We usually associate MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, with the remarkable transformation of the former Fort Devens into a business-empowerment zone.
However, it also serves as economic engines in other sections of the state, including older urban areas inhabited by lower-income populations.
Fitchburg and Lowell, two cities that generally fit that description, again will soon benefit from one of MassDevelopment’s targeted assistance programs.
They’ve been named as two of six Gateway Cities to receive on-the-ground, economic-development support from MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative, a competitive program designed for specific downtown neighborhoods or commercial districts.
The Transformative Development Initiative, one of MassDevelopment’s signature economic-development programs, is based on community engagement and partnership development.
Participation in the program will give the part of the municipality designated as a TDI district access to MassDevelopment employees with economic development expertise, as well as other benefits, including technical assistance and grants.
These TDI fellows will be assigned to newly designated districts within Fitchburg, Lowell and the cities of Chelsea, Holyoke, Malden and Peabody.
These communities will have access to a range of tools to help accelerate development, according to a press release Monday from MassDevelopment.
“The Transformative Development Initiative has helped Gateway Cities across the commonwealth spur economic growth, revitalize neighborhoods, and position communities and residents for long-term success,” stated state Sen. John Cronin, a Fitchburg Democrat and co-chair of the Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus.
This will be the second time Fitchburg and Lowell have taken part in the TDI, with Lowell’s initial TDI set to conclude later this year, while Fitchburg’s prior cycle started in 2018.
MassDevelopment spokesperson Kelsey Schiller said Lowell’s new TDI district will focus on the Highlands neighborhood commonly known as Cambodia Town, with an anchor around Middlesex Street and stretching down to School Street.
Lowell’s current TDI district centers around The Acre.
Known as The Acre Partnership, that first TDI included business improvement programs and other assistance for small businesses in that section of the city, like Taste the Acre, in addition to providing equipment upgrades to the businesses.
“The district also delivered more pedestrian-friendly spaces, including the shared outdoor patio used by Tasty Dumplings and Eclipse Café (supported by a TDI Equity grant), and helped facilitate the redevelopment of the long-vacant Royal Theater at 484 Merrimack Street,” said Schiller.
“Along the corridor, nine new public art installations by local and regional artists were completed. Together, these efforts advanced a shared goal: building a more vibrant, walkable commercial corridor connecting Downtown Lowell, the Acre, and UMass Lowell’s LINC redevelopment on East Campus.”
Lowell Mayor Erik Gitschier said in a statement Lowell’s inclusion in the initiative again “represents a major investment in one of Lowell’s most vibrant and culturally significant neighborhoods.”
Added Gitschier: “Cambodia Town is an essential part of our city’s identity and economy.”
In the next three years, the city will get support for multiple priorities in Cambodia Town, including small businesses, improvements to the physical connections between the Gallagher Terminal and the Hamilton Canal Innovation District, and culturally significant investments into the neighborhood.
Fitchburg
Fitchburg’s first Transformative Development Initiative concentrated on areas around Main Street.
According to Mayor Samantha Squailia, this funding round will focus on the Water Street corridor, from Main and Water streets at Boulder Drive to the intersection of Bemis and Wanoosoc Roads.
“The Water Street Corridor is a gateway area that connects residents and small businesses to downtown, MBTA / MART Intermodal Transit Center, and the Twin Cities Rail Trail,” said Squailia in a statement Tuesday.
“This initiative is going to be a perfect transformative connective force for the work we’ve been pushing on corridor improvements, small business support, and creating strong connections between key assets like the Rail Trail, the Fifth Street bridge, nearby parks, and our broader downtown.”
Squailia said Fitchburg will work with businesses and organizations along the corridor like Coff33 Corp., NewVue Communities, Fitchburg Housing Authority, Fitchburg State University, MART, the Twin Cities Rail Trail Association, WPKZ, and the North Central Massachusetts Chamber.
She said a full map of the district will be made available as MassDevelopment unveils details of the process for each city, along with a work plan and early projects for the district.
Fitchburg’s inclusion in the initiative will also allow the city “to build on a recent $850K award from directed federal spending from Congresswoman (Lori) Trahan’s office, a $100K state grant from our local legislative delegation, and a Water Street Corridor Study we recently completed in 2025,” added Squailia.
For Fitchburg and Lowell, this second bite from the TDI apple reflects an affirmation of the strides both cities have and will continue to make in enhancing their commercial and residential appeal.
That’s seen in the Fitchburg Housing Authority’s progress in the modernization and preservation of its state-aided public housing portfolio, where an estimated $112 million will have been invested across over 138 projects by the end of 2027.
And of course, in Lowell, that’s the goal of the UMass Lowell-led LINC project, an $880 million initiative to create a high-tech hub with state-of-the-art amenities, including high-end housing and leisure-time outlets.
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