MassDevelopment has set wheels in motion to begin the construction of two energy-efficient housing developments at Devens next April.
Richard Henderson and Robert Kay of the MassDevelopment Real Estate and Planning Division presented a proposal for small sites off Buena Vista Street and MacArthur Avenue at a Devens Enterprise Commission business meeting on Aug. 6. The goal of the project is development of zero net-energy—or near-zero net-energy—homes that fit into the Devens environment, showcase energy efficiency, provide a model for sustainable construction that meets the needs of a variety of homeowners, and that sell for between $225,000 and $350,000, a range deemed to be “affordable on either side of the median income on this area,” according to Henderson.
A zero net-energy building is one that is both efficient and, over the course of a year, generates energy on site using clean, renewable resources in a quantity equal to or greater than the total amount of energy consumed on site. Efficient houses, in this context, use efficient appliances, heating and cooling systems, and insulation. Their energy sources are, for example, wind, solar, geothermal, hydrogen, and biomass.
Two sites are being developed at Devens: on Bates and Auman streets. The Bates Street site is .6 acre in size and is targeted for up to six multi-family units; the Auman Street site (also referred to as Adams Circle) is 3.42 acres and targeted for up to eight single-family units. Both sites are in the Harvard section of Devens, near Vicksburg Square.
The proposal is, in part, a result of the efforts of Governor Deval Patrick’s Zero Net-Energy Task Force, whose goal is to provide recommendations that would point the way toward universal adoption of zero net-energy buildings for new residential and commercial construction norms by 2030.
Development teams for the Devens project will be selected based on their interest in creating case studies, their willingness to collaborate with MassDevelopment, and their interest in sharing knowledge and expertise gained from the project. “We want teams that want to share information with the world,” Henderson said. Land will be sold to the winning team or teams and the developer(s) will be responsible for all operations, from permitting through the sale of individual homes. Henderson said that “MassDevelopment is focusing on teams who are not only engineers and designers but who can go on to build and sell those houses. The whole idea is that this would be a private-sector model, tested at Devens, and shown that it works.”
MassDevelopment issued a request for qualifications for the project on April 30, and four respondents were to have been given a request for proposal today. Proposals are due in November 2009; team(s) will be selected in January 2010; permitting is scheduled for March, 2010; and construction is slated to start in April, 2010.
