Lowell planning board recommends rezoning River’s Edge to allow 16 duplex condominiums

The Lowell Planning Board on March 3 recommended that the City Council rezone land in the River’s Edge neighborhood from suburban multifamily to the traditional two-family zoning district, a nonbinding move intended to allow 16 duplex buildings with a total of 32 units.

The recommendation, which the board approved 5-0, would restore the final phase of the long-running River’s Edge residential development to a lower-density plan proponents said better matches the existing neighborhood and the developer’s financing model. The City Council is scheduled to consider the rezoning on March 11; the planning board’s vote is advisory only.

John Gary, attorney for Residence First Development Corporation, told the planning board the applicant owns a roughly 12.5-acre parcel at the rear of the River’s Edge development and is seeking the rezoning so the last phase can be built as 16 duplex-style buildings. “We are respectfully re requesting a positive recommendation to the city council,” Gary said, summarizing the request and noting developer and staff support.

The board heard that the wider zoning change language presented by staff referenced parcels totaling about 25.5 acres in the River’s Edge area; Gary described the applicant’s portion as approximately 12.5 acres. The proposed final phase would join the existing River’s Edge development, which the applicant described as containing 67 single-family homes and 37 duplex homes already built.

Brian Malisey, project civil engineer with Haley Ward, said the conceptual layout closely follows previously approved plans and that utilities would largely remain unchanged. He said the project team plans to substitute a subsurface stormwater system for a previously proposed open detention basin and that “there is some talk…about whether we’re gonna provide a little bit of room for a playground,” though details of any amenity, ownership, or maintenance remain to be determined.

Board members and staff told the applicant they supported the lower-density plan. Planning staff (DPD) provided written comments supportive of the request, and the city solicitor has opined the rezoning would not constitute spot zoning, the applicant said. The attorney also said the change would likely require amending special legislation tied to the project before final buildout.

Several board members noted the project’s long history. Board members commended Residence First and volunteers who led the effort; John Gary singled out Diane Silva, the longtime president and treasurer of Residence First, as a key contributor to the development’s progress.

Board discussion emphasized that the proposed duplexes would be offered as condominium units to be sold as owner-occupied, and that the units are income-restricted at varying levels. The applicant said a denser, multifamily approach previously approved in 2020 proved impractical for this income-restricted development, prompting the return to two-family zoning.

The planning board’s formal action was a motion to issue a positive recommendation to the City Council. The motion carried 5 in favor, none opposed. The board’s recommendation is advisory; the City Council will make the final zoning decision at its March 11 meeting.

If the council approves the rezoning, the applicant said it will return to the planning board with final design plans and with more details about stormwater, open space, and maintenance responsibilities. Several questions remained open at the March 3 meeting, including exact parcel acreage to be rezoned (both the 25.5-acre figure in the public notice and the applicant’s reference to about 12.5 acres were discussed), the ownership/maintenance plan for common areas, and the precise text of any required state legislative amendment.

Votes at a glance: Motion to recommend rezoning River’s Edge parcels from suburban multifamily to traditional two-family — Motion carried, 5 in favor, 0 opposed (nonbinding recommendation to City Council).