United States
                        Environmental
                        Protection Agency
                        Washington, D.C.  20460
                           Solid Waste
                           and Emergency
                           Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-98-261
November 1998
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
  &EPA
Brownfields  Showcase
Community
Lowell,  MA
 Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
                                             Quick Reference Fact Sheet
 Brownfields are abandoned, idled or underused industrial and commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is
 complicated by real or perceived contamination. In May 1997, Vice President Gore announced a Brownfields National Partnership
 to bring together the resources of more than 15 federal agencies to address local cleanup and reuse issues in a more coordinated
 manner. This multi-agency partnership has pledged support to 16 "Brownfields Showcase Communities"—models demonstrating
 the benefits of collaborative activity on brownfields.  The designated Brownfields Showcase Communities are distributed across
 the country and vary by size, resources, and community type. A wide range of support will be leveraged, depending on the
 particular needs of each Showcase Community.
BACKGROUND

The Brownfields National Partnership has selected the
City of Lowell as a Brownfields Showcase Commu-
nity. Like many old, industrial cities, Lowell has almost
no vacant land available for development. Though the
market for commercial office and manufacturing space
in Lowell continues to improve, most of the inquiries for
industrial space cannot be satisfied because of limited
supply. Returning the city's brownfields properties to
productive use is critical to Lowell's industrial develop-
ment and job creation efforts.

With a poverty rate of 18%, Lowell has 58% fewer
manufacturing jobs than it did ten years ago. The city
has recently achieved
great success in redevel-
oping its old mill proper-
ties, ash dumps, and other
disposal sites into new fa-
cilities that create jobs for
local residents. The City
identified 16-17 priority
brownfields sites for as-
sessment and testing, and
attracted several large,
experienced developers
to redesign and market
several of these properties.
 Community Profile
 Lowell, Massachusetts
                       Lowell has developed creative approaches to attracting
                       investors for brownfields cleanup and redevelopment,
                       including use of the Lowell Development and Finance
                       Corporation (a consortium of local stakeholder banks)
                       and tax increment financing. Community members, pri-
                       vate businesses, and federal, state, and local agencies
                       all play an integral part in the planning and implementa-
                       tion of city-based redevelopment projects.

                       CURRENT ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

                       Since the inception of Lowell's brownfields program in
                       September 1996, the city has leveraged more than $ 100
                       million in public and private investment. Highlights of
                       Lowell's brownfields redevelopment program include:
     • Completing   an
     inventory of 52 vacant
     or    underutilized
     industrial  properties
     within the city, and
     identifying sites with
     the   greatest   re-
     development potential
     tocreatealistof!6-17
     priority brownfields
     properties;
                      With almost no vacant land available
                      fordevelopment, Lowell hastargeted
                      16-17 brownfields sites. Lowell's
                      redevelopment efforts have
                      leveraged more than $100 million in
                      funding. One brownfields property is
                      now home to a $30 million sports
                      arena and a $12 million baseball
                      stadium.
                        Development of a $30 million sports arena and a $12
                        million professional baseball stadium on the former

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  Lawrence Mills site, which has a 170-year history of
  industrial use;

• Supporting an $8 million bond to initiate the Lawrence
  Mills redevelopment project, andraising $ 1.6million
  inprivate donations. This site couldnowaccommodate
  as many as 2,450 new jobs;

• Attracting developers who have invested more than
  $ 10 million into the 400,000 square-foot Wannalancit
  Millsproject, and $36million into the 700,000 square-
  foot Boott Mills project; and

• Leveraging  $9 million in funding from the U.S.
  Department ofTransportationforaRiverwalk Project
  that will connect Lowell' sNational Historic Park, the
  nation's first urbannational park, by a walkway to the
  University of Massachusetts and the two new sports
  facilities.

On average, for every $1 of public funding, Lowell
has leveraged $12 of private investment.

SHOWCASE  COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES  AND
PLANNED ACTIVITIES

Lowell plans to use the Showcase Communities project
to continue the substantial success of its brownfields
program. The city has eleven well defined goals for
development and growth, and has made progress on
each. These goals are: conducting public awareness
strategies to educate the public on the benefits of liv-
ing and working in Lowell; identifying the city's eco-
nomic base, and evaluating strengths, weaknesses, and
opportunities; developing economic development strat-
egies for the Economic Opportunity Areas (EGAs) in
the city; establishing mechanisms for implementing the
Division of Planning and Development's (DPD) financing
programs; implementing marketing strategies for busi-
ness retention and recruitment; developing a business
retention program that will help the DPD evaluate the
city's industry base; working with the Lowell National
Historical Park to support historic preservation; devel-
oping a procedure for a streamlined permitting assis-
tance process; working with the federally-designated
Enterprise Community to open a Business Assistance
Center to aid new or expanding businesses; implement-
ing the strategies outlined in the University of Massa-
chusetts at Lowell report on the city's industrial base;
and continuing the work of the EPA Brownfields Pilot
program.
                             Contacts

                             Division of Planning and
                             Development
                             City of Lowell
                             (978)970-4276
  Regional Brownfields Team
  U.S. EPA-Region 1
  (617)573-9681
                             For more information on the Brownfields Showcase Communities,
                                      visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
                                 http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/showcase.htm
Brownfields Showcase Community
November 1998
                             Lowell, Massachusetts
                                EPA 500-F-98-261

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