The long-term future of the downtown Inn and Conference Center saw another piece added to the puzzle this morning at the Lowell Plan’s annual business breakfast, when Lowell Plan Executive Director Allison Lamey announced the public-private organization is going to fund a feasibility study to see if hotel operations could fit into the proposed plan for Middlesex Community College to acquire the property.

In a roomed packed with more than 300 local business and community leaders, Lamey lauded the collaboration between UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen and MCC President Phil Sisson to help map out a path in which the college might be able to acquire the building from the university, which has owned it and operated it as the Inn and Conference Center for more than a dozen years.

In recent months, the ICC has been at ground zero for a number of economic development discussions, primarily because the University entered into conversations with the Governor’s office to potentially use the space for migrant housing to help address the migrant crisis statewide.  The proposal has met with strong opposition from Lowell’s business community, especially many who think the usage of the ICC for transitional living could provide a death knell for downtown businesses.

This morning, Lamey announced that the Lowell Plan has commissioned a feasibility study with the Pinnacle Hotel Advisory Group to study the feasibility of continuing to use a portion of the nine-story building for a business hotel, while UML and MCC continue to use other portions of the building for student housing.  Additionally, Lamey talked about MCC’s plans to expand its culinary and hospitality programs into the building, as well as Sisson’s plans to have MCC be the first community college in Massachusetts history  to offer residential options for its students.

“This building is an important economic component to our downtown,” Lamey tells InsideLowell. “We are thrilled that Middlesex Community College is interested in acquiring it and continuing to operate it in a similar fashion as is being used now. MCC has a strong record of rehabilitating buildings and this is already in their wheelhouse. They are in great position to succeed again and we hope to be able to support them.”

No timeline for the feasibility study was discussed, but the findings will play a key role in some of the business decisions facing the facility in the near future.

Also not discussed was how the university is going to get its debt on the building resolved, which would clear the way for a potential building transfer and allow for the University to redirect its resources over to its expanding campus efforts.

Stay tuned, certainly more to come.