"What is happening to Devens?" is a question heard in our office frequently. The most recent article in the Globe sums it all up: "The Future For Devens is Clouded" and for people considering a move to Harvard, the Devens cloud can be a little unsettling.
So first, what is Devens? Devens is what remains of "Fort Devens" an Army training facility built during World War I to train more than 100,000 Army soldiers. The facility was located on more than 5000 acres of land purchased from 112 land owners in the towns of Ayer, Harvard, Lancaster and Shirley. Over the years this facility had been expanded and activated as necessary during wars and military actions.
In 1995, under the national Base Realignment And Closing Act Fort Devens was closed and the State appointed The Massachusetts Government Land Bank (now known as MassDevelopment) to oversee redevelopment efforts. In 1996, MassDevelopment took title of the land with the power to sell and lease the property. Since that time commercial, residential, recreational, and municipal redevelopment has taken place.
This year, after two years of deliberation and upwards of 70 public meetings, the Devens Disposition Executive Board (DDEB) proposed "Scenario 2B". This scenario would apportion some lands back to the surrounding towns and incorporate "Devens" into a municipality by the year 2010. However, this proposal was voted down by the towns of Ayer and Harvard so it is back to the drawing board for the DDEB. Meanwhile, MassDevelopment continues their development efforts and citizens anxiously await the next proposal.
The good and bad news is that the deadline for a decision on the disposition of Devens is not until the year 2033. One hopes that it does not take 29 years for a consensus, but it is difficult to predict. And if the development in Devens continues over the next three decades and proves to be valuable then the question of, "What is happening to Devens?" will be an even more difficult subject for the towns of Ayer, Harvard, Lancaster, and Shirley to agree upon.
I wonder how many public meetings will have taken place by the year 2033?.
