The former District Courthouse on Hurd St. in Lowell

Two weeks to the day after InsideLowell reported that, as part of discussions about the future of the former UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would be speaking with Lowell City Manager Tom Golden about potentially converting the two abandoned city courthouses into housing, the Healey-Driscoll Administration officially put the former Lowell District and Lowell Superior Courthouses on a list for future development.

The news about the Mill City buildings came as part of an announcement that more than 450 acres of surplus state-owned land could be used for the development of 3,500 new housing units across Massachusetts. The administration expects to make 17 additional sites available to developers in the next year, including issuing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for ten sites and holding an auction for an additional seven sites in September 2025.

The former Superior Courthouse on Gorham St. in Lowell

An RFP will be issued by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) for the District Court building on Hurd Street within the next six months. The Superior Court building on Gorham Street will be made available to developers as soon as late summer 2025, or the second half of 2025 and into 2026.

“The goal of the City of Lowell today is to let developers know that Lowell is open for business,” City Manager Tom Golden is quoted as saying in the press release. “Lowell appreciates the opportunity presented by the Healey-Driscoll Administration to showcase our beautiful City that boasts pride, culture and community that are steps away from our commuter rail. Developers will be impressed with our concierge permitting process that is hassle free and welcoming for developers to build commercial properties or expand our market rate, affordable ownership and workforce homes.” 

Not mentioned in the press release is the ICC building, which Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus said he’d be open to discussing with Manager Golden in our May 19 reporting. The former hotel and dorm facility is going to remain a shelter through the end of 2026.

In addition to the abandoned Lowell courthouses, the press release also lists a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued over the next six months to convert a vacant Middlesex Community College property at 210 Springs Road in Bedford into housing for that community, along with other potential vacant MCC properties. Patrick Cook, Vice President of Administration at the college, tells InsideLowell none of those properties are in Lowell.

Also of note on today’s list is the former MCI Concord prison. The Town of Concord has undertaken a planning and zoning study for a redevelopment effort that will include a significant housing component.

Governor Maura Healey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Secretary Augustus, Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew J. Gorzkowicz and Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance Commissioner Adam Baacke convened housing developers today to share the results of the inventory and more information about upcoming opportunities to partner on developing the land for housing.

“From day one, I pledged to use every tool to build more housing and lower costs across the state. That’s why I directed our team to find state properties that could be turned into housing,” said Governor Healey. “These 450 acres will be turned into thousands of new homes that families, seniors and workers can actually afford. We are already getting shovels in the ground for thousands of these units, and we’ll continue to work closely with several developers to get even more projects started.”

Over the past year, at Governor Healey’s direction, HLC, A&F, and DCAMM conducted a comprehensive review of DCAMM’s property inventory to identify sites that are state-owned, underutilized, and viable for housing development while being mindful of environmental considerations by exempting protected open space, wetlands and flood plains.

“As the Commonwealth’s primary real estate agency, DCAMM is excited to be able to support the Administration’s efforts to leverage state assets to help improve housing accessibility, availability, and affordability in Massachusetts,” said DCAMM Commissioner Baacke, who at one-time served as Lowell’s Assistant City Manager and as Assistant Vice Chancellor of Campus Development at UMass Lowell. “We know how important creating new housing units is for the state’s economy, and more importantly for families and communities and look forward to accelerating the disposition of these and other properties.”

HLC, A&F and DCAMM worked closely with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) to ensure that valuable conservation and agricultural land continues to be protected from development, preserving the state’s natural resources. As a result, all land protected under Article 97 and agricultural preservation restrictions have been excluded from consideration. In addition, each site was carefully reviewed with EEA to ensure sensitive areas are properly identified and appropriately considered.

Governor Healey has also directed HLC and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to identify surplus and underutilized property owned by the transportation agencies for housing production. Her administration is also continuing to collaborate with municipal officials and other state partners to identify additional parcels for housing development. As these projects move forward in their development, updated information will be available on the DCAMM housing website.