Lowell housing plan sets numeric goals, officials refer plan to full council for review

Lowell — City planning staff and a regional planner on Tuesday presented the Homes and Housing Plan — a housing production roadmap developed with the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments — and the Housing Subcommittee voted to forward the plan to the full City Council for review and discussion.

For the record, Fran Segliano, senior planner with the Department of Planning and Development, introduced the presentation before Chris Hayes, housing and economic development program manager at the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NIMCOG), gave an overview of the plan and its recommendations.

The plan frames goals and measurable indicators, including a top-line goal of 3,150 new housing units (the presentation tied that total to projected household formation and a healthy vacancy rate), with roughly 800 of those units described in the presentation as income-restricted affordable units. Other targets discussed included lowering the number of households lacking full kitchen or plumbing facilities (the presentation cited 599 or fewer households in that condition, based on the American Community Survey), reducing total cost-burden to 36.6 percent or less and severe cost-burden to 19 percent or less, and working toward a blended vacancy target (the presentation noted an 8 percent healthy vacancy for rentals and 2 percent for ownership as reference points).

"Lowell really is a city of opportunity," Hayes said, summarizing outreach and data that, in his words, showed young households moving into and building careers in the city. Hayes described the plan as both a community engagement product and a required document to qualify for certain state housing grants. He said the plan contains about 44 strategies and emphasized neighborhood-level planning to identify multifamily priority sites, expanded first-time homebuyer support, a proposed affordable-housing trust fund, and incentives for supportive housing in targeted locations.

Members of the subcommittee raised concerns about implementation details, including where new construction will be concentrated, parking and traffic impacts, how long affordability would be sustained, and the relationship between housing production and job creation. Councilor Chow said he was "very happy to hear about the over 3,000 units" but asked what kinds of development would help retain residents who increase their incomes. Councilor Keccia and others expressed worries that MBTA Communities zoning changes and other measures could concentrate development in certain corridors and create parking pressures.

City staff responded that production patterns historically cluster near the city center and transit corridors, that a forthcoming citywide zoning study will examine where and how to manage density, and that any zoning changes would require public review and planning-board and council votes. Camilo Espetia, deputy director of planning and development, and Segliano said implementation will require further public processes, funding, and decisions by multiple city bodies; the plan itself does not change zoning or create regulations.

Speakers repeatedly framed housing as a holistic challenge. Councilors asked about funding sources and whether "affordable" in the plan referred to subsidized, income-restricted units. Hayes replied that the plan uses the common programmatic definition of affordable as income-restricted housing (often 80 percent of area median income or below) and that the 3,150 goal is a top-line projection that would likely include a mix of ownership and rental units. He noted that 80 percent AMI corresponds to wages such as those of teachers or police officers in Lowell.

The presentation outlined next steps: the Housing Production Plan must be adopted by the Planning Board and the City Council and then submitted to the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities for a review period described in the presentation as 90 days. Hayes and Segliano emphasized that the plan is a roadmap for stakeholders — including developers, nonprofits, and city departments — and that implementation will require further studies, public engagement and funding decisions.

After questions and discussion, a member of the subcommittee moved to forward the Homes and Housing Plan to the full City Council for review and discussion; another member seconded the motion, the committee approved it by voice vote, and the meeting adjourned. The presentation materials and the full plan were listed by staff as available for review and will be part of the public record when the item appears before the City Council.

The subcommittee did not adopt zoning changes or funding allocations at the meeting; it referred the plan to the full council for additional review and action as needed.