Sustainable Lowell 2025, the City’s previous Comprehensive Master Plan, was completed and officially adopted in 2013. The Sustainability Plan established long-term policies and a shared vision for smart, responsible development within the city. Working with the community, the Plan’s vision was based upon the following principles: Livability, Place-making, Longevity and Responsibility.

The City of Lowell has outlined goals to make transportation decisions leading toward a multimodal future. Cities and mobility trends are changing rapidly spurring the momentum to establish a clear, action oriented, and inspiring vision for mobility in Lowell. Lowell’s ambitious vision builds on ongoing efforts happening within the City in addition to the existing infrastructure and community assets. To understand the experience of living and moving through Lowell today, this Plan includes an analysis of mobility data, an understanding of previous and ongoing projects and planning efforts, and input provided from stakeholders and the public throughout the project.

The City of Lowell completed a comprehensive citywide parking study in 2021. Recommendations from this study aimed to help the city better manage parking demand, introduce more user-friendly practices into the parking system, ensure pricing for on-street parking, garage passcards, and residential permits reflect system costs, and incorporate a greater degree of fairness and equity into our parking policies.

The Hamilton Canal District Master Plan envisions a vibrant, mixed-use district that is well-connected to transit. Development in the area will support additional tax revenue and create opportunities for economic development and affordable housing production.