Fitchburg looks to housing, arts to help revitalize downtown

In an effort to bring more residents downtown, Fitchburg has been developing housing and creating new arts and culture initiatives to help drive economic growth.

“The idea is, really broadly, we want more people living near downtown, and that’s part of what creates a healthy, revitalized neighborhood,” said Liz Murphy, the city’s executive director of community development and planning. “You have your built-in consumer base, then you have these businesses that start catering to that … base.”

Fitchburg’s downtown is almost a mile long and includes Fitchburg State University and the Fitchburg Art Museum. Even if five businesses open a storefront, Murphy said, there are still sections that can feel vacant.

An analysis conducted by the city a decade ago showed that the downtown was about 70% restricted to affordable housing, so city leaders began trying to incentivize market rate housing as well, making the downtown a Housing Development Incentive Program zone to take advantage of a subsidy for market rate housing available to Gateway Cities. The area is also a smart growth zone and an MBTA Communities zone.

“We really want to have a healthy mix of all types of housing here in Fitchburg,” Murphy said. “There are certainly plenty of areas where we do need to have more affordable housing. We want to have housing of all shapes and sizes.”

The city will also be working with neighboring Leominster on a regional housing production plan.

Murphy said the region’s needs have changed over the past few years. Since the COVID pandemic, more people have been buying property in Fitchburg after being priced out of other places — especially since Fitchburg is within range of Boston by car or Commuter Rail.

“For the folks that are trying to develop market rate housing, that was a real win, because it’s still just as expensive in Fitchburg to construct new housing or renovate as it is in the Boston area, but you can’t get the same kind of rents,” Murphy said. “[But] now some of our residents are struggling to find those units that they used to be able to find. … It’s a bit of a sticker shock.”

Partnerships with stakeholders have been vital to developing housing and pursuing opportunities to tie in art and cultural offerings.

One example is the $45 million redevelopment of the B.F. Brown School, alongside two other buildings, into artist-preferred affordable housing, a project that was first envisioned a decade ago by the director of the Fitchburg Art Museum, which is located across the street, and NewVue Communities Executive Director Marc Dohan.

“In Fitchburg, arts and culture are our everyday backdrop,” said Mayor Samantha Squailia. “Our cultural history tells our story and attracts investment, allowing us to make the connections to build a stronger local economy. Projects like the Fitchburg Arts Community and partnerships with cultural institutions like Fitchburg State University and the Fitchburg Art Museum, alongside private investment, are the catalyst we have seen turning historic buildings into creative hubs that fuel housing and entrepreneurship.

“We are revitalizing buildings, framing our identity — who we are and what we believe in — and cultivating a city where creativity, community and opportunity thrive together.”

In 2022 the city was selected to participate in the Transformative Development Initiative’s Creative Cities program, a two-year MassDevelopment program that provides funding for Gateway Cities to build creative infrastructure to support economic growth. The city’s program, led by the Fitchburg Art Museum, helped to create and strengthen the community partnerships.

“It all starts with sustainable partnerships — creating that coalition of stakeholders who are going to be in for the long haul, where you could talk about plans that may not come to fruition for five or 10 years,” Murphy said.

The city is now working to apply for its downtown to become a Cultural District.

The city has used Community Development Block Grant funds for public art installations, and a group of university professors opened a new art gallery, Gallery Marquee, across the street from city hall. A few new experiential businesses have also moved into downtown.

Murphy said the new art offerings have helped incentivize dining in the downtown area, and the city is looking to encourage businesses to engage in the arts and culture vibe.

The city has been at this work for more than a decade, Murphy said. A three-year, $400,000 Working Cities Challenge grant that concluded in 2018 focused on creating economic opportunities in a section of downtown, relying on a broad alliance of stakeholders, including the university and residents.

“So it is really just trying to create these layers of arts and culture,” Murphy said. “And then, as we’ve sort of set that table, other entities have started coming in, you know, and we still have a lot of work to do.”