The Heights at Haverhill

Anyone familiar with the Mrs. and I is aware that Thursday night is date night, a little adult time away from the kids.

It usually entails a meal at one of our favorite local dining spots, but occasionally ventures out to a new or never before tried restaurant. A recent such excursion took us to downtown Haverhill and a new Italian restaurant along the Merrimack River.

Why am I telling you about my social calendar? Because as always, everything comes back to Lowell.

The evening was eye-opening, but not for the meal (this isn’t a restaurant review) or the company (she’s always eye opening!).

The building housing the first floor restaurant, along with a rooftop bar and luxury apartments next to the Merrimack River was developed by none other than Sal Lupoli, the same developer trying to build in Lowell’s Hamilton Canal Innovation District (HCID).

The above photo shows a sleek, modern, 10-story steel and glass structure known as “The Heights at Haverhill.” It stands as a bright beacon of downtown Haverhill’s rebirth. It’s  exactly the type of building I’ve long  hoped to see in the HCID.

In just a few short hours, the Lowell City Council will head to executive session at the conclusion of tonight’s meeting to “consider and discuss ongoing negotiations” with Lupoli Companies over its latest proposal. The pitch is for a parcel originally slated to be a 13-story retail, commercial and residential tower that would rise high above the HCID development.

Instead, Lupoli is asking the city to accept a five story, wood framed structure that would house market rate rentals and some commercial development. He cites changes in financial and construction markets as the reason he can’t build what was originally proposed and contracted for.

Months ago, some city councilors publicly stated their opposition to any changes in the original agreement. Others have expressed a willingness to accept, if for no other reason than something is better than nothing.

Interestingly enough, both sides have gone silent after an executive session where one would guess legal complications about what constitutes a breach of contract from either side necessitated a cone of silence regarding the situation.

On the one hand, I completely understand Lupoli’s desire to move away from the original tower idea and into a more housing centered, not to mention ground centered, project. Steel and construction costs have skyrocketed post-covid, while we’re told demand for high-rise office towers is lacking.

Still, UMass Lowell’s LINC project continues to progress and details continue to emerge about new partners in the transformative development, including one just this morning.

Sources are also telling InsideLowell that the buzz around the $800-million development is garnering interest from companies that aren’t already part of the plan, as well as organizations already signed up for it but looking to grow their Mill City footprint. The same sources tell us those feet are kicking tires on the final available HCID parcels of land.

In other words, the hoped for “spillover” effect of the LINC development might be materializing after all.

With that as a backdrop, the city council has a decision to make tonight or at some point in the near future. Accept “something” after years of inactivity by Lupoli and every other developer showing an interest in those parcels, or roll the dice and hope LINC not only expands into the available HCID lots, but also creates an opportunity for similar economic development on the parcels currently owned by Lupoli Companies.

The decision isn’t simple. Like it or not, there are legal complications and Lupoli did pay the city $2-million dollars for the rights to multiple parcels, which include the ones currently in question. He’s a smart businessman and will not just give them up if he can in any way recoup his money or make a profit. Nor should he be expected to.

Conversely, the city council should also hold out for the best possible deal the city can get, especially given the economic momentum the University is generating. If there’s a realistic chance that LINC “spillover” could resuscitate plans for an office tower in HCID, the prudent course of action would be to hold the line and demand some sort of signature, modern, mixed-use structure.

It doesn’t have to be the 13-story dream of prior days. Something along the line of 8-10 stories would certainly look nice, something similar to that beautiful building that lit up the downtown Haverhill sky on date night.

I even have a potential name for it.

How does “The Heights at HCID” sound?