Lowell City Council Approves $421,900 Transfer, Passes Drug Buffer Zone Resolution

LOWELL -- October 28, 2025, Lowell City Council backs UMass Link update, school safety push, and drug buffer zone resolution in unanimous votes. The 11-member council voted 11-0 on multiple items at its October 28 meeting, including a $421,900 overlay surplus transfer for FY27 property value recertification and a resolution demanding the state legislature restore local control over substance-free buffer zones near schools and parks under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 94C, Section 32J. UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen presented progress on the Link innovation district, an $800 million project projected to create roughly 2,000 permanent jobs and 490 housing units, highlighting a newly announced $25 million state investment in a Draper microelectronics building and a $5 million Mass Tech Collaborative award for a human performance center at 110 Canal Street. Parents Felicita Espinal and a second community member addressed the council directly about student violence at Lowell High School, prompting City Manager Thomas Golden to confirm that a school security audit has been completed and that an interagency meeting would begin the following day. The council also directed Golden to write to state officials seeking evaluation of Tewksbury State Hospital as a possible homeless shelter relocation site, after a motion response revealed 606 arrests and 18,087 officer call-offs in a downtown zone between March and September 2025.