Resident urges council not to sell ARPA-funded parcel, raises development and traffic safety concerns

Candy Thunderberg, a Lowell resident who said she served eight consecutive years on the council, used the public-comment period to apologize for her conduct at a prior meeting and to press multiple concerns to the Lowell City Council.

Thunderberg enumerated a list of upcoming residential developments, saying the combined projects will produce roughly 777 new homes (she cited River Heights Town Homes, L Woods, Spencer Ridge, Grove Street Town Homes, Lowry Lane and smaller parcels). She said the additional housing will increase tax revenue and argued that the city should not sell the city-owned parcel bought with ARPA funds that she said had been envisioned as the site for a new city hall and police station: “I hope you guys don’t really think about selling that property,” she said, adding that selling it raises the question of where a new civic complex would be relocated.

City Manager Tyler told the council he had been approached about purchasing the parcel but recommended the city keep the property for a future downtown city hall and police station, saying the sale of the city hall and police station properties could be used to fund redevelopment downtown while preserving a municipal site for a civic complex. Tyler asked that the council table item 6C until absent members could attend and review the matter.

Councilmember Mr. Smith urged starting rezoning efforts along Church Street to encourage commercial redevelopment, and he pushed for traffic improvements at the Church Street/Aberdine area, citing multiple crashes and limited sight lines. The mayor said the city and staff had contacted the developer to remove vegetation obstructing sight lines and noted a reconstruction and realignment project is in planning that could address longer-term concerns.

Thunderberg also criticized tax-incentive arrangements for North Point, saying many benefits flowed to property owners rather than tenants and contending that some neighborhood homeowners had suffered property-value declines and increased truck traffic. She said, “there’s nothing there that’s going to benefit us,” urging the council to “use common sense” about future zoning and safety features.

During the discussion, speakers raised questions about the city’s authority on state-maintained roads and the process for requesting traffic-control devices from state DOT. A council member asked whether recent vegetation removal reduced crash risk; the chief responded that driver behavior and failure to stop are major contributing factors and noted existing traffic-calming features on other streets.

Thunderberg also alleged that county pressure had affected the volunteer fire department, referencing a county official by name; council members debated whether the matter had been rushed and said budget and staffing details should be worked through before decisions are made.

The meeting later lost quorum before additional public comments could be completed; officials said cameras and formal actions would be paused while they listened to attendees but that no official action could occur without a quorum.

Next steps: Council tabled item 6C to the next meeting to allow full membership to participate in the property-sale discussion and asked staff to provide budget numbers and more detailed timelines.