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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