This past Saturday the Master Plan Steering Committee (MPSC) held the final event in its week-long series of open roundtable discussions. Over four days, the committee held public forums on four topics central to its update of Harvard’s Master Plan, the document meant to guide the town’s evolution over the next 10 years. They were the town center and public facilities; housing and conservation; transportation and the commercial district; and Devens and its impact on the town.
RKG Associates Inc., the consulting firm hired to assist with drafting the document, ran each of the sessions. “This is their format to allow open brainstorming and for the group dynamic to play a role in identifying the top challenges and potential solutions,” said MPSC member Didi Chadran.
Conversation has changed since 2001
Judi Barrett, director of municipal services at RKG, says that this is her second engagement with the town, having helped draft the 2001/2002 Master Plan. “The conversation has changed because the situation has changed,” says Barrett. “We need to hear the town’s tolerance for potential solutions. We have to get the culture of the town, and get a sense of what they want.”
The final roundtable focused on Devens, as a recent survey and public outreach indicated that Harvard and Devens residents both want to begin planning how Devens will be governed and what role it will play in Harvard’s future.
“Devens is one of those issues where many people in the town feel they need a lot more information,” said Chadran. “We don’t hold all the reins of that decision. We may have to accept the decision or choose to fight a decision, but one of the things we seek to do with the Master Plan is develop a framework for decision-making that anticipates possible outcomes, based on the feedback we get from the community.”
No jurisdiction since 1927
No town has exercised jurisdiction over the lands underlying Devens since the Army purchased the land in 1927, but approximately 61 percent (2,700 acres) of the 4,400-acre Devens Regional Enterprise Zone (DREZ) is within the historic geographical boundaries of Harvard. The remaining 23 percent and 16 percent lie within the boundaries of Ayer and Shirley, respectively.
In 1993, Chapter 498, the governing statute covering Devens redevelopment, was passed. Although the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency (MassDevelopment) has control over the redevelopment of Devens, by 2032 MassDevelopment and the towns of Harvard, Ayer, and Shirley need to have a plan in place that details what happens next with the land.
On Saturday, the 26 attendees divided themselves into three roundtable groups to draw up a list of questions, problems, and potential solutions. The groups were primarily concerned with the issues of economic impact, the structure of the government, the effect on the culture of the town, and the process for coming to a final decision regarding disposition of Harvard’s historical land.
The first question at many tables was simply, “Is this a black or white issue?” Paul Green of Old Littleton Road, a member of the selectmen-appointed Devens Economic Analysis Team (DEAT) summed up the dilemma, saying, “Harvard doesn’t know if it has a lump of coal or a diamond; they are both made out of carbon, but we don’t know if we have a gem or a ball and chain.” He admitted this was a simplification but said the point is that acquisition of Devens would affect Harvard’s tax base, property values, and schools, and that the impact is difficult to determine because of its ever-changing commercial industries.
‘Harvard is a stable community, Devens is not’
“Harvard is a stable community,” said Green. “Devens, on the other hand, undergoes great changes every year.” He cited Evergreen Solar Inc., which in 2008 received $58 million in state aid to open a solar plant. It closed after a few years, and 800 workers lost their jobs. On the other hand, New England Studios, a $41-million film complex, opened in Devens this past September—the first of its kind in Massachusetts. “It’s hard to take a snapshot and think that’s reflective of how it will be in two years, five years, 10 years—we want to figure out what to do, but a certain amount of patience is involved,” said Green.
Another concern brought to the table was the question of governance. What is the impact of taking on “the more urban-style government” at Devens and combining that with our small-town, volunteer-driven government? asked Victor Normand, current chairman of DEAT. Devens is not a Massachusetts town and has no elected representatives with municipal authority. Its residents vote in either Harvard or Ayer and are considered citizens of the towns on whose land they reside.
At Devens, MassDevelopment is the governing authority, not an elected board of selectmen. The state agency contracts for public safety services such as firefighting and police, and it maintains the gas, electricity, and water supply. The Devens Enterprise Commission (DEC) acts as planning board, permitting authority, and zoning board of appeals for the area, which is commonly referred to as the DREZ (Devens Regional Enterprise Zone). School Committee member Bob Sullebarger wondered, “How will the town’s government manage through a transition?” and “What resources will it need?”
The Harvard school district receives roughly $14,000 per student from Devens as part of a contract with MassDevelopment. Not only is this helping support the school system, but students from the two areas are also getting to know each other and form connections. Sullebarger pointed out that a lot of the social and cultural life of a community has to do with the parents and the schools. “There isn’t enough routine cross-communication with Harvard and the folks living in Devens,” he said.
Concerned with the future culture of the town, Sullebarger suggested that Devens could provide a place for school expansion and that the lack of senior housing in Harvard could be solved with the addition of Devens. Victor Normand addressed the issue by saying that Devens might “change the culture, but that is not necessarily a negative,” and perhaps it could accommodate new dynamics of culture and contribute to renewed diversity. Also, because Devens has more affordable housing, Harvard would no longer be subject to Chapter 40B of the Comprehensive Permit Act. Under Chapter 40B any town where less than 10 percent of the housing qualifies as affordable is subject to development that bypasses some requirements of the town bylaw.
All three groups agreed there was the need for community involvement and more information. “There are three communities that have to make this decision jointly,” said Town Planner Bill Scanlan. “But the Legislature has ultimate authority,” Judi Barrett reminded him.
‘We have precious little control’
“We have precious little control over Devens,” said Green. “So how do you get people interested in the future of something over which they have little control? That’s the reality.” Green’s comments were echoed by School Committee Chairwoman SusanMary Redinger, who said, “People aren’t going to take the time to go to meetings until there is an impending decision.” Or as Sullebarger put it, “Most people you stop on the street think this is a glacier moving down a hill.”
Planning Board member and MPSC Chairman Joe Hutchinson believes, “We need a process in the town that looks at issues of Devens and determines policy.” Steve Finnegan, another DEAT member, agreed, saying the involvement of town boards needs to be coordinated, adding, “We need to have an ongoing infrastructure of involvement so when new people come in they can get on the same page quicker.”
So who should lead, participants wondered. Should it be the Planning Board or an outside source? “We can figure out problems and questions pretty well,” said Finnegan, “but we need someone who can invest the time.” Selectwoman and MPSC member Lucy Wallace noted that her group had suggested developing a task force or bringing in a professional consultant to look exclusively at the economics of Devens. Normand says, “MassDevelopment holds the key, but their numbers are problematic. MassDevelopment ought to provide the resources to do the cost-benefit analysis.”
“This has been a huge Harvard-centered conversation,” said Finnegan. “We haven’t considered where Devens residents are coming from.” Chris Parlee, a resident of Devens in attendance, said, “Harvard’s efforts in talking about this and preparing for it now are a positive move. As Devens residents, we are concerned, too.”
As he brought the meeting to a close, Hutchinson thanked the attendees for their dedication and insights. The next step for RKG Associates is to collect the transcripts of Saturday’s group meetings, their lists of problems and solutions, and synthesize them. “We’re going to distill the information and help update the Master Plan,” says Barrett. “We’re racing to meet the financial deadline,” she said. Funding for RKG expires June 30. Meantime, the MPSC wants to extend the deadline for the Master Plan by one year as called for by Article 51 in this year’s Annual Town Meeting warrant. Voters will get to decide.
