The Architectural Heritage Foundation (AHF), a non-profit developer with an expertise in the creative rehabilitation of historic structures, commissioned Utile to study the physical and economic implications of acquiring several contiguous mill buildings on an island in downtown Lawrence, Massachusetts. AHF had already purchased and was converting one of the buildings in the complex, Washington Mills, into a 78-unit residential development.  Utile collaborated with AHF to study the feasibility and implications of acquiring three additional mill buildings and a large open space on the island.

A comprehensive planning methodology was devised that combined economic analysis, physical planning, regulatory issues, and a marketing/branding strategy.   This methodology enabled the full spectrum of issues to be addressed simultaneously as a way to elucidate the benefits and challenges of different development options.  Utile did rapid prototyping of ‘what if’ development scenarios to inform real estate pro formas, to establish a regulatory approval strategy, and to inform the creation of a compelling development concept.

Central to the planning was an analysis of the parking capacity of the site at several phases of development and for different development scenarios (office, residential and retail).  Since all of the mill buildings look into a central open space that would need to meet most of the parking needs, a parking landscaping strategy was developed that would provide a visual amenity to future residential units and office space in the floors above.  In addition, this parking landscape was conceived within a broader sustainable design agenda.