MassDevelopment has proposed a new plan for redeveloping Vicksburg Square, one which would allow the agency to choose between two zoning options: one focused on commercial activity and the other on residential housing. MassDevelopment Director of Land and Permitting Ed Starzec and Senior Vice President Jessica Strunkin presented the plan to the Harvard Planning Board at the board’s Feb. 25 meeting.
The first of the two zoning options, Usage Mix A, would allow the construction of up to 300 residential units in Vicksburg Square. These units would be in multifamily dwellings and could also include senior housing. Up to 15 percent of the area could also be used for ancillary commercial uses, such as home offices, health care, and small-scale retail.
This option would include affordable housing in one of two mixes: Either 25 percent of the units would be restricted to households earning up to 80 percent of AMI (area median income), or 20 percent would be restricted to households earning up to 50 percent of AMI. In either case, according to Starzec, all units within the district would count toward a town’s stock of affordable housing, for purposes of Chapter 40B. Some areas of Vicksburg Square fall within Harvard’s historical boundaries, while others fall within Ayer’s. Each town’s section would individually have to meet the affordable housing percentage requirement.
The second option, Usage Mix B, would allow only commercial uses, such as full offices, light industrial operations, and business incubator areas. The only difference between Vicksburg Square’s current zoning and Usage Mix B is that health care facilities would be allowed, while they currently are not.
According to Starzec, MassDevelopment is also open to the possibility of replacing some or all of the existing Vicksburg Square buildings, depending on what would best accommodate potential residents or businesses. In a previous presentation, Starzec outlined the issues with the current buildings, including lead, asbestos, black mold, and damage from years of abandonment and vandalism. The proposed zoning would apply to the district, regardless of the status of the current buildings.
When queried by Planning Board member Jarrett Rushmore, Starzec said that MassDevelopment would choose between the two usage mixes based on which one more quickly draws potential residents or businesses to the site. He noted that while this would appear to make Use B unlikely, as MassDevelopment has not found businesses under the current zoning, the situation would be different. Currently, MassDevelopment is looking for businesses willing and able to renovate the old buildings, whereas under the new plan, that would not be a requirement.
Starzec plans to return at a later date with an updated version of the plan, after conducting more outreach and meeting with officials in other towns.
Devens is a 6.8-square-mile area of land that was taken from the surrounding towns (Harvard, Ayer, Shirley, and Lancaster) in 1917 to form an army base. In 1996, the military returned most of Devens to the state, keeping the Lancaster portion and some other small areas for training. Since then, the state, through its MassDevelopment finance and development agency, has been working to restore the area’s economic well-being, while providing government services to residents and businesses. According to MassDevelopment, Devens is currently home to more than 400 residents and its businesses employ over 5,000 people.
