Lowell Planning Board Denies East Merrimack Street Unit Expansion Over Parking

LOWELL — October 6, 2025 — Lowell Planning Board rejects East Merrimack Street unit conversion for lack of parking, 3-2. The board denied a site plan application by Ed and Unice Ziegler to convert a three-unit property at 239 East Merrimack Street to four units, finding the applicants could not meet off-street parking requirements under zoning section 6.1. Civil engineer Paul Campbell presented the application and argued that a lease for four spaces at an adjacent auto service business satisfied the requirement, but board Chair Jeremy Laham and others noted the lease expired in December, no special permit for a parking reduction had been filed, and the building department had already flagged an unpermitted unit added during construction. "We have a lease that expires in two months," Laham said. "If they were concerned about that, they could have brought a lease agreement with us tonight." A neighbor, Gail DJ Geraldo of 249 East Merrimack Street, testified in opposition, citing hospital traffic, Immaculate School bus activity, and chronic street congestion. The board separately approved, 5-0, a site plan for cannabis delivery operator Boston Budrunners LLC at 70 West Street and a special permit for Scaff Realty LLC to convert the 1891 Mammoth Road fire station into three residential units.