by John Osborn ·
Thursday, April 16, 2026
A major economic development bill filed by Gov. Maura Healey on Beacon Hill today contains a provision that would significantly restructure how zoning changes and amendments to the Devens Reuse Plan are approved, replacing the existing super town meeting process with a single regionwide vote conducted by MassDevelopment, the state's quasi-public development finance agency. The changes, if passed and signed into law, would take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
Under current law, amendments to the Devens Reuse Plan and zoning bylaws must be approved by a majority vote of each of the three towns party to the agreement, Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley, meeting separately on the same date and time. Healey’s bill would replace that procedure with a single meeting convened by MassDevelopment at one location within or near Devens.
Any voter registered in one of the three host towns, including Devens residents, would be eligible to vote at that meeting. Because Devens is not an independent municipality, its residents are registered voters in whichever of the three towns encompasses the historical boundaries of their address. The bill directs the clerks of each of the three towns to verify the registration status of all attendees, with MassDevelopment covering the costs of that work.
A quorum of just 50 voters would be sufficient to conduct business, and a simple majority of those present could approve any amendment. Voters would have no ability to amend proposals from the floor — only an up-or-down vote would be permitted.
In a letter state House and Senate legislators, Healey said her proposal would “reform the way zoning changes are made in Devens to ensure the community’s zoning bylaws can be amended in a timely way and enable the meaningful participation of Devens residents as well as surrounding municipalities.”
Officials in Ayer, Harvard, Shirley and Devens could not immediately be reached for comment. This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.