Planning Board removes student-only restriction for Edge Merrimack River Apartments, approves multifamily special permit

The Lowell Planning Board voted 5-0 Thursday to amend the site plan for 1 Merrimack Plaza and grant a special permit allowing the building to be leased to nonstudents as multifamily housing.

The board’s action removes a prior condition that prohibited conversion of the property from student housing to market- or affordable-rate residential use and adds a requirement that the applicant add screening for on-site dumpsters so they are not visible from the driveway entrance.

The proposal was presented by Chris Wyatt, principal with Macora Capital LLC, which manages the Edge Merrimack River Apartments. Wyatt said the five-story building across from the high school contains 147 units, each with a kitchen and at least one bathroom, and often configured as one- to four‑bedroom units. He described the property as built like an apartment building rather than a university-managed dormitory and said changing the occupancy restriction would keep more people in downtown year-round, supporting vibrancy and housing supply goals cited in Lowell’s planning documents.

City planning staff told the board that the request had been reviewed by relevant departments and that the building commissioner had confirmed no code-compliance issues would result from permitting year-round, nonstudent occupancy. Board members asked about unit sizes, parking and on-site trash handling. The applicant provided representative unit sizes: a one‑bedroom “a little under 500 square feet,” two‑bedroom layouts ranging roughly 740–750 square feet and 950–1,115 square feet, according to material the applicant cited from its website.

During deliberations, a board member raised concerns about visibility of the dumpsters from the driveway and recommended screening; the applicant agreed to include a screening plan as part of the site plan amendment. One member also noted earlier municipal caution about off‑campus student housing not managed by UMass Lowell and said the practical effect of the zoning restriction had largely constrained year‑round occupancy.

After discussion, a board member moved to remove the prohibition on converting the building from student-only housing to market-rate or affordable residential use and to require the applicant to screen the dumpsters. The motion carried by voice vote; the board recorded “5 in favor and none against.” The board then separately voted to approve the special permit with the two site-plan conditions; that motion also carried 5-0.

The approvals cite a special-permit requirement under Article 12.1 for multifamily use with greater than 11 units and a site-plan review amendment under Section 11.4 of the Lowell Zoning Ordinance, both referenced by staff during the hearing.