What is Transit-Oriented Development?

Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a form of development that locates people and destinations near public transportation centers. This decreases the dependency on driving to reach all destinations. By locating housing and employment near nodes on a transit network, TOD development allows people to use transit for a higher portion of daily travel trips. Furthermore, the mix of uses around each transit station will allow TOD users to rely on walking trips as well as transit trips to reach destinations. Transit-oriented development is actually pedestrian-oriented development, with pedestrian-oriented centers of development around transit stations throughout a region. Each of these centers can be denser development than the surrounding community, while the remainder of the community need not have as much density of development.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is focusing on transit-oriented development as a way to address the demand for housing in Massachusetts while saving additional suburban and rural land from additional subdivisions. TOD will focus development into compact sites where existing infrastructure is available, to allow for growth while protecting open space elsewhere.

In Lowell, there are limited fixed transit route options. Yet the Gallagher Terminal offers an opportunity for a transit-oriented development location that will provide the opportunity for users to access the rail and bus connections to reach points in Boston and throughout greater Lowell without the need for an automobile.

TOD development will allow Lowell to continue to grow without significant additional automobile dependence. Housing and office space near transit stations are appealing for commuters looking to locate outside the high-priced Boston real estate market. But, pedestrian accessibility to transit is a key to successful TOD. Therefore, the City will look for partners in creating public infrastructure improvement to enhance the pedestrian amenities around the Terminal.

TOD will not remove the overall demand for cars in Lowell. Most people living in a TOD development will still have a car and use it for many trips. But, if the TOD can reduce the need for car trips to work for some workers, and reduce the need for car trips to do some daily shopping and recreation, it will provide a little bit more relief to the crowded roadways.

TOD and the City of Lowell Comprehensive Master Plan

The Comprehensive Master Plan identifies the area around the Gallagher Terminal as an area that can absorb higher-density residential and mixed-use development. This area would be a location where residents would have pedestrian access to the terminal as well as to the amenities of downtown Lowell. It identifies a number of action steps to achieve this goal:

• Create design-based zoning to permit higher density residential and mixed-use development within walking distance of the Terminal.
• Enhance the pedestrian connection from the Terminal to nearby development sites, particularly the connection across a redesigned and rebuilt Lord Overpass
• Amend the JAM Urban Renewal plan to encourage mixed-use development in the Hamilton Canal area between the Gallagher Terminal and Downtown Lowell.
• Secure support from the state Office of Commonwealth Development to focus state transportation and environmental resources on Lowell projects with strong transit accessibility.

Lowell development projects as TOD

Essentially, much of the development in and around downtown Lowell is TOD. The renovation of mills and downtown structures allows for people to live within a reasonable walk of transit and many amenities. TOD in Lowell will become more appealing by improving the quality of the walk between downtown Lowell and the Terminal. There are two key strategies to doing this:

1. The improvement of public infrastructure including pedestrian sidewalks and amenities between downtown Lowell and the Terminal, with a particular focus on the Lord Overpass area.
2. Development of the JAM area between downtown and the Terminal into a more pedestrian-friendly mixed-use community.

Developing new TOD opportunities in Lowell

A number of locations in Lowell have the potential to provide for new TOD development. The City of Lowell is pursuing the most significant opportunity in the Hamilton Canal District area of the JAM Urban Renewal District. The Hamilton Canal District is an 18-acre site that forms the link between the Gallagher Terminal and downtown Lowell. This site will be transformed through a design-based master development into an extension of downtown Lowell that includes housing, office and retail space. The Hamilton Canal District includes the area that is at the end of Middlesex and Jackson Streets closest to the terminal, as well as the existing site of the Freudenburg plant. This area has numerous opportunities for new development and renovations that will take advantage of the canal views, the access to downtown, and the convenient connections to the Gallagher Terminal. Upgrades will also be planned for pedestrian and vehicle access over and through the Lord Overpass, to allow for an easier connection between the terminal and the new development sites.