entire world, has paid off with a Canadian company committing up to $2-billion in investments.

InsideLowell has learned that Solar International Core Canada LTD (SICC), located in Toronto, has agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the city on a strategic cooperation agreement to develop and revitalize the Jackson/Appleton/Middlesex (JAM) area and other private developments throughout the Mill City.

The MOU, which will be presented at next Tuesday’s Lowell City Council meeting, leaves the door open to further investment in other areas prioritized by the city and SICC.

(Click here to view the full MOU)

“The partnership between the City of Lowell and Frontrunner City represents a shared commitment to innovation, sustainability, and inclusive growth,” Mayor Erik Gitschier tells InsideLowell. “This MOU will build a bridge between public and private visions, one that fosters economic opportunity, strengthens cultural connections, and drives forward-thinking solutions for the future. This collaboration reflects our belief that cities thrive best when they learn from one another and move forward together.”

“This investment marks an exciting next step in what is shaping up to be a truly game-changing strategic partnership between the City of Lowell and Solar International Core Canada Ltd,” added City Manager Tom Golden. “It reflects growing recognition from the international business community of what we’ve always known: Lowell is a city of opportunity. Focused investment and planning are beginning to unlock significant potential in the Jackson, Appleton, Middlesex area. With each milestone, the pieces are falling into place to support sustained growth and long-term success for the city.”

“Once again, Lowell distinguishes itself from other similar cities and towns across the country,” said former Mayor Danny Rourke, who now chairs the City Council’s Frontrunner City Committee. “Very proud to be part of the Council and the Golden administration to deliver the biggest investment in our great city’s history.”

Frontrunner City status entered the local lexicon in September of 2024, when then Mayor Danny Rourke attended the Urban Economy Forum in Toronto. In November of that year, a sizable Lowell delegation returned to Canada to learn more about the designation and what it could mean.

In July of 2025, international representatives from the UEF visited the Mill City to present their vision of what the collaboration entails at a City Council meeting, then spent the next two days touring the area and visiting potential development sites.

In August of that year, Lowell was introduced to the world as a Frontrunner City at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, with another sizable local delegation in attendance.

Finally, roughly a year after Rourke’s attendance at UEF6, Lowell’s Frontrunner City status was a main feature at the Urban Economy Forum’s 2025 gathering, UEF7, which InsideLowell covered extensively over the course of three days. Members of the city administration and city council outlined their vision for the city’s transformation under the program.

It was also there that representatives from SICC connected with members of the administration and the city council to express their interest in investing, eventually leading to the MOU.

Combined with UMass Lowell’s nearly $800-million Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC) development, Lowell’s transformation over the next several years is poised to return the city to a global stature last enjoyed during the Industrial Revolution in the 1800’s.

(Click here to view Lowell’s slide show presentation at UEF7 in Toronto last October)