Daniel Rourke, Mayor, City of Lowell

In an interview with Invest:, Daniel P. Rouke, mayor of the City of Lowell, talked about how its educational offerings, qualified workforce, and affordability make it an ideal place for businesses to relocate and for people to live, work, and raise a family. Rouke also discussed the opportunities that the LINC project will open to the city in terms of job creation and economic development.

What are some of the most important developments for the City of Lowell in the past year?

We have done several things over the past year to push the City of Lowell forward. We have developed and started to implement our Lowell Forward 2040 masterplan. This comprehensive master plan included the community in its development. We met with the public many times to talk about issues of the City of Lowell such as economic development, sustainability, housing, and public safety. Lowell Forward 2040 is a living and breathing document that can be changed as we go along the way and new issues arise, which is something that the city takes seriously. We will continue to do what we have been doing over the past several years to push the city forward.

Additionally, we have advanced with the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC) project in partnership with the University of Massachusetts. It is a private-public expansion of the existing properties of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell as well as of partnerships between industry and government. LINC will transform Lowell’s economic landscape as government, defense, innovation, and science companies come in. Some of those companies will arrive in Lowell in 2024. We expect to attract 1,300 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs over the next three to five years. It will create workforce salaries and high-paying jobs that will help the economy within Lowell.

What kind of initiatives is the City of Lowell implementing to promote real estate development?

We made a zoning change of downtown mixed-use that has relaxed some parking requirements and removed some regulatory hurdles for developers. That allows us to increase our housing and bring commercial businesses easier than before. We expect it to transform Lowell as downtown is the economic engine for the whole city. We have worked hard and long to increase the usability, visibility, and safety of that area. 

Additionally, the City Council has unanimously adopted the MBTA Communities zoning. MBTA transit trains come through Lowell on their way to Boston, which offers the opportunity to redevelop some areas within the city. 

What kind of resources do you expect the LINC project will bring to Lowell?

LINC will create thousands of new jobs within Lowell and attract government and defense work, microelectronics, and climate technology. For instance, Draper is one of the companies that have pledged to come and be part of LINC. It is a project of upwards of 800 million dollars that offers a tremendous opportunity. LINC represents a total of 10 acres in the city and connects the East Campus to the Acre and Downtown Neighborhoods. There are ten different parcels and properties that will be used within LINC. 

In terms of its impact, we compare LINC to when Wang Laboratories came to Lowell in the 1980s and thousands of jobs were created. That helped to both transform Lowell and to turn around the city’s economic development. 

What are the key strategies that help the city of Lowell attract more businesses to relocate there?

There are many advantages to coming to Lowell to headquarter a company and to raise a family. Affordability is near the top as people can get much more housing for their money here compared to other areas in the region. Additionally, Lowell has a highly educated workforce. There are few cities within New England where you can start kindergarten and also get your doctorate.

Moreover, Lowell has one of the top community colleges in the country at Middlesex Community College, and UMass Lowell has achieved national honors. The leadership of Chancellor Marty Meehan and now Julie Chen has really pushed Lowell forward in areas such as computer science, microelectronics, and sustainability. Many students come to Lowell every year to get that quality education.

We are very conveniently located off Route 3 and I-95 as well as halfway between Boston and New Hampshire. We also have some of the biggest employers in the Commonwealth including Lowell General Hospital, UMass Lowell, and Middlesex Community College. Businesses and companies that have come and succeeded in Lowell can be the standard for other companies to come and to try to replicate that.

What is the city serving the needs of such a diverse constituency?

Around 60 different languages are spoken at Lowell High School, and we hold cultural events all the time. Our Cultural Affairs and Special Events Department has reached out to the community and brings everybody together. Whenever we do anything of importance within the city of Lowell, we reach out to our community, take everybody’s opinion seriously, and see what the issues within the community are. That allows us to address those issues and move forward.

How is the city of Lowell collaborating with neighboring cities and towns to address regional challenges and opportunities?

Lowell is the epicenter of the Merrimack Valley. Nevertheless, there are some issues that we are dealing with. We recently had an agreement with the EPA to start our combined sewage and water separation that includes putting $175 million into our sewage separation. Additionally, we started traffic calming measures and projects throughout the city to make it safer and recently got $5 million to clean up our brownfields along the banks of the Merrimack River. That area is heavily utilized as hundreds of people walk by the river every day during the nice weather. 

Moreover, we recently adjusted the structure of our Parks and Recreation Department to maximize availability and address community needs for public open spaces and recreational parks. We see that as a step toward equality and inclusivity so that everybody can use and enjoy what Lowell has to offer. 

How is the city of Lowell ensuring that essential services such as education, recreation, and public safety are supported and funded adequately?

We recently passed our budget for Fiscal Year 2025, which addresses many of those issues. For instance, eight firefighters will be hired this year, and we are looking at adding 12 to 13 police officers to our force. Numbers have been down across this commonwealth over the past number of years, but as a council we have taken the necessary steps to fill those important positions.

We are also addressing quality-of-life issues such as traffic and snow-removal. We expect the investments that our capital plan has put in place to start paying off very soon. We are fortunate to have a good administration team that addresses issues head-on and finds quality solutions to the problems that arise.

What kind of initiatives has the city of Lowell implemented to deal with the challenge of affordable housing?

Every city and town throughout the country is dealing with a housing crisis, so we have had to address housing affordability in Lowell. Not only do we have workforce housing, but we also have over 100 new apartments being developed through various companies and builders in 2024. More than 30 of those apartments will be specifically for first- home buyers. We also have three active urban renewal areas where there is a lot of opportunity for growth.

The MBTA zoning change that we passed last year will assist the housing affordability in Lowell. Additionally, our master plan identifies zoning to see whether our current regulations may be holding us back and what we can do in a safe and responsible way to increase housing stock going forward. 

What legislation or regulatory changes is the city of Lowell closely monitoring to realize its projects?

The House of Representatives recently passed a $6.5 billion housing bond bill that the Senate will now review. A compromise between the House and the Senate will be reached soon, and Lowell will be among its main beneficiaries as the city can receive millions of dollars based on the housing initiatives that are put in place. There is no city or town within the Commonwealth that could benefit more from that bill than Lowell.

As elected officials, it is our duty to create access to quality affordable housing for everybody who wants to come to Lowell, work hard, get educated, and raise their family. We have done several initiatives and passed various motions over the past calendar year so that people can come and stay here.

What are your outlook and top priorities for the city of Lowell over the next two to three years?

The LINC project can revitalize and recharge economic development within Lowell. We are talking about an $800 million investment coming to the city. Going forward we have other properties and parcels within the area of that project that could become available for it. We could be approaching a $1 billion investment within Lowell, which is something that does not happen anywhere in the Commonwealth. 

Moreover, the public-private partnerships that Lowell developed have gained strength over the past several years and are paying off. We have a top-notch administration that is working hard to advance the initiatives that the council has pushed forward.