Lowell — The City of Lowell is taking pro-active steps to make Downtown Lowell more attractive to entrepreneurs. The City Manager’s office is working in conjunction with the Office of Economic Development in the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to host a meeting for downtown property owners. Affected business and property owners were notified about the August 17th meeting by mail.
The purpose of the meeting is to share information on City programs and long-term plans to attract businesses downtown, including grants, tax credits, and other incentive programs offered by the City and local partners. The intention is to foster collaboration and partnership between commercial property owners and the City in an effort to support economic vitality in Downtown Lowell.
According to Ali Carter, the Director of Lowell’s Economic Development Office, “Downtowns are a nexus of activity where people come to work, dine, shop, and have fun. Various people and entities animate downtowns, including the individuals who own property, run businesses, and visit. In Lowell, the Economic Development office wants to exert as much effort as possible to make our downtown meet its full potential by creating incentives to do business here. This meeting is an opportunity to educate property owners about those incentives and also share regulations under consideration for properties that are neglected, which depress property values, frustrate business owners, and undermine the City’s efforts to revitalize Downtown Lowell.”
In addition to providing businesses owners with long-term plans, City officials will also provide an overview of a proposed ordinance to regulate commercial vacancies in Lowell, requiring registration and maintenance of vacant commercial and industrial properties. This proposed ordinance is the product of a collaborative effort between community stakeholders and the City to address the potential for blight and safety hazards, which can accompany commercial property vacancies. A complete copy of the draft ordinance was provided to downtown Lowell commercial property owners via a mailing sent out in July, as was a list of resources for business and property owners from the City’s Economic Development office. The ordinance would require owners to register vacant downtown properties in locations which have remained vacant for 90 days or more. An annual registration fee on each property would also be required. The owners would be required to maintain properties in accordance with various Building, Health, Fire, and Safety codes.
“The revitalization of the downtown area is a priority for this administration and this City Council,” says Lowell City Manager Thomas A. Golden, Jr. “The Office of Economic Development has done a tremendous job in working with property and business owners to create opportunities to support economic vitality and to make Lowell’s downtown area more attractive to businesses.”
The agenda for the meeting with downtown business owners will include greetings from the City Manager, a presentation by the Director of Economic Development and a Question and Answer Session to conclude the event. There is a plan to host additional meetings in the future.
One response to “Efforts to Make Downtown More Attractive to Entrepreneurs ”
Hope it has positive results. Need to make sure that downtown area is clean and attractive as it always is during Folk Festival. Also need to be sure that any potential businesses and customers will not be harassed or annoyed by God’s children who are in need of assistance with jobs,housing mental health programs etc..Also look into what other cities have done to make their downtown district attractive.