Planning Board continues public hearings on tree removals at four Lowell parks after notice problems

Lowell Planning Board members on March 17, 2025 voted to continue four public shade-tree hearings — for Father Maguire Park (80 Woodward Ave.), Clemente Park (803 Middlesex St.), St. Louis Park / West Sixth (406 West Sixth St.) and North Common (413 Fletcher St.) — to the board’s next meeting on April 2 after members said required notices had not been posted on the affected trees.

City planning staff said the tree removals are necessary to allow planned park renovations funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money the City Council allocated. Jess Wilson, City of Lowell Department of Planning and Development, told the board the four sites are part of eight park projects the city is advancing with ARPA funding and described the planned work and replacement plantings. "These 4 projects are, among 8 projects that we are doing throughout the city with the American Rescue Plan Act funding that city council allocated for park improvements," Wilson said.

The projects, as described to the board, would remove the following trees to permit construction and then plant substantially more trees as mitigation: 17 trees at 406 West Sixth Street (St. Louis Park), with a planting plan calling for 47 replacement trees; 20 trees at 803 Middlesex Street (Clemente Park), with a plan calling for 50 replacement trees; eight trees at 80 Woodward Avenue (Father Maguire Park); and one 22-caliper tree at 413 Fletcher Street (North Common). Planners said some replacement trees are expected to be provided through the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation greening-the-gateway-cities program and others by the contractor.

Brianna Martinez, a design planner with the Department of Planning and Development, described project-specific changes: at St. Louis Park the project would upgrade three existing basketball courts, install a high-albedo seal coat to reduce heat absorption, and add a universally accessible playground, splash pad and picnic plaza; Clemente Park would receive upgraded volleyball courts, a basketball court, an accessible playground and a large event lawn; Father Maguire Park would expand tennis/pickleball courts to accommodate safety and use zones; and North Common’s work would regrade the ball field, update irrigation and add a plaza.

Board members who visited the sites over the weekend said they found no posted notices or markings on the trees, which they said deprived the public and the board of the ability to identify which specific trees were proposed for removal. One board member said, "without that notice ... the public has the right to know which trees they have if they want to come and speak." The board and staff agreed the absence of posted notices could require rescheduling; the board therefore voted to continue all four hearings to April 2 to allow DPW and planning staff time to post notices and mark trees.

Staff also reported only one departmental comment tied to the hearings: the Water Department asked that contractors contact water‑division staff to mark subsurface lines before work begins. City planners confirmed they would coordinate marking and posting prior to the continued hearing. The board’s vote to continue was unanimous; the motion passed with no opposition.

The continuation postpones any formal decision on tree removal permits until the April 2 Planning Board meeting, when the board expects to hear updated notices, any additional public comment, and staff responses to posting and coordination requirements.