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At Home in Greater Lowell
At Home in Greater Lowell is a ten-year regional housing strategy developed by the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NMCOG) in collaboration with its nine member municipalities. The planning process began in early 2023, following a regional survey conducted as a part of NMCOG’s strategic planning initiative. Representatives of the nine communities agreed: tackling the high cost of housing was a top priority. At the same time, local economic development organizations raised a critical question: what would a coordinated regional approach to housing look like? NMCOG launched At Home in Greater Lowell to answer that question.
NMCOG partnered with University of Massachusetts Amherst Donahue Institute (UMDI) to conduct a comprehensive regional housing needs assessment. NMCOG staff also conducted interviews with municipal planners, housing providers, and other key stakeholders to assess housing demand and the region’s capacity to respond. NMCOG followed this up by convening elected and appointed officials, nonprofit and for-profit housing experts, state agency representatives, and community members at three summits. From those conversations emerged At Home in Greater Lowell Part 1: a shared vision, six goals, and a set of 17 priority strategies. The strategies are envisioned as “big swings”: major programs or plans that could, over the course of ten years, make considerable progress on the region’s most pressing housing challenges.
At Home in Greater Lowell Part 2 will include an Implementation Guide and Toolkit, anticipated to be completed in 2026. During Part 2 planning, NMCOG is developing a "Regional Housing Accelerator," which is an committee of public and private agencies that will help implement recommendations and increase housing availability and affordability. NMCOG also plans to kick off a regional storytelling program to elevate under-told narratives and connect on-the-ground stories to the data and policies discussed in Part 1.
The Regional Goals and Strategies
At Home in Greater Lowell's vision is that,
All people in Greater Lowell will have a place to call home due to the range of affordable, available, and attainable housing choices. These choices will support physical and mental well-being for people at all stages of life. By 2035, the region will be prosperous and healthy through achievement of our six housing goals.
The vision statement offers a clear picture of the region’s aspirations by the year 2035. Developed early in the process, it provided direction for the planning that followed. It reflects three foundational principles that were emphasized by stakeholders:
- A realistic time horizon: At Home in Greater Lowell is a ten-year plan (2025-2035) designed to address housing challenges have been building for decades. A ten-year window allows for the creation of meaningful policies, time to observe their effects, and the ability to adjust course based on what works.
- Housing that supports health and well-being: This plan recognizes that “housing units” aren’t enough. Homes must be safe, secure, and supportive of both the physical and mental health of the individuals and families who live here.
- Options for every stage of life: The region must meet the needs of a diverse population, including young adults forming their first households, families in need of stable options near jobs and schools, and older residents seeking to downsize or age in place with dignity.
This vision serves as the foundation for the regional goals and strategies below. Click on each goal to learn about it, its tracking measures, and the strategies we intend to undertake to achieve that goal.
- Goal and Tracking Measures
- Strategy 1.1: Missing Middle Zoning
- Strategy 1.2: Adaptive Reuse Plan
- Strategy 1.3: Modular Housing Program
Goal: Increase the total number and type of safe, healthy, and environmentally-friendly homes so that people at any stage of life and income will be able to find a place to live.
Tracking Measures
- Number of New Homes
- Percent of homes that are 2+ family
Implement zoning changes that encourage the production of housing to meet current and future housing needs
Local Actions
Adopt zoning that allows “cottage style” single family developments on small lots by right in key geographies
- Adopt zoning that allows “missing middle” homes such as two-family, three-family, townhomes, or multifamily
- Identify and adjust barriers to the permitting process
Regional Actions
- Create toolkit that will assist communities in adopting new zoning
- Prioritize DLTA and other assistance for projects that amend zoning or other housing policies to increase housing capacity in key areas
Develop a regional adaptive reuse plan including identification of buildings, marketing, and funding for site readiness
Local Actions
- Identify viable reuse sites during planning process.
- Participate in predevelopment assistance and marketing program.
Regional Actions
- Seek funding for a regional plan that identifies viable reuse sites and barriers to redevelopment.
- As plan is completed, connect those sites with needed predevelopment assistance to remove those barriers.
- After plan is completed, regionally market the list of viable sites to developers across the state.
Study barriers to modular or panelized housing, create strategies to overcome them, and advocate for allowing modular housing in state and federal programs
Local Actions
- Participate in recommendations, which may include pilot programs, zoning adjustments, or advocacy
Regional Actions
- Seek examples of attractive, functional, and cost-effective modular housing
- Seek funding to study barriers within the region to modular housing
- Determine methods to overcome those barriers, including evaluating pilot programs, policy change at local or state levels, or pre-approving certain designs
- Study models of supporting local fabrication of modular and panelized housing
- Goal and Tracking Measures
- Strategy 2.1: TOD Master Plans
- Strategy 2.2: Traditional Neighborhood Program
Goal: Increase the number of homes in places that are climate-resilient with access to public transportation, employment, basic services, and amenities essential for daily life.
Tracking Measures
- Mode-shift away from single occupancy vehicles
- Percent of new homes that are within 1/2 mile of transit
Develop Transit Oriented Development (TOD) master plans around current or future commuter rail stations, including advocacy for expanded service and feasibility studies.
Local Actions
- Participate in planning processes and assist with advocacy
Regional Actions
- Work with Lowell, Billerica, and Tyngsborough to implement MBTA Communities zoning
- Undertake projects in each community to create a master plan that envisions desired development and identifies barriers to that development
- Include feasibility study of residential development and additional rail service
- Develop an advocacy plan for the extension of commuter rail service in both frequency and geographic extent to Tyngsborough
Develop a competitive “Traditional Complete Neighborhood” technical assistance program for neighborhoods that could support pedestrians, bicycles, and/or bus transit
Local Actions
- Apply for technical assistance grants and participate in program
Regional Actions
- Identify a funding source to create a new program to provide 1-2 technical assistance programs per year for “Traditional Complete Neighborhoods”
- Assistance could include zoning studies, transportation studies, market/feasibility studies, or preliminary design work to improve neighborhoods of a certain density, create traditional “village-style” patterns, and provide stronger multimodal transportation connections
- Goal and Tracking Measures
- Strategy 3.1: Regional Housing Services Office
- Strategy 3.2: Inclusionary Zoning Market Studies
- Strategy 3.3: Expand Homebuyer Programs
Goal: Provide housing stability for current and future residents by creating and maintaining homes that affordably meet their needs, therefore ensuring access and ability to stay within communities of opportunity.
Tracking Measures
- Number of subsidized units on the Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI)
- Percent of housing cost burdened households
Develop a region-wide housing services office to inventory, evaluate, and communicate actual affordable housing inventory and anti-displacement programs
Local Actions
- Provide existing documentation of SHI units
- Provide ongoing funding to RHSO
Regional Actions
- Identify funding to create and maintain a region-wide inventory of not only SHI units, but the affordability levels, waitlist status, and other important data for each community
- Develop a Regional Housing Service Office (RHSO) to monitor, administer, and assist in preservation and expansion of number of SHI units
Complete market studies to evaluate and create or update inclusionary zoning or incentive zoning sections
Local Actions
- Undertake market studies to determine thresholds and affordable unit percentages of developments that the current market could support
- Develop and implement zoning that either requires a certain proportion of units to be affordable or provides reasonable density bonuses if affordable units are provided, either within an overlay or town-wide
Regional Actions
- Create customizable tools and model zoning to assist communities in completing market studies and updating or creating new zoning
- Prioritize DLTA and other assistance for projects that are designed to utilize market studies to craft Inclusionary Zoning or Incentive Zoning that would increase the number of affordable units without impacting housing production
Work with state and federal partners to create low- or no-interest mortgages and expand first-time homebuying programs (including rent-to-own programs)
Local Actions
- Utilize toolkit to expand knowledge about first-time homebuyer programs to young people and renters
- Work with developers to create rent-to-own (RTO) units
Regional Actions
- Provide an educational toolkit about first-time homebuyer programs
- Provide an educational toolkit about rent-to-own programs
- Assist in advocacy to expand statewide first-time homebuyer mortgage programs like ONE Mortgage
- Goal and Tracking Measures
- Strategy 4.1: Data Dashboard
- Strategy 4.2: Collaborate with Providers
- Strategy 4.3: Site Permanent Supportive Housing
Goal: Eliminate housing insecurity through the strengthening of diversion and emergency shelter systems and the long-term creation and preservation of homes appropriate for chronically unhoused residents and individuals.
Tracking Measures
- Unsheltered point-in-time count
- Number of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)
Create and maintain a data dashboard
Local Actions
- Provide data for dashboard as needed and available
Regional Actions
- Create and host a regional dashboard to collect and report data on unhoused individuals and families in the region
- Streamline data collection and reporting through the data dashboard
- Track progress and change, and advertise and communicate that data to both policymakers and the public
Collaboratively develop proposals to reduce red tape, identify funding gaps, and request additional funding
Local Actions
- Share education about legal, financial, and service resources to community members
- Participate in working groups
Regional Actions
- Develop working groups made up of service providers and state entities to identify areas of collaboration
- Identify redundancies and inefficiencies in requirements and work with state offices to determine ways to reduce or eliminate those inefficiencies
- Evaluate impacts of moving to balance of state CoC
- Emphasize discussion of preventative strategies such as eviction prevention services
- Consider the Massachusetts Alliance for Supportive Housing triage and assessment tool to identify the most vulnerable individuals
- Develop funding proposals appropriate for grants and federal/state programs
Identify sites for permanent supportive housing in each community and connect those with providers, funding, and zoning relief
Local Actions
- Identify municipal or private land ideal for PSH
- Provide zoning relief as necessary for PSH
Regional Actions
- Identify municipal-owned land or private land with owners interested in selling that could support multifamily or cottage-style Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) or other deed-restricted affordable housing developments
- Identify developers, providers, and funding that can create these units, including gap funding to purchase and convert market-rate buildings into multifamily
- Create toolkit materials to assist communities in providing zoning relief necessary for key sites
- Goal and Tracking Measures
- Strategy 5.1: Storytelling Program
- Strategy 5.2: Fair Housing Training Program
- Strategy 5.3: Tenant and Landlord Support
Goal: Foster inclusive communities and affirmatively further fair housing in every neighborhood in our region while communicating equitably and effectively across the region
Tracking Measures
- Engagement metrics on media campaigns
- Number of participants in trainings
Advance a region-wide storytelling program to combat misinformation and raise awareness for both housing challenges and well-researched solutions
Local Actions
- Assist in finding storytellers and venues
- Promote videos, events, and stories to residents, businesses, and partners
Regional Actions
- Seek funding to advance storytelling program
- Play a convener role to develop storytellers and new storytelling venues-- including in-person events, social media, and traditional media--linking policy and positive economic development, fiscal, and human outcomes
Develop a regional fair housing training program and require participation for all land use boards and committee members (planning boards and zoning boards)
Local Actions
- Adopt policy or bylaw that requires members of land use boards to attend training at regular intervals
Regional Actions
- Develop, potentially with statewide partners, a regional fair housing training program that is offered at least annually, but potentially several times each year
- Seek funding for program
Create or expand programs to provide housing counseling, financial literacy education, and housing readiness for residents and those seeking to live in the region
Local Actions
- Promote educational offerings to local owners and residents
Regional Actions
- Expand and publicize educational resources from Community Teamwork, Inc, the Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership, and local lenders
- Create and offer training for landlords to accept vouchers
- Goal and Tracking Measures
- Strategy 6.1: Housing Accelerator Committee
- Strategy 6.2: Construction Loan Guarantee Program
- Strategy 6.3: Regional Infrastructure Growth Plan
Goal: Create and sustain long-term funding sources and partnerships – across agencies, municipalities, organizations, and advocates – to advance the other goals of this plan, reduce barriers to housing production including infrastructure, and support region-wide coordination on local housing policies.
Tracking Measures
- Number of dollars granted for homes or infrastructure supporting homes in region
Create a Greater Lowell Housing Supply Accelerator
Local Actions
- Participate in Housing Accelerator activities
Regional Actions
- Identify partners to implement this plan through the creation of a Housing Accelerator
- Create a steering committee, engage core partners, and provide materials for outside partners
- Develop opportunities to involve residents to shape development decisions
- Weave partnership into annual summit structure with awards
Create a new guarantee program leveraging support from local and regional financial institutions
Local Actions
- Advocate and support at the local level
Regional Actions
- Work with financial institutions to develop an LDFC-like partnership that could utilize federal or impact investor dollars to guarantee low-interest or risky loans
- Create a framework for targeting those funds such as infill development, development with workforce units, development in certain areas, etc.
- Work or support others’ work to reach out to potential funding sources to fund the guarantee program
Conduct a study, and complete and implement a plan to expand small-scale or regional sewer capacity and energy infrastructure
Local Actions
- Partner and participate in regional planning
Regional Actions
- Create a dataset of existing wastewater infrastructure
- In partnership with local governments and other relevant stakeholders, identify opportunities for expanding wastewater infrastructure
- Evaluate possibility of small-scale area package treatment plants for multiple multifamily developments in town centers or other traditional complete neighborhoods
- Seek funding to implement opportunities
Learn About our Previous Summits!
Since 2023, NMCOG has facilitated annual convenings of elected and appointed officials, housing professionals from finance to construction, municipal and nonprofit staff, and community members to discuss housing issues. NMCOG held two summits in 2024 in addition to the annual housing summit to develop the At Home in Greater Lowell strategies. Learn about all three 2024 summits below!
During the evening of November 7, 2024, Ideas to Action brought together nearly ninety representatives of the housing continuum from finance and development, to elected officials and policy makers, to service providers.
Download the draft strategies discussed at Ideas to Action (PDF).
Download the general presentation (PDF).
The event included:
- Keynote Address
Ed Augustus, Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities - Municipal Financial Impacts
Doug Howgate, President of Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation - Effective Communication and Engagement
Whitney Demetrius, Director of Fair Housing and Municipal Engagement and Sadé Ratliff, MEI and Fair Housing Associate of Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) - Audience Questions and Answers
Whitney Demetrius, Doug Howgate and Sadé Ratliff, panelists, and Jenny Raitt, Moderator
The summit ended with the results of the year-long process to create a housing strategy for the Greater Lowell region, including breakout groups in which participants discussed the strategies and collaboration across the region on implementation. High-level takeaways included:
- The possibility of considering modular housing and innovative financing mechanisms for affordable housing in the strategies;
- The critical need for public outreach and education to break down misconceptions and build consensus toward solutions; and
- The need for additional resources for organizations serving the most vulnerable populations, including housing-insecure and unhoused populations.
Many participants re-emphasized the need for progress on all six goals to move forward in unison - all are necessary to tackle the housing challenges the region faces. That said, the most important feedback was the need to begin implementation! The challenge is great, and the need to act is urgent.
See an executive summary (PDF) of notes for each group, along with the verbatim transcript of notes taken on tearpads in the groups.
Our second summit focused on confirming goal language and developing and prioritizing strategies to achieve those goals. Nearly eighty people representing each municipality in Greater Lowell attended.
Download the presentation from our Strategies Summit 1 (PDF) that includes a housing needs assessment and the draft goals.
Take the Strategies Survey to build upon the work at the second summit.
Our first summit focused on visioning, the creation of goals, and setting research questions for the planning process. Over eighty elected officials, board members, experts in housing, public and nonprofit staff, and residents participated.
Download the presentation from our Kick-off Summit (PDF) that includes more information about the housing strategy and from our guest panelists.
Review the meeting summary from our Kick-off Summit (PDF), including transcripts of vision, goals, and questions from four breakout groups.
Plan Elements and Timeline
At Home in Greater Lowell has several major goals:
- Move housing discussions and decisions into an equity and fair housing framework.
- Connect housing goals with economic development goals.
- Identify and advocate for the resources communities need to meet housing types and production goals.
- Find the unique role each community can play in addressing the housing shortage.
It will do this through three major elements:
- Data: Measurable, achievable benchmarks for each community based on data and community in; goals for the region and each community's contribution toward those goals; and strategies to achieve the goals.
- Stories: Personal stories from residents and organizations about housing challenges and successes. These narratives will connect faces and stories to the data, and can live beyond the project.
- Tools: Implementation toolkits for staff, communities, boards, committees, leaders, and residents enact the strategies. These tools will include educational materials to assist in building support for strategies and will develop a "common language" to use in housing discussions.
The first phase of At Home in Greater Lowell defined six goals and seventeen strategies through data analysis and extensive public outreach. The second phase of work, currently underway, focuses on:
- Undertaking a second annual housing summit (Fall 2025) that brings together housing professionals, municipal officials, and other stakeholders to build momentum toward implementation
- Beginning implementation of two critical “first step” strategies:
- Forming a regional housing accelerator composed of government, nonprofit, and private for-profit representatives throughout the permitting, financing, and building process, which would refine and guide implementation of other strategies
- Undertaking a regional storytelling program which would result in a portfolio of housing stories from a variety of perspectives, including those who are unhoused, seeking affordable housing, housing providers, housing advocates, seniors, and middle-income individuals, connecting stories with specific strategies
- Developing a foundation for the other fifteen strategies through additional outreach, scoping, data analysis and planning
- Completing the creation and testing of municipal toolkits for several strategies that include public education materials and materials supporting municipal staff such as model zoning or step-by-step guides
The deliverables of the last two activities above will be collated into a Phase 2 report, At Home in Greater Lowell Part 2: Implementation Guide and Toolkit. At Home in Greater Lowell Part 1 and Part 2, together, will integrate data-driven analysis, educational resources, and community storytelling to provide a comprehensive and actionable plan. At Home in Greater Lowell goes beyond a standard regional housing strategy as it includes holistic actions that are intended to kick-start implementation.
Join Our Mailing List
Sign up for the mailing list to receive updates on the plan and opportunities to join. This will include storytelling sessions and the date of our final summit.