Over the past several months, MassDevelopment and the Joint Boards of Selectmen (JBOS) have been negotiating MassDevelopment-proposed amendments to the Devens bylaws, zoning map, and reuse plan that would allow for redevelopment of Vicksburg Square at Devens. A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m., Monday, March 16, at the Harvard Town Hall, to allow for public comment on the proposed changes.
According to MassDevelopment, the objectives of the proposed redevelopment are preservation of the square’s historic buildings, fostering of an effective public-private partnership between MassDevelopment and a private redeveloper, and a move toward green development in the north central region of Massachusetts.
The historic Georgian Revival buildings are constructed of red brick and slate roofs. They had been the center of administrative functions at the Army’s Fort Devens since they were built in the 1930s and remained central to life at Devens until the fort closed in 1996.
There are currently 14 planning zones at Devens. Vicksburg Square is in an “Innovation and Technology Center Zoning District” zone, which allows for office, light industrial, industrial research and development, health care, academic, institutional, civic, and municipal uses, but not residential use. Proposed amendments would create a new “Vicksburg Square Redevelopment District” zone, which would allow the uses listed above, but add multifamily residential uses (rental apartments or condominiums). The amendment would also establish a residential housing cap for the new zone of 400 units. If the amendments are approved at simultaneous town meetings in Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley, the Devens bylaws, zoning map, and reuse plan will be updated to reflect these changes.
To clarify the changes being requested by MassDevelopment, the amendment process has included several JBOS meetings as well as meetings between the JBOS-sponsored Vicksburg Square Subcommittee and MassDevelopment. In the next phase of the process, public hearings will be held in the three towns to solicit public comment (Shirley, March 23; Ayer, March 24) . MassDevelopment will make changes based on public comment and submit “warrant language” to the boards of selectmen of the towns. Once that request is submitted, the boards of selectmen will have 90 days to convene a “super town meeting” to be held simultaneously in all three towns. If the towns accept the amendments proposed by MassDevelopment, a developer will be selected and the Devens Enterprise Commission (DEC) and state will review the project and begin permitting. Once the permitting is complete, the developer can begin construction.
Presentation slides and discussion forum can be accessed at Harvard Forums.
