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Lowell update: steering committee advances downtown business improvement district plan
Summary
City staff and councilors reviewed a year-and-a-half effort to form a downtown business improvement district; volunteers say they have reached enough owner support to begin signature collection this summer and aim to finalize boundaries, budget and a city MOU before seeking formal formation.
Ali Carter, a staff member in the City of Lowell Department of Economic Development, updated the Economic Development Subcommittee Tuesday on a volunteer-led effort to form a Business Improvement District, or BID, covering much of downtown Lowell.
Carter said the steering committee has drafted boundary maps, a benefits package and preliminary fee models, and that volunteers have done outreach to property owners. “So right now, the numbers that we’re looking at are 0.35%,” Carter said, referring to the assessment rate under current figures; she said some figures in the presentation were dated and that final numbers remain subject to change.
The BID concept would use a small special assessment on property value to fund services beyond city responsibilities. Carter described likely services as marketing, street ambassadors, coordinated street activity and enhanced beautification and maintenance. The…
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