Resuming political jurisdiction over the Harvard portion of Devens may be the most consequential social and economic decision citizens will make since the residents of 1732 petitioned the Great and General Court of the commonwealth to separate land from the towns of Lancaster, Stow, and Groton and incorporate as a town. While the final decision on permanent government for Devens will be made by the Legislature and the governor, the sentiment of the voters in the towns will be influential.
The enabling legislation, Chapter 498 of the Acts of 1993, was primarily focused on replacing the 6,000 jobs lost when a substantial portion of the Fort Devens military base was closed. It called for a reuse plan that would be approved by the three underlying towns of Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley, and provided that the Massachusetts Government Landbank, now MassDevelopment, would be the interim local government during the redevelopment period, estimated to take 40 years.
The reuse plan was approved by all parties and implemented. The lost jobs have now been replaced and in 2023 the original development goal of 8.5 million square feet of commercial development will likely be achieved, according to the Devens Enterprise Commission (DEC), the independent agency that permits development at Devens. Expanded commercial development on available land within the existing zoning has been discussed. Additionally, nearly all of the planned 282 housing units have been developed.
Chapter 498 benchmarked 2030 as the year when planning for permanent government should be started and 2033 as the year when a local decision would be made and submitted to the state. The Devens Jurisdiction Framework Committee (DJFC), composed of representatives of Ayer, Harvard, Shirley, the DEC, Devens residents and businesses, and MassDevelopment, began the planning process ahead of schedule several years ago. Unfortunately, MassDevelopment, citing its current Devens workload, is no longer participating, but the remaining parties continue to meet.
Among the compelling reasons to continue to move ahead with planning for permanent government include:
- The original development goals have been reached.
- The infrastructure (roads and utilities) to support existing and any future commercial development is substantially in place.
- Known environmental issues have all been successfully addressed.
Given the anticipated complexity of the planning and implementation process, it seems unwise not to take advantage of the time available to get everything right. Those of us participating in the DJFC believe consensus can be reached well before 2030, which will accrue to the benefit of all parties.
Also to be considered on the political side:
- The interim government, MassDevelopment, is unconstrained in its ability to make administrative and financial decisions and commitments that could have adverse or unpopular effects upon future permanent governments.
- The residential population on Devens will soon be fully in place without the ability to participate in self-governance. They are taxed but have no local representation.
- The time has come for MassDevelopment to begin the transition away from its role as the interim government while continuing its responsibility to redevelop and market available commercial parcels.
On Oct. 19, at 7 p.m., the Harvard-Devens Jurisdiction Committee (HDJC) will hold an open meeting to advance the public process. The HDJC has prepared a summary of the initial plan that will be the broad outline for the meeting. The Initial Plan Summary is available on the town of Harvard website for review prior to the meeting, which will be held at the Hildreth Elementary School in person and on Zoom.
The town of Harvard has a great deal at stake in the future of the Devens project and needs to fully explore the merits of resuming political jurisdiction. Presently, 75% of the commercial development and 85% of the residential development are in the historical Harvard portion of Devens. The farmers in the 18th century made a wise decision; we should keep up that tradition.
Victor Normand is chair of the Harvard-Devens Jurisdiction Committee and is writing on behalf of the committee.
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