(Story updated with comment from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts)

In a press release this afternoon announcing that all Emergency Assistance (EA) hotel shelters would be closed by the end of the summer, Governor Maura Healey’s office included this interesting tidbit; the former UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center “will transition from a Bridge Track shelter site to a Rapid Track shelter and CSR  in July.”

Earlier this month, InsideLowell reported that the ICC would cease operating as an EA shelter, but that there was no definitive word about it’s future use. Last November, the state had exercised an option to renew its lease with UML, allowing it to use the facility through the end of 2025.

Shortly after that press release came out, InsideLowell learned that there are discussions taking place that would allow the state to extend its lease another year, allowing it to use the former ICC through the end of December 2026.

UMass Lowell still has significant debt remaining on the property, which is believed to be a major impetus behind the initial discussions between the state and the university going back to August of 2023. The Commonwealth is believed to be paying $4-million per year to rent the facility from UML.

Reached for comment early this evening, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities confirmed our reporting, stating “that timeline is not inaccurate to report.”

Kevin Connor, Deputy Communications Director for the EOHLC, outlined additional information that indicates the EOHLC is engaged with the City of Lowell on multiple fronts regarding housing that include not only the former ICC, but also the two vacant courthouses. Connor wrote:

• EOHLC Secretary Ed Augustus will meet with City Manager Golden and his team next Wednesday, 5/28, to begin discussions about the long-term plan for the Lowell ICC and how it helps achieve the city’s housing goals.

• EOHLC and city officials will also discuss how the former District Courthouse (27 Hurd Street) and the former Superior Courthouse (360 Gorham Street) can be utilized for future housing development.

• The City of Lowell is a strong partner in creating housing opportunities for its residents, including full compliance with the MBTA Communities law and investing in housing for Greater Lowell is a priority for the Healey-Driscoll Administration.

• EOHLC has awarded $12 million to five projects via the Housing Development Incentive Program to create 208 total units in Lowell since the start of the Healey-Driscoll Administration.

A Rapid Track shelter, which the ICC will be converted to in July, is designed for families expected to quickly find stable, permanent housing while providing support services for up to 30 business days. A CSR (Clinical Safety and Risk) is where people receive health assessments from the Department of Public Health and then work with a case manager to quickly find housing or get placed in a shelter. Bridge Track shelters, which the ICC has operated as since early 2024, allow individuals to stay for up to six months, possibly longer if waivers are granted.