At a meeting of the Joint Boards of Selectmen (JBOS) Vicksburg Square Subcommittee on Dec. 2, MassDevelopment Executive Vice President Richard Montuori said that he wants to bypass the approval process defined in Chapter 498 in regard to proposed redevelopment of Vicksburg Square. “We want to make zoning easier than with 498 and not have to go to special town meetings,” he said.
Chapter 498 includes regulations defining Devens zoning, housing limits, and boundary changes; the law requires Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley to vote at simultaneous special town meetings to make substantive changes.
Developers have approached MassDevelopment with proposals to redevelop Vicksburg Square, a Devens landmark site, primarily for rental housing.
“That’s why we started the discussion with the JBOS,” Montuori said. “Our intent all along has been to make the zoning change easier than what 498 dictates. Our hope is that we get support at this level,” referring to the selectmen at the meeting. “Selectmen in each of the towns have to be in favor of it.”
—Rich Montuori
Montuori indicated that if a majority of selectmen in each town were to vote for such a measure, MassDevelopment could declare that it had community support for legislation to change zoning.
MassDevelopment would go to the three boards of selectmen to request that they “take a vote to support legislation to change the zoning. If we get all three towns to support legislation, I think the local delegation,” referring to state legislators, “would have more of an appetite to file legislation to change the zoning.”
However, Harvard Board of Selectmen Chairman Leo Blair told the Press this week that such changes would require a special town meeting vote.
In response to questions about the Chapter 498-defined process, Montuori replied that “The Legislature, similar to what they did with BMS [Bristol-Myers Squibb], can change the zoning.” He continued, “I thought that was clear when we started this process. If that’s not the case, you need to let us know.”
Montuori said that interested developers “believe that the process will be accelerated via the selectmen, not slowed down to accommodate the legal process set down by Chapter 498.”
He pointed out that an additional town meeting in the spring would bring additional costs for scheduling and coordination and that “these buildings are deteriorating fast. That’s one of the other reasons we want to move on this.”
“Our goal is make sure that the buildings don’t deteriorate to the point that they can’t be salvaged. They are also the most important buildings in Devens because of their location and their design, because of their importance to the community as a whole.” He emphasized that “we could lose them if we wait too long.”
He also pointed out that “we now have people interested in housing for the first time since I’ve been involved with Devens. If we can work up a schedule, everything can fall into place.”
Montuori made it clear that he doesn’t want to see this processs delayed. “I’m not going to have a particular town or particular people in a town using delaying tactics,” he said. “I don’t want to bog this down with meetings and discussions and studies and so on. We are on a timeline together and we are going to work back from that. I would like a decision on getting this thing done sometime in January. I am already late in getting this done.
“For example,” he continued, “I’m not going to wait two months for the Harvard Planning Board to review this. I think they need to know certain dates, review it, and get us comments back. I’m just using you as an example,” he said, referring to Joe Sudol, a Harvard Planning Board member who attended the meeting.
Montuori said he wants to select a developer by the end of February. “I think the RFP can go out sooner,” he added.
Harvard Selectman Ron Ricci requested that Montuori come to a JBOS meeting to explain his process and goals; Montuori agreed to attend.
