Residents had an opportunity last Saturday to share their ideas and concerns about Vicksburg Square development with the company proposing to take on that project, Trinity Financial, as part of the company’s effort to build consensus among residents in Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley on a vision for the historic center of the Devens Regional Enterprise Zone (DREZ). This was the second such session conducted by the company; the first was held in Ayer. Although no firm conclusions were reached, Trinity representatives said they would analyze all of the input from these “vision sessions” and post their results on the company’s website.
Last November, in response to a MassDevelopment request for “Expressions of Interest” for the redevelopment of Vicksburg Square, Trinity proposed a development containing 250 units of “high quality, mixed-income housing that will generate tax revenue for Devens.” The proposal did not include mention of retail or other uses.
Trinity Project Manager Abby Goldenfarb and Kendra Halliwel of Icon Architecture, one of Trinity’s partners in the proposed development, were on hand at the Oct. 30 gathering in Volunteers Hall at the public library to offer their ideas about developing Vicksburg Square and to listen to what residents had to say. They presented initial thoughts about the project, including the challenges and opportunities presented by the historic Georgian Revival structures in the square, which was once the center of activities in Fort Devens.
Goldenfarb told the audience of about 40, “What drove us to this project was that these buildings are important historically, they are beautiful, and we’d like to bring them to their best and highest use, generating revenue that benefits all the communities. We want to bring elements of community space, attract the community into that space, and we’d like to have a job creation component.”
She acknowledged that among the challenges of the old buildings were getting people up and down stairs; accessibility—the buildings are four feet above grade; energy-efficiency improvements; and parking. She pledged that the company would design “well and smart,” and said it would use local materials wherever possible.
Although some residents raised concerns related to legal issues around management and governance of Devens, Trinity representatives focused on keeping those issues separate from the discussion about the potential uses of the buildings and how they might be developed to the benefit of all three communities.
Goldenfarb said that if, after examining possibilities and working with the communities of Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley, Trinity did not believe they could propose a concept that was financially feasible, they would not pursue the project. “We’re not here to build something that will never get financed,” she said. “We’ll do an intense market study to find out what’s going on, but we would never do something if it’s not financially feasible.”
Concerns and ideas about housing
Residents disagreed about housing on Devens in general. Some said there was currently not enough housing; others pointed out that the site had accommodated thousands of residents when it was a fort; still others said that more residential housing was required to build a population that could become a sustainable community.
Many residents were concerned that there are already a large number of unsold houses in the area. One resident said that a development in Natick was recently forced into foreclosure, and pointed out that there were more services and infrastructure available to that project than would be available at Vicksburg Square, which has no transportation services or shopping infrastructure.
Harvard Selectman Tim Clark said there would be great distances between any high-density residential development at Vicksburg Square and the services required by those residences. “Services are scattered and transportation is a problem,” he said, suggesting that there needed to be “transportation connections to this complex.”
Residents voiced the desire for continuing care facilities, “so that we don’t have to leave our community,” as one resident put it. Another asked for a concept that included “assisted living, condos, workspace, day care, and a coffee shop,” while yet another said he would like to see an intergenerational community living in Vicksburg Square.
Some people objected to the idea of housing in general, suggesting instead that the focus of development should be on jobs, for example, creating “small entrepreneurial startup space.”
Clark cited the need for low- to moderate-income housing that could accommodate home-based businesses for both artists and entrepreneurs.
One person said his biggest concern was that any sort of residential development at Devens would deter commercial and industrial development, citing as an example the conflict between Old Mill Road residents and Evergreen Solar over noise emanating from that company.
What about parking?
Some in attendance expressed concern about the availability of parking at Vicksburg Square. Currently, parking for the site is provided along the curb in front of Revere Hall and Rogers Field and in the interior quadrangle of the four buildings.
Goldenfarb acknowledged that parking is problematic and said that addressing the issue was a next step for the project. “Whatever the central quadrangle becomes,” she said, “it should not be parking.”
Wishes for a green community
Audience members expressed a desire to see strategies for sustainability built into the plans. One resident said, “I hope that whatever you design, it has a lot of rainwater reuse and solar energy designed into it… there’s a lot of roof space here getting wasted.” Goldenfarb agreed, and noted that Trinity Financial had developed the first green LEED-certified affordable housing development in the country.
Suggested principles to guide development
Ayer Selectwoman Carolyn McCreary said she would like to leave two principles with Trinity as they pursue their design concept. One principle, she said, is that “Vicksburg Square is its own area, but it’s also a part of Devens.” She advised, “We need to plan for more than Vicksburg Square so that it fits well into the overall development [of Devens].”
McCreary’s second principle was, “We need to develop this so that jobs are created as well as housing.”
Next steps
Goldenfarb said that the Trinity Financial team will analyze all of the input from the vision sessions and post the results on the company’s website, www.trinityfinancial.com. On Nov. 11 Trinity will conduct a tour of properties the company has developed in downtown Boston. The purpose of the tour, Goldenfarb said, is “to give residents an idea of how Trinity’s developments have stood the test of time and to give you a sense of who we are.”
