Approving the rezoning of Devens' Innovation and Technology Center district for housing does not mean new homes will be built quickly, given the project's checkered history. Voters in Harvard, Ayer and Shirley will decide on March 29 next year, and under the 1993 state law the change must be ratified by the Town Meetings of all three towns, while earlier attempts in 2009 and 2012 failed to win unanimous approval. Removing hazardous materials and stabilizing the Vicksburg Square buildings is expected to cost about $44 million, and the cost to stabilize the structures has risen to $31.3 million, far above the original 2017 estimate. MassDevelopment, the building owner, says it needs money rather than rezoning to begin work, and it does not plan to select a developer before the Super Town Meeting.
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Original headline: Editorial : Rezoning Devens parcel residential clears just one hurdle
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Voters in Harvard, Ayer and Shirley will decide on March 29 next year whether to allow housing in Devens' 90-acre ITC district, which includes the former Army barracks of Vicksburg Square. The rezoning needs a simple majority at each of the three towns' meetings, and the editorial says the towns will likely all vote in favour this time, after failed bids in 2009 and 2012. According to Hokenson of MassDevelopment, the owner of the buildings, removing asbestos and stabilizing them would cost about $44 million, and stabilization costs have risen to $31.3 million from a $9 million estimate in 2017. The agency says it needs money, not rezoning, to begin work. The editorial argues that rezoning is only one hurdle, as financing and detailed development plans remain unresolved.
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