Camilo Espitia, Lowell’s Deputy Director of Planning and Development, addresses the UEF7 conference in Richmond Hill, just outside Toronto, Canada.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, October 15, I had the pleasure of being in the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts as representatives from the City of Lowell presented the city and their vision of its future at UEF7, the annual Urban Economy Forum.

The 2024 event, UEF6, was where Mayor Danny Rourke began the conversations that would propel Lowell toward becoming the first Frontrunner City in the United States. With that status now cemented, the Mill City delegation took the opportunity to present their vision of what Lowell is, but more importantly, what it could become.

On that day, InsideLowell broadcast the presentation via Facebook Live in an effort to provide more information for residents unable to make the journey to the outskirts of Toronto about what exactly the Frontrunner program is and how it could reshape the city’s future.

I encourage everyone who hasn’t viewed the Facebook Live video to do so, if for no other reason, than to witness the brilliance of Camilo Espitia, Katherine Moses and Connor Baldwin’s performance on that stage. Lowell’s Deputy Director of Planning and Development, Sustainability Director and Assistant City Manager/CFO were the stars of the city’s presentation to those in attendance, an audience which included global leaders, high-level urban planners and billionaire investors.

In addition to the video, we asked for and were provided the slide show that accompanied the presentation that day, linked below to provide more information about where all of this Frontrunner City discussion is taking our city;

Lowell’s UEF7 Presentation

Again, we encourage everyone interested in the Mill City and its future to view the slide show, as it provides an outline of the “vision” those leading the city are working toward.

As many have pointed out, there are still a plenty of details to be announced, particularly about where exactly the investment dollars are coming from and when.

That information will be forthcoming soon enough, and as we’ve reported on recent editions of the Daily Pulse podcast, a sizable initial investment will be announced by the end of this month. When all is said and done a few years from now, north of $5-billion in new investment will pour into the city on the banks of the Merrimack River.

I’ll leave you with one more enticing little nugget;

Remember that most of that investment will be taxable, eventually generating millions (tens of millions?) of new tax dollars annually. Not one time money, as the ARPA funding was, but each and every year.

At a time when impending fiscal challenges are creating dread throughout the world of municipal government, the City of Lowell has put itself in position to not only overcome those challenges, but to thrive.

And that’s something even Lowell’s fair weather fans can get excited about!