$800 Million Project to Bring New Commercial Research and Office Space, Housing and More

Gov. Maura Healey at the podium with Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll in background
Gov. Maura Healey, right, and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll visited campus to announce the project and pledge financial support from the state.

06/14/2024
By Jill Gambon

On one side, the curving Merrimack River frames a swath of the city that stretches from the tip of UMass Lowell’s East Campus to the edge of downtown Lowell. The area, which is dotted with renovated mill buildings, historic canals, student housing and athletic facilities, shops and restaurants, hosts both vestiges of Lowell’s Industrial Age past and its vibrant present as home to a national research university. It is also ground zero for Lowell’s future. 
Welcome to the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor, or LINC, a public-private venture that plans to add over 1 million square feet of new lab and office space, hundreds of units of housing, new retail and entertainment venues and thousands of jobs. The ambitious plan promises to propel downtown Lowell into a bustling center of cutting-edge businesses and updated amenities for an expanded workforce.
“This is nothing short of a transformational economic development project for Lowell, the region and Massachusetts,” Gov. Maura Healey said at a March 28 press conference at UMass Lowell to announce the development.
Rendering of street view of new Lowell Innovation Network Corridor project
An artist’s rendering of proposed mixed-use retail and housing along Riverwalk Way. 
The $800 million-plus project is being spearheaded by UMass Lowell, the UMass Building Authority and the city of Lowell, with significant support from Healey’s administration and the federal delegation. Private developers GMH Communities and Wexford are partnering with the university on the development and have committed to investing about $600 million. 
The project is expected to generate over $3.7 billion in economic activity and create 2,000 permanent jobs over the next decade. It will also create 1,300 construction jobs and result in nearly 500 units of new rental housing in Lowell and a new student residence hall. It will also create several million dollars in new annual property tax revenues for the city.  
A cornerstone of the LINC development will be two new commercial buildings on East Campus, one of which will be the future home of Draper Laboratory’s microelectronics division. This will create hundreds of new jobs in Lowell.   
The project “has been a long time coming,” says University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan ’78, who started the process of acquiring property related to the LINC development while he was chancellor of UMass Lowell and who has remained engaged in those efforts as president. “The combination of a welcoming community like my hometown, a world-class public research university and an industry-leading employer like Draper—all supported by strategic state investment—will bring enormous economic benefits to the city of Lowell and its residents.”  
In addition to Healey and Meehan, joining Chancellor Julie Chen for the LINC announcement were Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, UMBA Executive Director Barbara Kroncke, Lowell City Manager Thomas A. Golden Jr. ’94, ’02, Draper President and CEO Jerry Wohletz and local officials, business owners and nonprofit leaders.  
Aerial of LINC area highlighting the four phases of the project
The locations and phases of LINC. 

Economic Impact

  • $3.7B
    in economic activity
    generated over the next decade, according to the Donahue Institute
  • $800M+
    total projected cost
    (76% of which is private investment)
  • 1,300
    construction jobs
  • $4M-$6M
    annual tax revenue
LINC is already supported by companies in such sectors as biotech and biomedical devices, robotics, electronics, sensors, climate-tech, space technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and hu-man performance, many of which will be tenants at the Wannalancit Business Center for “Phase 0,” in advance of new construction. 
The buildout of commercial laboratory and office space will accommodate companies that are collaborating with UMass Lowell researchers and that employ students and alumni, Chen says. The new housing will help keep highly skilled professionals in Lowell and expand options for living within walking distance to work for those employed in the area. 
“UMass Lowell has a wide range of top-tier faculty expertise, and we partner with organizations across many different industries,” says Chen. “Thanks to the Healey-Driscoll administration and partners like Draper, UMass Lowell will be able to dramatically scale up research around aerospace, human performance, advanced textiles, robotics, sensors and many other sectors that will bring a diversity of education and job opportunities to Lowell.”  
The development will roll out in phases, with the groundbreaking for the new housing and commercial space slated for next year. Chen says momentum has already started building.
“We’re going to generate clusters of companies in different fields,” she said. “They’re going to offer great jobs, for everyone from high school graduates to CEOs. And that has a multiplier effect: Once you have people with great jobs and there’s a wide range of housing options, that’s going to help restaurants and retail and nonprofits and arts and entertainment.” 

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East Campus Impacts

  • 490+
    new housing units
  • 2,000
    permanent jobs
  • 1.2M
    square feet of labs, office space, housing, restaurants, retail and entertainment venues
  • 461
    new beds in student housing