MassDevelopment withdraws from committee exploring future disposition of Devens

MassDevelopment, the agency responsible for the commercial and residential redevelopment of Devens, has announced, unexpectedly, that it will no longer participate in discussions related to the permanent governance of the former U.S. Army base.

In an email sent Wednesday to members of the Devens Jurisdiction Framework Committee, Devens Executive Vice President Jessica Strunkin wrote that MassDevelopment’s withdrawal from the committee was necessary, “given the many matters facing Devens in regards to our primary mission around commercial redevelopment, running day-to-day operations, and maintaining a safe and healthy community.” Chapter 498, the state law that created the Devens redevelopment zone, “does not require real progress on the matter of final disposition until July 1, 2030,” she continued. “We expect to re-engage in these discussions with all parties closer to that timeframe.”

Until Wednesday, the Devens Jurisdiction Framework Committee included representatives of   six groups with a stake in the outcome:  the towns of Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley; the Devens Enterprise Commission; Devens businesses and residents; and MassDevelopment. With the departure of MassDevelopment the committee loses Strunk, who with Victor Normand is its co-chair; and MassDevelopment’s director of land planning and permitting,  Ed Starzec, and attorney Robert Carey.

Although the committee’s work was delayed by the pandemic, its members are close to finishing a memorandum of agreement that sets rules for how the parties will reach consensus and how they will pay for the consulting they all agree is needed to decide how Devens will be governed once MassDevelopment completes its work. MassDevelopment was seen as a potential source of money for consulting services, but with its withdrawal, DJFC may need to seek the dollars elsewhere.

Reaction to Wednesday's memo was swift. At a meeting of Havard’s own committee—the  Harvard-Devens Jurisdiction Committee— the following day, members described the news as “a kick in the gut,” and “a snubbing of the towns.” Peter Lowitt, director of the DEC, said in a phone interview  that he was shocked at the decision and had learned of it at the same time as other Devens Jurisdiction Framework Committee  members.

State Sen. Jamie Eldridge, who represents the three towns and Devens, said he and state Rep. Dan Sena had learned of the email second hand. “I’m deeply disappointed in the senior leadership of MassDevelopment,” Eldridge said in a Friday afternoon statement. “This is a big rejection of the Legislature's recognition that the three towns are intricately involved in the future of Devens. In my 20 years representing Harvard and Devens I've never seen a CEO of MassDevelopment so disengaged with the communities of Ayer, Shirley, and Harvard.” The President and CEO of MassDevelopment, to whom Strunkin reports, is Dan Rivera, a former mayor of Lawrence.

On Thursday, DJFC co-chair Victor Normand emailed the remaining members of the committee to confirm that they would meet Wednesday, April 13, at 3 p.m. DEC director Lowitt said he believes the Devens Jurisdiction Framework Committee should continue its work, whether MassDevelopment participates or not. Normand says that whether the committee can continue to exist without the participation of MassDevelopment will be the top item on next week’s agenda.