Thatcher Kezar, MassDevelopment senior vice president for Devens, was back before the selectmen Tuesday evening to request a Super Town Meeting of Harvard, Shirley, and Ayer to approve the expansion of an innovation and technology zone at Devens. This time he came with a draft warrant article and a map.
The change would create a parcel of approximately 60 acres, a size that would allow MassDevelopment to court biopharmaceutical companies seeking a site in Massachusetts. According to Kezar, such a site would be one of two in the state, and its availability would allow the agency to respond quickly to future opportunities. One such company, Bristol-Myers Squibb, has already established—and is currently expanding—a manufacturing facility at the former military base.
MassDevelopment wants the Super Town Meeting to be held May 9 to coincide with Ayer’s Annual Town Meeting. MassDevelopment would hold two hearings beforehand, one at Devens on March 31 and a second in Harvard on April 13. Kezar said the agency would be ready to deliver final language for the zoning change to the selectmen a day later, in time for the board to take action at its April 17 meeting.
Kezar had previously appeared before the selectmen on Feb. 23, when he was advised to return as soon as possible with a detailed proposal. And on Tuesday, Selectman Stu Sklar worried that there was not enough time to prepare the town for a vote. Outgoing Selectman Leo Blair had something different in mind: Why not sweeten the proposal with an offer to share new tax revenues from any development on the rezoned parcel with Harvard, Ayer, and Shirley? he asked. Devens continues to operate at a deficit, responded Kezar.
The board took no action, with Chairman Ron Ricci saying he wanted to hear first from Harvard’s Planning Board, which opposed a similar proposal last year. That proposal was soundly defeated at a June 18, 2015 Super Town Meeting.
“If you rush it, you run the risk of the town saying no,” said Selectman Sklar.
